Enchanted Emporium Suitcase of Stars

by Pierdomenico Baccalario

[limabean74]

The characters in this book are cute. Finley is a bit of a troublemaker and is just a typical boy. Aiby is a cute quirky character. They really grow quite a bit especially Finley starting out as a trouble maker he starts to show more responsibility and a bit grown up. I felt all the characters were written very well and the bad guys I felt you needed more of them. I felt they just kind of appeared and without the entire story it was hard to really judge. They just kind of showed up then disappeared. Usually the villain had the back-story and it did but it didn't make any sense to me.

The story was really interesting but the vagueness of what was going on was mind numbing. Even by the end of the book I still didn't have all the information I wanted and I realize this is a series but it was so frustrating. It is maybe, I hope, a set up to the next book that will give more explanation? The illustrations in the book are fantastic. I loved the pencil designs and I found seeing the magical items with the minor explanations helpful at least for the items but not the story in a whole.

I gave Staircase of Stars 3 stars as much as it was a bit slow for me I think maybe a middle grader will love this story and really connect with Finley. I will recommend this to my son when he is looking for a fun read targeted for him. I realize it's not meant for my age but I usually enjoy a fun quirky middle grade read. This is a new series that has great potential but I don't think I'll be running to the store for book number 2 for myself.