What Came from the Stars

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Narrated by Graham Winton

Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Gary D. Schmidt's best-selling books have won widespread acclaim while racking up numerous honors. In What Came from the Stars, Tommy is coping with the loss of his mother when he finds a mysterious necklace in his lunchbox. Little does he know that he's now in possession of a planet from across the cosmos - and that he will soon be targeted by the planet's enemies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470340209

Gary D. Schmidt

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That; National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He is also contributor to and co-editor of the acclaimed short story collection A Little Bit Super, co-edited by Leah Henderson. He lives in rural Michigan.

Reviews for What Came from the Stars

[Rachel Schwab · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

its an amazing book its a very good book!!!! i loved it

[salsabrarian · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Graham Winton. It was a little complicated listening to this particularly during the fantasy scenes with the Valorim etc. I had trouble tracking what was happening there. But it parallels Tommy Pepper's story about his family grieving his mother's recent death and a snippy local developer wanting to buy their beloved home so she can build condos on the property. The Valorim necklace (?) that comes into Tommy's possession via his lunchbox, gives Tommy the strength to do the right thing, and ultimately that's what the book is about, standing up for what's right. In a nutshell.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't enjoy the book but I also didn't care much for Harry Potter. I think it was well written, maybe even the mind of a genius. It is definitely more of a guy read.
It was suggested to read the last chapter first to better understand the concept.
I think this is a fantasy/sci-fi genre.

[jknuts1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The overall big idea that I picked up, was sacrifice for the greater good. (It comes down to Tommy having to give up the thing that gave him special powers and brought back vivid memories of his recently passed mother, in order to save an entire civilization. He has to make the selfless decision that helps others at a loss of his own wants and emotions.) I liked this book because of its plot and structure. I loved the ever growing feeling of suspense because of the alternating chapters between Tommy's world and the world of the Valorim. Just when it gets good, it switches to the other world, and you're left with a mini cliff-hanger, only to start a new chapter and find another waiting a few pages later. It was also nice to see these characters portrayed with such strong family ties and values. Tommy's relationship with his sister was nothing but loving, whereas most books portray the typical sibling rivalry and tension. It was refreshing to see a character at that age with the emotional strength to not be petty with his sibling. Tommy and his sister also had an incredibly strong and close bond with their father, and these are good things to be modeled for the intended audience of this book! The caveat, as previously mentioned, is that the explanation provided by the epilogue and glossary come a little too late for me. The frustration with having to sort and remember 30 different names and places (belonging to the alien world, that are so foreign, and so abstractly named) mounted to the point where I almost wanted the book to end a few chapters before it was supposed to. My only dislike was that the glossary should have come before the text, to so you know the easy references are there. I read the e-book version, and it didn't even tell me that there was a glossary! It frustrated me more that I struggled through the book unnecessarily. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and the ending was a bit disheartening that Tommy lost so much, but it was encouraging that he did so at the cost of saving an entire race and returning hope to an entire world.

[nfigue1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Taking place in two locations, the fantasy planet Valorim and the small town of Plymouth, the audience must piece together clues of the two colliding worlds. Each chapter alternates from the fantasy world, back to Tommy Pepper’s reality. The fantasy planet, Valoirm, reveals a species unlike any I have encountered before. The creatures sparked my interest, in learning about their odd culture; specifically their love for the Art. Shifting to Plymouth, the author shares the Pepper’s tragic family story where I felt the love of siblings and importance of family come to life. The organization of What Came From The Stars was challenging. Alternating between worlds every chapter made comprehension tough. Though the addition of an alien language was stimulating, it added to difficulties in comprehension.

[rjayne2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The message of this book is that good always defeats evil. I had mixed feelings about this book. One reason I liked is was because of the writing. I enjoyed reading about Tommy's life. For example when I learned about how Tommy's mother died it was heartbreaking. It was sad and I could imagine how Tommy was feeling and how he blamed himself for her death. One reason I did not like the book was because it was very back and forth with Tommy's life and Valorim. I could not keep track of everybody in the fantasy world.

[shardy2-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion I thought this was a good book. One of the things I liked was the plot of the story. The author alternated chapters with narrative of the real world and narrative of the fantasy world. By switching each chapter, this created suspense within the story. For example, at the end of chapter 16 Patty and Tommy's dad go missing. The last sentence in chapter 16 says, "It took him less than ten seconds to figure out the house was deserted". That sentence alone creates suspense because the reader has to read the chapter in the alternate world before he/she can move on to find out what happened to Patty and their father. I also liked the language in the story. The author uses descriptive language throughout the story, especially in "Weoruld Ethelim" (which was the alternate universe). In chapter 1, the narrator draws the reader into the story line with the language he/she uses. On page 1 the narrator says, "The Reced was doomed, and the Ethelim they had loved well and guarded long would fall under the sharp trunco of the faceless O'Mondim and the traitors who led them". There is a lot of depth within that sentence. The author doesn't just state that the "Reced" is doomed, he is descriptive in his writing to draw the reader in. Descriptive writing is important within the text because it makes the reader feel as if he/she is there through the authors writing. The main message in this story was good overcomes evil. Throughout the story, Tommy was tempted to do what would have been the wrong thing but throughout the story he stays strong and consistent with doing the right thing which leads him to be a noble hero.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

On a faraway planet, the local populace if overthrown. To save their knowledge, art and power they send it to Earth as an artifact. A sixth grader living in Plymouth Massachusetts finds it, and discovers some of its powers. When the aliens locate the artifact, and the boy, Tommy must defend his home and family.

[delphica · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a perfectly fine book, but it could have been a much better book had someone consulted with me first. I love Gary Schmidt, and was excited when I heard he was doing a science fiction book in 2012. But weirdly, this book is falling short of what a Gary Schmidt science fiction book should be.It alternates between a send-up of classic science fiction and the daily life of a kid in the sixth grade in Massachusetts. What with long lists of bizarre names and references to epic battles on another planet in another galaxy and weirdly styled artifacts, science and technology that is a mix with magic and arts and crafts -- the science fiction part is a Space Opera dialed up to 11. A relic from this narrative somehow finds its way to earth, where it is found by a sixth grader. When the kid puts on this chain, he suddenly knows all the information from this culture, their history and language and issues. This should be the set-up for comedy gold, a kid in sixth grade is now a representative of an alien civilization. And I'm basing that on Schmidt's previous books -- he is so awesome at portraying what is hilarious about how middle school kids think and act and talk, and never in a way that undermines the emotional resonance of the things they experience. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why this didn't happen here. The middle school parts are almost entirely played for straight, so there isn't enough contrast between middle school and the saga unfolding over on the alien planet. A little bit of the hilarity creeps in during the final showdown, which makes it even more noticeably missing from the rest of the story. This alien artifact in the hands of Holling Hoodhood would have been a far better way to go.The other kid characters could have been more fleshed out, especially the girls (usually not an issue with Schmidt so this was surprising to me). And, it also ended with my Absolutely Least Favorite Way to End A Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel. I mean really, the worst. I hate it every time it happens and cannot think of a single example where it works to make the story better. It always makes the story suck.I guess after all that I should say why I thought it was okay. It is an interesting premise and the story moves along nicely. The part where the emotional hook is supposed to punch you in the throat? I felt punched in the throat. But still, this should have been a much better book.

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Schmidt weaves together two parallel stories-- on a planet in a distant galaxy, the good guys are about to be overtaken by the bad guys, and right before this happens, Young Waeglim sends "the last of the Art of the Valorim" out into the skies so that the evil Lord Mondus cannot claim it. This Art, in the form of a necklace, hurtles through space, past untold stars and galaxies, until it enters our atmosphere and drops down toward Plymouth, Massachussetts, straight into the lunchbox of 12-year-old Tommy Pepper. Once he notices the unusual necklace and slips it on, he starts having unusual abilities and memories. But Lord Mondus wants the necklace back, and will stop at nothing to get it.
I loved, loved, loved the more "earthbound" portion of this story: Tommy Pepper and his father and younger sister are dealing with the recent death of their mother, fighting a determined real estate developer who wants to raze their tiny house on the shore to make way for some condos, and generally doing their best to hang on. Schmidt draws the reader right in to Tommy's life and makes it really matter. I did not love, love, love the (admittedly shorter) chapters dealing with the Valorim and the O'Mondim battling it out on the distant planet. Schmidt writes those chapters in a very high-fantasy style and the names and other-worldly words are hard to get through. But persistent readers will get enough from them to understand that the bad guys are doing their best to get the necklace back, and both stories do come together at the end in quite a satisfying conclusion.

[lindap69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is not a spoiler to say look in the back for the glossary first if you want to know some of the words used by the other-world characters (although I had fun figuring them out as I was reading)Best if read in one sitting can be confusing.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel is quite a departure for Gary Schmidt and one I wish he'd not taken. The story is an odd mix of realism and fantasy with chapters alternating between the life of sixth-grader Tommy Pepper and a civil war on a distant planet written in epic-like fashion. Especially peculiar is the use of rather difficult Old English-like vocabulary and Beowulf-like names in the extraterrestrial chapters. Some readers may find it an enjoyable story but it doesn't work for me. I prefer when Schmidt's stories stay completely within the realm of reality.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.It was cute and interesting. Very creative. I think I would have liked it when I was younger and within the age range that it is intended for. It reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time and Narnia, both of which I loved.

[ken1952 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As I read the first chapter of this middle reader novel I felt like I'd come to Fantasy Class after being out sick for six months and was way way behind. Yikes! The Days of the Valorim? Reced? Ethelim? O'Mondim? What sort of foreign language was the author speaking? What sort of land had he created? But during the second chapter when something from this strange planet is catapulted to Earth and lands in twelve-year-old Tommy Pepper's lunch box things begin to get interesting. Even though I felt completely lost at times with all of the new vocabulary that Tommy spouts and the odd things he's able to do, I hung in there and finished the book. It would have been nice to know about the glossary in the back of the book. Shoot! Yes, it was a mighty trudge through the alternating chapters set on the planet. But Tommy's story kept me going. How on Earth would an ordinary boy and his friends be able to fight the evil that was going on on a distant planet? That is the question! To sum things up I'd say the book was unfere (not beautiful, but not horribly ugly). You'll have to excuse me while I drink some melus (a sweet drink made with something like honey) to keep up my blood sugar so I can take my gyldn (a weapon like a dagger) and my halin (a weapon like a short sword) and go fight the O'Mondim (the monsters). BYRGUM BARUT! (I'll have to bleep this out since it's definitely a swear.)

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On a faraway planet, the last brave heroes of a doomed race are besieged. While the Valorim warriors hold the door against the O'Mondim invaders, Young Waeglim forges the Art of the Valorim into a chain and, with the last of his strength, sends it out among the stars, far away from the scene of the battle, to a little blue planet in a distant galaxy. The chain falls from the stars into the atmosphere, and from there into the Ace Robotroid lunchbox of twelve-year-old Tommy Pepper. When Tommy Pepper picks the chain up and puts it on, he develops certain unexpected artistic skills. Also, it transforms the supremely embarrassing Ace Robotroid lunchbox into something cool and spacey-looking. Tommy has worse problems than an embarrassing lunchbox, though: his mother has recently died, his younger sister is not talking to anyone any more, and his father is locked in a battle with developers who want the seaside land where the Pepper family's house sits. Their troubles increase when strange, unseasonable storms start ravaging the area, and houses in the town are vandalized in strange and disturbing ways. Tommy alone seems to realize that the storms and vandalism are because of the O'Mondim, who have come to Earth to reclaim the Art of the Valorim. Can Tommy stand firm against the invaders and do what is best for both his planet, and the other planet so far away whose fate is now inextricably linked with his own?The main problem with this book is the first six pages. Schmidt opens the story with a detailed description of that last desperate siege. In a visual medium, it would be gripping. Unfortunately, in text, it is pretty much incomprehensible. Appropriately, Schmidt has created an entirely new language for the alien race -- but when you are reading a block of text that is rendered in an epic style, with every third or fourth word a made-up one, it is pretty tough going. Once the story shifts to Earth, it's a lot more engaging. I'm just concerned that the average kid, upon picking up this book and looking at that impenetrable block of text, will put the book down and move on to something more accessible. I know I nearly did!Once you get past that first chapter, the going gets easier. Tommy and his father are engaging characters, and though Tommy's school friends are sometimes difficult to distinguish from one another, his teacher is brilliant and fun. Making Tommy's sister silent due to grief is an interesting decision, but one that I know I've seen in other books, which lessens the impact. The story moves along, trying to tie in the Cardiff Giant hoax with the alien races, which didn't quite work for me. So, while I liked the book, I wouldn't say that it's one of Schmidt's stronger works.