Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

1372 Words3 Pages

Callie Quinn is the main character in the book “Where the Stars Still Shine.” In the beginning of the book Callie is very insecure, lonely, and sad. Living with her mom traveling from place to place hiding from the police causes Callie to feel insecure and scared. Trish Doller reveals the insecurity and loneliness of Callie Quinn by Callie’s actions of not wanting to go to school and running away. She runs away a lot to try to think about her future. “I wish you wouldn’t run off to that laundromat in the middle of the night, Callie.”(6) She doesn’t have any friends and she only has her mom who smokes, gets drunk, and is a poor role model for Callie which causes Callie to be sad and to have a poor life. Callie has never been to school and that is what makes her so lonely. She wants her and her mom to have a better relationship. “I love it when I make my mom laugh.” (12) She feels sorry for her mom and always tries to make her happy. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She is shy and unconfident but grows throughout the book to becoming an outgoing, confident, and mature young lady. These changes begin when she goes and lives with her dad, Greg, and her stepmom, Phoebe. She gets a job which gives Callie money to buy clothing, items, and things she couldn’t own before that helps her to become more confident in her appearance. She gets her own room designed for her from Greg which helps her to grow more confident. She also talks to more people all the time and has more friends which transforms her into an outgoing person. With Greg and Phoebe having reasonable rules, Callie is able to become a mature young lady. ‘“A girl as smart as you can do anything she wants.” She says. And for the first time...I believe.’ (336) They are bot... ... middle of paper ... ...r hand a gentle squeeze and then I let go. “But I’m going home.”’(309) Callie finally says bye to her mom and has a happy life with her dad. Callie’s life is told throughout the book in chronological order from life with her mom to deciding to stay with her dad. Throughout the book, the author, Trish Doller, includes flashbacks from memories Callie had before her parents divorced to times when she was living with her mom. “I believed her back then, when we lived in a real apartment with house plants, pictures on the wall, and a tiny balcony that overlooked a river.” (11) Callie had a flashback to when she used to live in an apartment with her mom. These flashbacks helped to explain Callie’s life and helped to develop Callie’s character in our minds. This helped us to know Callie didn’t have trust in her mother as much as she did when she was happy with a real home.

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