There's always something doubly exciting about reading a book when you've met the author. I recently joined Twitter as part of my schoolwork and started following Maureen Johnson. She is absolutely HILARIOUS and I found that I enjoy her work even more now that I know what her personality is like. After having met her, I can really hear her voice in her writing. It kind of made me wonder if my own voice comes out in my writing.But, I digress, yet again. The Name of the Star is a well-written story. It starts off a bit slow, like other reviewers mentioned, but once the story gets going it's hard to put down. Personally, I've always liked boarding school stories (like Kit Pearson's Daring Game!) so I loved that aspect of the story. And who isn't fascinated by the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders? A delicious recipe for a page-turning story. Highly recommended. I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could but, based on the slow beginning, I feel that it doesn't quite merit a full five stars.
