Megan Hopkins, The Month of Birthdays (Starminster #2), HarperCollins Children’s, April 2025, 288 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780008626921
Starminster continues to be an original, inventive fantasy series for middle grade readers. In this second volume, the main character Astrid is facing a depressing reality. At the end of the first book, she had finally fledged but at the opening of this book, her wings hurt when they unfold and she cannot fly. She is issued with an ultimatum: learn to fly or be removed from Starminster and London Overhead, as it is a condition of residency. Her best friend Pent hasn’t even fledged yet but as her parents are both Librae, it is only a matter of time.
Hope appears in the form of a competition run by the Birthday Folk, who visit London Overhead for a month each year with amazing rides, food and performances. The prize for winning their competition games is the contestant’s dearest wish so, despite being told no students should sign up, Astrid, Pent and some of their friends do.
However, someone does not want Astrid to win and is out to subvert her efforts. By the end of the book, Astrid has made moral choices that may impact her chances of staying at Starminster but she does find out what species of bird her wings belong to. And the school headmistress offers her a lifeline- so there’s obviously another book coming!
This is a series worth following.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
