Same Stuff as Stars, The

Angel Morgan needs help. Daddy is in jail, and Mama has abandoned her and her little brother, leaving them with their great-grandmother in rural Vermont. Grandma is aged and poor, and doesn't make any attempt to care for the children—that's left up to Angel, even though she is not yet twelve. The only bright spot in Angel's existence is the Star Man, a mysterious stranger who appears on clear nights and teaches her all about the stars and planets and constellations. "We're made out of the same stuff as the stars," he tells her. He is actually a neighbor and the town's friendly and perceptive librarian.