What do readers think of Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff? Write your own review.

I enjoyed this book very much. The author writes beautifully, and I cared about the characters. I liked the boys' growth as they struggled on the river with the raft. It was a little difficult for me to follow the goings-on on the river, with the islands, upstream/downstream, etc., but that wasn't really important. The story was good and well told, and I would read more by this writer.

I can't find very much information about this author, but it appears that this is his first book, and it's a good one. I think young people would enjoy reading about the two young boys and their adventures when they run away after seemingly having killed the abusive father of one of the boys. The search party ensues with each of the characters dealing with their individual life problems. There are many adventures surrounding the rafting experience of the escape, and it does bring to mind another similar story, a classic, but I digress. The adults in this story offer some very interesting characters, with soul-searching and feel-good outcomes all around. I was never bored; the story flowed. I hope to see more by this author.

It took me a bit to get into this story. Once I did I was hooked. I became invested in the characters and was eager to see the outcome. I love the outdoors and camping and hiking and enjoyed how the story played out mostly in the outdoor arena. I would read another book by this author.

The story's core revolves around two boys, Fish and Bread, who have formed friendships during several years of summer vacation time together. While their friendship has grown over the years, it is laden with secrets and lies that haunt them. One evening, after confronting one of these secrets, the ultimate crime happens. They flee into the forest and on the river to escape the consequences. While forging the river and all the elements that nature can deliver, they also find themselves and the truth. A cast of characters embarks on finding them. Two women, a mother and friend, and two men, a sheriff and grandfather, take different paths on the river and through the forest to save them. While on their own survival journeys, Mother Nature holds them all in her hands and teaches them life lessons. I would list this book under the genre of Young Adult reading, but with joyful satisfaction. After all, I think many of us have read Zusak's The Book Thief, Hinton's The Outsiders, or Lowry's The Giver and found them incredibly fulfilling.

I enjoyed the story of the two boys and their adventure on the river however I felt like this could have been a much deeper story. I know a lot of books these days are 300 pages or less which is a shame. This story had so many character stories going on; Grandpa's past, Fish's Mom, Bread's dad, Cal the sheriff, Tiffany. I would have enjoyed a long visit with all of them. Instead it's a story focused on the boys but with the lives of all the other characters thrown in for good measure. The woods and river were also with us throughout the story and I would say were one of the main characters. But for me it was too jam packed and I found myself skimming it over and just wanting to get to the end. I could see where it would be an enjoyable read for young adults.

Raft of Stars was an interesting story, but the characters lacked depth. As a result I never got invested in the story, and although I was curious how things would end -- I found that I really didn't care what happened to any of them. This book was OK -- I wish that it had more substance.

The fiercely loyal friendship of two young boys brings a community together. A community that hasn't always agreed or got along with one another. This story forges unexpected relationships that develop in truth, compassion and integrity.

'Raft of Stars' is a fast moving but really unlikely story. If you are looking for a book that never drags, that keeps your interest, you may enjoy it. The actions the characters took required too much of a suspension of belief for me; I found some of the behaviors just too hard to swallow and others just irritating. Unlike happenings in real life, all the loose ends are neatly resolved at the conclusion of the tale, which makes for a happy ending. Reality isn't that way, but it's still satisfying when fiction is.