Bertie has grown up in the Théâtre, a magical theatre in which the characters are real, the sets change with just a word, and The Little Mermaid set floods the stage with sea water. You never know what will happen, especially with Bertie around. She doesn't mean to cause trouble; she just has ideas that don't always end well. Like shooting the cannons and setting the stage curtain on fire. It could happen to anyone, right?

Bertie's friend/love interest, Nate summed it up very well.
"I can't keep my eye on ye every second o' th' day, so ye need something for good luck an' protection."
"Just what do I need protection from, pray tell?" Bertie set her fists on her hips.
"Mostly yerself."

The story is a whirlwind, full of fun characters and great dialogue. Bertie has to deal with the various theatre managers (stage, wardrobe, scenic, properties) who are constantly squabling about which pieces belong to which department, fairie sidekicks who are addicted to pie, and two men trying to win her heart. It's full of fun words such as "badinage" and "persiflage".

Bertie has to save The Book (and thus the Théâtre), stage a full-house performance of a new play, find her parents, rescue a friend, and figure out who she can trust and who's keeping secrets. Just a typical week for a 17-year-old. And it's the first in a trilogy, so she's not done yet! ( )

Ever been in a play before? I have, nothing big--it was a summer production and I had one line, which I completely forgot to say because I was so nervous and worst of all even though I was the youngest member of the Theater company, I was playing the oldest member of the cast. I had to put powder in my hair to make it look salt-and-peppery, wear face make up so that they could cover up the fact I looked about 80 years too young for the part and a high necked, long sleeved, to the floor WOOL dress. With all those lights! I hated it.

From what I can tell the Theatre Illuminata is nothing at all like that. For one thing these aren't actor pretending to be the characters--these ARE the characters. On stage, off stage, during a performance or otherwise they are who they are portraying. Ophelia is just as airy, empheremal and dream like as she is in Hamlet, Hamlet is just as dreary, pig-headed and self-asorbed as he is known to be and Ariel...well. I can't actually comment on him since I've never read (or seen) The Tempest.

Magical and riveting is a good way to describe Eyes Like Stars. Bertie is a force to reckon with, which everyone finds out to their consternation and bemusement and the cast of secondary characters all manage to portray themselves in such a way as to be true to the character they are in the play, but also as an unique individual. I think my favorite was Mustardseed, but I found it amusing that Peaseblossom was kind of like a Den Mother to the other two fairies--she was constantly chiding them to behave, but she could get into her own mischief on occasion.

Oh the romance. Like any good Shakespeare dramedy (drama-comedy) there's romance that runs complicated between Bertie and Nate (a pirate from The Little Mermaid) and Ariel (from The Tempest) off in the wings confusing matters of course. The interaction between Bertie and Nate felt natural and you could tell there was deep affection between them. The interaction between Bertie and Ariel was more complex--he was her best friend at one time, but circumstances drew them apart and she can't quite find herself trusting him. Then also he doesn't do too many endearing things throughout the course of the book, there's a spark however that Bertie feels and tries to ignore. Its an interesting spark and I'd like to see how it plays out.

I won't ruin the surprises in store for you, but the blurb only covers a small bit of the action contained within. To steal a line from one of my all-time favorite movies (The Princess Bride): [It's:] Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fairy tale. ( )

I'm always excited to read YA novels with strong female leads, and Beatrice is not your conventional heroine. It's a unique story with a unique dilemma. The supporting cast - all Shakespearean characters - is entertaining and likable. Can't wait for the next book! ( )

What a great story! Bertie grew up in the Théâtre. Each play was written in the Book, and also written in Bertie's memory. She could remember all the lines from all of the plays, but couldn't recall where she had come from.

The Players are her only family; each remains trapped inside of the Théâtre by the magic inside the Book, only existing as their play is happening. Bertie is fighting to remain at the Théâtre, along with her Player family, making the stage her home. But she also wants to remember her mother, to find her father, to know about how she came to be at the Théâtre in the first place...

This book was fantastic! If you are a fan of the YA-style fiction, it comes highly recommended! The flow of the story, the little quirks from each familiar character and the unique writing style make this a wonderful read. ( )

Teen fiction; magic/drama. Theater kids might like this a bit more, as there are tons of references (you should have at least a passing knowledge of Hamlet and the Tempest), but the characters are charming enough on their own if you're not a huge Shakespeare buff. ( )