Rosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay

Rosa by Starlight is a sweet story of an orphan finding her way home, with the help of a host of sympathetic cats.

Rosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay. Margaret Elderberry Books (Simon & Schuster), 2024, 148 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 6-12 as a read-aloud, ages 8-12 for independent readers

Rosa Monday—or is it really Rosa Mundi?—lost her parents in an accident before she was old enough to remember them clearly. Kindly neighbors took care of her in the interim, meanwhile searching for relatives who might be able to take her in. Her parents were in heaven, they told her, adding fanciful details as she demanded more information. But “despite her shining hair and the pancakes and the neatness of her pajamas, she was extraordinarily unhappy.” Unhappiness clouded her memories of that time, until the doorbell rang. “Even now, eight years later, Rosa could still remember the moment the doorbell rang.”

Standing on the doorstep is a very large man and a very tall woman who claim to be her uncle and aunt. With no further ado they move in, taking over the house and restricting Rosa to one small room and a meager diet. From lively and chatty, she becomes secretive and withdrawn—“dull,” as her supposed uncle thinks. But on the second night of their guardianship, with Rosa’s unhappiness unrelieved, an orange cat who walks through her bedroom windowpane and introduces himself as Balthazar. Though he never repeats those extraordinary qualities, he keeps her company for years after (even though her guardians despise cats).

After eight years of barely-adequate guardianship, her “uncle” and “aunt” announce a business trip to Venice—and, rather surprisingly, decide to take Rosa along. This is a huge change from her dull life in England, and she doesn’t know what to think about it. Especially after the grownups install her in closet-sized room in a hostel and leave her to navigate her own way in a foreign country (after hinting at a more nefarious plan). But as it turns out, there are cats in Venice. And they seem to know more about Rosa than she knows about herself.

Hilary McKay is a master stylist who makes the familiar mistreated-orphan theme sound brand-new. Here, for example, is how Rosa first experiences Venice:

She knew now what “foreign” meant. Everything was more intense. Sounds that would fade into nothingness at home—a call, the rattle of a scooter—lingered here to echo and reecho from the stones. Wind became a visible thing, spinning leaves in corners and shaking the surface of the water. Sunlight charged the walls with heat so that even after dark they radiated warmth into the air.

Children’s stories are about the foreign becoming familiar as the protagonist finds her place in the world. It’s what we all have to do, with help. If help comes in the form of a cat, why not?

Bottom Line: Cat-lovers or not, Rosa by Starlight is a comforting story and read-aloud gold.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Don’t miss our reviews of other Hilary McKay books we loved (or liked a lot), including The Swallow’s Flight, The Time of Green Magic, The Lulu series, and the Binny books.
• Review: Leeva at Last isn’t an orphan, but overcomes similarly horrible guardians with good.
• Reflection: When it comes to horrible grownups, Roald Dahl was a master creator. Here’s how to read him redemptively.

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