Sun Signs

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

This unusual novel is told entirely through emails and online
communications. Fifteen-year-old Kaleigh Wyse is unable to attend school
because of her cancer treatment. Enrolled in Distant Learning Inc., she
begins a project on astrology for a science course. Three of her fellow
“distant study buddies,” whom she has never met, agree to act as
subjects for her investigation, reporting on the accuracy of their daily
horoscopes found on the website Kaleigh has selected. However, only one
of her subjects is completely truthful with personal information and in
reporting data; Kaleigh, in turn, discloses little information to her
subjects about her own circumstances. Her communications with Mr.
Selenski (her teacher), B.A. Stargazer (the astrologer), and her
(immortal) Gemini twin are more open and honest, and it is from these
that we learn how physically fragile Kaleigh is, and how trusting. When
it becomes clear that at least some of her subjects are merely having
fun at her expense, we get a sense of just how betrayed she feels.

Shelley Hrdlitschka’s skill as a writer is apparent in that, despite
the format of the novel, she is able to develop no fewer than five
distinct, complex, and well-rounded characters—starlight,
blondeshavemorefun, 2good4u, Mr. Selenski, and Kaleigh herself. The
relationships between Kaleigh and her “guinea pigs” are eventually
resolved and the astrology project successfully completed. The novel
ends on a positive and somewhat hopeful note.

The major theme of Sun Signs is obvious: the unreliability of
information received over the Internet. Other issues raised are
isolation and the effects of sickness or a life-threatening illness. The
topics addressed are definitely relevant to today’s teens and, coupled
with the novelty of the book’s format, will ensure the popularity of
this story. Recommended.