Where the forest meets the stars

Having recently lost her mother to breast cancer and in remission after her own struggle with the disease, grad student Jo is spending the summer in a cabin in the woods in Illinois, doing field research on bird ecology and conservation. One day, a little girl appears, barefoot and wearing dirty pajamas. She spins a compelling story about being an alien from Ursa Major inhabiting the body of a girl who has recently died. Jo doesn't believe her but is reluctant to get the authorities involved; Ursa, as Jo calls her, shows signs of abuse, and her picture doesn't appear on any missing-children websites. As the days go by, Ursa becomes more embedded in Jo's daily life and is the means of a connection with Gabe, who lives on a nearby farm and whose life has been on hold since a breakdown in college. Trust and love grow, but reality intrudes, putting all three of them at risk. Though the novel appears to start as a fantasy, it evolves into a domestic drama with murder-mystery elements, all adding up to a satisfying read.--Mary Ellen Quinn Copyright 2010 Booklist