Star Darlings Sage and the Journey to Wishworld by Zapp… (2025)

I had been looking at this series in my local Wal-Mart for some time now, the art was and is gorgeous. It really isn't my normal type of story, geared for young girls (I may be a girl, but I am a mega tom-boy) but I kept looking at it.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading. The reading level, diction, style, problem solving is so much higher than I normally see in any kids books. Young adult writers could learn something from this series.

The story was cute and fun with an interesting premise. I love the idea behind it.

You must have good intentions and work for what you love and desire, even if it is hard or if you're in unfamiliar territory.

Did I mention I loved the art? Well I did.

Even though this is a bit more effeminate than I normally like or read I plan on continuing this series.

Star-tacular.

First off, I am *WAY* outside the target demographic for this book, but I found it a fun read and a great intro to the Star Darlings series.

I first heard about Star Darlings through links to the animated shorts, and was interested enough to try the books and I'm glad I did.

For the first book in a series, I think it does a great job setting up the world of Starland, defining how their universe works, and also how they see Earth (Wishworld). Sage works wells as out introductory character because she has a very easy and open personality, at least compared to some of the other girls.

As the story progresses, and Sage gets her first mission, we see some of the issues the girls will face on Earth and how they can overcome them. The wish itself is pretty straight-forward, as is the solution, but considering the audience and the overall tone of the books, I think it fits.

The one small problem I had with the book (and the series) is how everything is "star-this" and "wish-that", which you get used to, but at first can be a little much.

All in all, very excited to see how this story turns out.

Star-tastic!

Do you ever wonder what happens after you make a wish? When you blow out the candles on your b-day cake, pull on a wish bone, toss a coin in the fountain or see a shooting star, how does your wishes come true?
The Star Academy is a place on Star Planet that is responsible for making Human wishes come true with the help of Wish Facilitators. The wishes are turned into a precious energy source that helps the planet thrive, but they have a serious energy crisis. Somehow, bad wishes has been leaking through the system and being granted. Those selfish wishes are causing the energy to decline. Drastic times calls for drastic measures, and for the first time in history, a Starling-Human interaction will be attempted. A team of twelve promising Starlings are selected to be apart of a group who will go on a top secret missions to Earth with the intent to blend in, identify the valid good wish and help that Human make it come true. They are known as Star Darling's.

My first thought after reading this book was; I hope Disney turns this into a movie or show. This was such a fun and adorable read.
With an entertaining and creative concept that combines sci-fi and fairy tale, I knew I wanted to read it just as soon as I read the blurb. I may be a grown adult, but there is something wonderful about escaping with a book made for kids. It takes you to that place where you feel young and the possibility of make believe and wishes still exist. I wish I had a book like this when I was a little girl, it would have been one of my favorites. I highly recommend this for young children and even adults who are looking for a charming escape from everyday life.

The concept to this one was really cool. I loved learning about all the star-technology and terminology's. From Holo-books and Star Transmitters to the Star Observation Tower and Wish Garden, this book was full of clever creativity that was so much fun to explore.
Ahmet Zappa and Shana Muldoon Zappa must have had a lot of fun writing this book. It's beautifully told, adventurous, light with illuminating life lessons to be learned. I also loved the gorgeous art illustrations, bringing the characters and scenes even more to life.
Sage Starling is an enthusiastic when it comes to getting started at the Academy, but impatient to do the work. Her roommate Cassie acts a little odd sometimes, private, like she's hiding something and Scarlet is just plain mean. But when Sage finds out that she's apart of the Star Darlings and goes on her first mission to Earth, she will prove that with a little help from her new friends she can help save her planet and help Humans find a way to make their wishes come true.

All in all I really enjoyed Star Darlings Sage's Story. It's an animated, amusing and imaginative sweet story about friendship and teamwork. So remember, the next time you blow out your candles or pull on a wishbone, a Starling may appear to help you make your wish come true, so make it a good one. A delightful read!

2024 edit: i've reached out to the nebulous stars creatives and they're looking for english publishers who will work with them! pleeeeeeeeease, someone make it happen!🙏

disney is known for their fanfiction. they are the most voracious monster when it comes to licensing those fanfiction to drive away and even end other creative interpretations. that brings us to this issue: there's fanfiction and then there's blatant second-rate ripoffs of original work created by significantly smaller teams—something disney is also guilty of (ex: ever after high vs the descendants)—and using that capitalistic viciousness to keep anyone from ever hearing of their titles. star darlings is a total ripoff of the canadian brand, nebulous stars. just look at the book covers:

(click for larger images)

the similarities are uncanny. it looked like there were plans to have the nebulous stars series translated in more languages, including english as the website's "books" page suggests, but all plans have been halted. i'm upset that, because of disney's obsession with being the only one to do this or that, another project i was looking forward to may never continue.

now i'm not blaming the artist nor the author for this series by any means. the writing is decent and the art is stunning; it's not their fault. i'm also not saying that nobody should ever create stories and characters based off of stars and elements at the risk of being called a ripoff. in fact, i like that there are a lot of stories about stars and the elements. but the beat by beat copy of so many details is hard to ignore, especially by an entity as large as disney who has arguably the most influence, wealth, and power in media. disney can't be forgiven for continuously burying indie groups of creatives from getting their work known in exchange for lazy copouts for creativity.

Sage is finally a student at Starling Academy, and she is one of the twelve girls chosen to be part of a secret team known as the Star Darlings, leading her to Wishworld where she must help a young girl bring her wish into reality! Zappa begins this charming series with a wondrous beginning novel, full of colourful characters and exciting lore. Can Sage handle the pressures of Wishworld, or will her mission be over before it's begun?!

Wow, I really really enjoyed this book and am enjoying the animated series on Disney and online on YouTube too : ) Love Sage and loved this story about her first mission on wish world (human world) to help a little girl have her wish granted, so good and sweet, loved it! >3 definitely recommend this book and the Disney Star Darlings series the books and the animated series too! : )

Amazing!! So much detail and amazing problem and solution!!!

A really fun and sweet book that I picked up on a whim. Highly enjoyable.

I really enjoyed how the book started, introducing us to the delightful Sage and her alien utopian home of Starland and the wondrous Starling Academy where Starlings like Sage study to become Wish-Granters. It's very whimsical and appealing, like a more SF-flavored Monster High or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Unfortunately, this doesn't last. The Sage is taken to Wishworld to make a wish come true, and we get stuck in some dreary generic US neighborhood. At first it was kind of fun seeing Sage struggle to adjust to Earth customs and it was kind of like My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, but unlike Equestria Girls, Sage never succeeds in enlivening the place up with magic and the stakes just aren't very high. Sure, Sage has a limited amount of time to remain on Earth and if she fails in bringing about the wish things could get bad, but it feels tacked on, the barest amount of suspense. The writer seems bored with the change too as the chapters become extremely short and the prose seems to rush through most of the action, as though trying to get to the next book as soon as possible. Sage's staggering lack of Earth knowledge becomes something of a plot hole too; if Wish-Granters have been coming to Earth for so long, to the point they have classes on blending in with Earth cultures, shouldn't Sage have absorbed more knowledge about how things work there? Now Sage was sent to Earth extremely early as part of a secret mission and experiment, before she was taught much on Earth life, but it's mentioned she can study by listening to lectures as she sleeps (with headphones; in this setting I'd expect Starlings could simply download knowledge from crystals or something similar); being one of the elite Star Darlings couldn't she have been given more advanced lectures to absorb before throwing her out to survive in an unfamiliar world?

Diversity-wise, we don't get much. The Starlings themselves aren't human and in the art their skin tones vary from dark to very pale, but only the lightly-dark Sage and the extremely pale Cassie get any focus (the following books will focus on other Starling characters). The Earthlings get little description, but there was no coding to suggest they were anything other than white. There are no LGBT characters (although in the animated version there's some probably accidental lesbian subtext to Cassie).

The only reason I'm giving this a second star is how much I liked Sage herself and seeing that the series appears to become darker in later installments. This is only the first novel too, so there's plenty of room for improvement.

2.5 Stars

The cover of this book (and the whole series) is quite beautiful, and it's what drew me to this series.

However, I can't say the book lived up to it. First off, this book is full of so much lingo. I get it, as they're a different race and from another planet, but it was a bit distracting with just how much there was.

Also, this book was kind of slow/boring for the first bit, because of how fast it moved. :P I kept waiting to get to know Sage more, but the book was so focused on showing me the campus and telling me about the world. I would have cared more about those things if I had known more about Sage first, and had a reason to care about her--and, by extension, the school she's so excited to go to.

The only reason I kept reading was because I wanted to see how Sage dealt with Earth. The book did get more interesting once she finally went, but I also had an issue or two then, which I'll talk about below, in the spoiler section.

Maybe if I was younger I would have enjoyed this more, but I think, even then, I would have grown bored with all the lingo and the waiting. So, it has an interesting premise, with there being beings that grant our wishes, but the book put more focus on the setting than it did the characters.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Okay, it was way too obvious Sage had the wrong girl for the wish. I'm not sure how I would have made it less obvious, other than maybe have her bump into that other girl first, and have the pendant glow as she's stumbling towards Jane. It would still be obvious, but I think reversing the scenario would have made it a little less so. Maybe another solution would need to be found, but something there needed to changed.

Then there's how little Sage knew about the world. I get that's the whole reason she's going to school, but you would think she and the other first years would have a special class to get them up to speed about the most important things.

The only reason Sage had an easy time was because she randomly has the power to influence/control adults. This power didn't bother me too much, as I'm assuming it's specific to her (if they all could do it, I'm sure it would have been mentioned in class or something).

So, I wanted to enjoy this book/series, but this first book had too many issues for me to really enjoy it. As such, I won't be picking up the rest of the series.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Age rating: 7/8 and above

Review:

Welcome to Starling Academy. Twelve very special students have been selected from this year’s class to reclaim the wish energy that powers their beloved planet, Starland. The Star Darlings, as they are known, take classes where they learn how to grant the wishes made on birthday candles, shooting stars, dandelions, wishbones, and coins tossed into fountains, just to name a few. Their top-secret mission will take them to Wishworld (known in some places as Earth). There they will have to find the Wisher and figure out how to grant the wish before time runs out and they are stuck on Wishworld forever. Sage is the first Star Darling soaring off to Wishworld. Travel with her as she discovers how challenging life on a new planet can be and how she learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, and never assuming anything.

Sage and the Journey to Wishworld is the first book in the Star Darlings series. It introduces Starland, all the Star Darlings and what their mission is. I think that it's a really good introduction to the series as it describes the scenery of Starland and general information about Starling Academy as well. I really enjoyed Sage's story and how she integrates into Starling Academy. I also love how Sage's mission pans out as she learns how to love her life on Wishworld. This book is also full of positive messages that can teach the reader how to become a better version of themselves. I also like how Sage is not a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is a female character who apparently has no flaws and is perfect in every way. All the characters treat a Mary Sue like the leader they have to blindly follow. Sage is not a Mary Sue and has some flaws, such as being irresponsible, quick-tempered and can jump to conclusions.

Overall, Sage and the Journey to Wishworld was a satisfying and exciting start to the Star Darlings series and did not have info dumps, allowing the reader to understand the world better.

The first book of what will be a 12-book series (I think, though I wish for more), Sage and the Journey to Wishworld, introduces us to Star Academy and the Star Darlings. It’s everything you’d enjoy in a series starter: backstory, introductions, and lots of adventure. Sage is a great character who is flawed enough to be realistic but still quite likable. This book is about making friends, fitting in, helping others, and being true to yourself, so I think it would be a great addition to any bookshelf. You’ll also really enjoy discovering all about Ahmet Zappa and Shana Muldoon Zappa’s imaginative world full of Holo-Books and Star Transmitters (among other things).

I’ve only read the first three books, but I’m hooked. Think about it: not everyone is let in, so it is a rather big deal to be accepted to Starling Academy, a prestigious school for those wishing to become Star Darlings – wish granters – to people on Wishworld (aka Earth). Each Star Darling has her own unique personality, strengths, and even colour (just look at the book covers !). The cover art of each of the books alone is enough to get you hooked. The images and colour combinations are simply gorgeous and utterly mesmerizing.

I can't wait to add the next installments to my library!

Star Darlings е една от най-новите хитови поредици на Дисни, която вече си е спечелила много почитател(к)и по света. Създадена от Шана Мълдун Запа и Ахмет Запа (син на музикалната легенда Франк Запа!!), серията е посветена на тяхната дъщеричка Хало Виолета и включва дузина книжки, всяка от които се фокусира върху една от дванадесетте Star Darlings героини. От скоро по книжарниците у нас са и първите две заглавия от поредицата, издадени от „Егмонт България”. А какво да очакват читателите от тях? Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле” и ще разберете! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":

https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

Note: DNF this book at 54%
It's a cute read. But it wasn't for me and I should had kept to my age limit. I'm to old for this book and may be because of that I didn't like it much. Making me give it this rating. The storyline or the plot was not there. The character and the dialogue was so vague. It's good for younger audience and will recommend it to parents that want to read something to there kids. Like I said it was not much of my cup of tea but the animated show on YouTube it's so cute and made me want to read this. But to fast with vague writing style and no discriptive words, sadly the characters are not likable either but in the animated one they are amazing. I have read good kid type books but it seem this not for me. I also decided not to continue this series because it's hard for me to get into it. I am giving it.
3.1 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

On Starland, only adults are allowed to go to Wishworld and grant the wishes of the Wishers on Wishworld. When they grant the wishes, they get wish energy to keep Starland running. Sage, Libby, Leona, Clover, Adora, Piper, Astra, Tessa, Gemma, Cassie, Vega and Scarlet are different. They are star darlings.
As star darlings, they get to go to wish world and help young wishers. Sage is chosen to be the first one out of twelve girls to go down to wishworld. I hope you enjoy the book!
I think the message of the book is that you should think about something twice before you do it. This is also relevant to the real world in that you should think twice before saying something. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and adventure novels.

I wish I had this series when I was little. I’m only just starting and I love it! It’s the perfect mixture of magic girls, fairies, and science fiction. If I had to describe it in a word, I would say STAR-TASTIC! The world building is very good, going much more deeper than what I expect in chapter books. Getting to know the world and everyone through Sage’s eyes was great, and the story was incredibly cute. I’m usually not a fan of middle grade/chapter books, but the writing style of this book completely grabbed me and made me fall in love like a little kid.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the Star Darling’s Stories.

This is going to my thoughts on the series rather than just this book. As of now I'm on book 3.

4.5 Stars rounded up. The series is pretty good so far. Nothing mind-blowingly amazing, but not bad or boring. I like how the first pages have cute little pictures and descriptions of the girls, as many of them are introduced at once and it's easy to get them confused. There's also art of each respective book's main character on the inner covers. The characters are diverse in appearance and personality and I look forward to getting to know each of them.

Despite the story being just okay, I'm rating it high because of the aforementioned little touches that make the books feel special.

What happens in the story is this little girl she she tries to get on fun to play with her but they don't and then another day they Detroit her friends try to play with her she didn't want to play with them all them wanted to play with each other so they did

My favorite part was when the third day they are going to play with each other and they tried figuring out if they wanted to play with each other, but on the third day they

People should read it because it's about really good friends

My 8-year-old daughter really enjoyed this book. We read it aloud together. I had to explain some of the words to her because they were not words she had encountered before. It’s been a while since I read a kids’ book with such descriptive language. At times it felt like too much. We appreciated the glossary in the back. The next one is on our list.

Suggested for grades 3-5.

A cute and well-written little chapter book! It's very, very, VERY light reading, but pleasant, sweet, and with a good message at the end about assumptions and being kind to others, even if it's clearly aimed at children.

While some may consider me old to read something like this, the overall presentation of the book, the cover and colourful pages attracted me. For what it is, I found it quite enjoyable and light--a nice quick interlude. Take a chance. It is short and you just might like it.

This was a quick read. A cute story. I saw a book that was later in this series, but I figured I should start at the beginning. I think this is a good early reader book for kids and pre-teens.

I want to read this

I love this idea, I would like for Disney to expend this idea and create longer episodes or a movie for this. This really has potential 😭😭😭 I love the book💖💖🌟🌟✨🙌🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐️⭐️

Sage and the journey to Wishworld is part of Star Darlings book series. Sage is selected into a school she is is meant to be a part of. Recommended for young elementary kids and young girls.

I loved the world-building in this book!

Cute start to a long series. Like the school and the characters and the stories. It's super cute and fun.

3.5.

Really cute read that sets up the rest of the series

This is a cute little story.

I know im old for this book but i mean come one it was a good one. I was watching their webshorts and came across these books so i thought hey why not give them a try.