"Quintessence is an extraordinary story from Jess Redman about friendship, self-discovery, interconnectedness, and the inexplicable elements that make you you. "Find the Elements. Grow the Light. Save the Starling." Three months ago, twelve-year-old Alma moved to the town of Four Points. Her panic attacks started a week later, and they haven't stopped -- even though she's told her parents that they have. She's homesick and friendless and every day...

Eager to have a star of his own, a boy devises imaginative ways of catching one.

When a rainstorm prevents Nancy and her best friend, Robert, from getting to the planetarium the night of a class field trip, she has a brilliant idea for making things better.