Alicia’s Visit to Star Factory 13

An elevator ride to somewhere unexpected

Alicia And The Light Bulb People by B. Roman begins with ten-year-old Alicia shopping with her mother for a bedroom lamp. A department-store Christmas tree and an elevator with a golden door become part of her unexpected route to Star Factory 13.

There, burned-out light bulbs have a possible future as stars. They must first pass a personality test administered by Carelia, the Light Goddess. The factory gives an ordinary household object a surprising second life and Alicia an assortment of new personalities to meet.

A place for different kinds of characters

The light bulb people are wisecracking individuals with sad, silly, or desperate histories. Their differences give the premise more variety than a single lesson about shining brightly. Their shared hope of becoming stars brings them together, even though the reasons they need another chance differ from one bulb to the next.

For a conversation about friendship and belonging, that setup offers concrete questions: what might a character hope to become, and how might others help them see that possibility? Alicia’s ordinary shopping trip makes a useful counterpoint to these extraordinary hopes: she enters the factory by chance, while its inhabitants are waiting for a transformation. Alicia’s adventure gives the idea of finding a new purpose a playful form, with the unusual inhabitants of Star Factory 13 at its center.