Starry, Starry Night: Three Holiday Stories
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The star that led the three wise men could be the same star wished upon by those longing for a wish to come true. In the opening novella, "Christmas Child," 15-year-old Melanie feels cheated when her baby sister, born at Christmastime, lives only a few days. But the brief life of her sister shows Melanie the lasting value of love. Brenda struggles between noble intentions and real desires when she becomes the last chance for happiness for a dying boy in "Last Dance." The final story, "Kathy's Life," describes a girl who appears to have it all. Kathy is beautiful, intelligent, and has the perfect job as a live-in caregiver for a couple's baby boy. But not everything is as perfect as it seems: Should Kathy give up the one person she loves most in the world?VOYAThree short stories draw readers into the lives and agonies of teens faced with life-changing decisions at Christmas time. In Christmas Child, Melanie's new sister is born just before Christmas with a serious birth defect. Readers share in the heartbreak as Melanie and her parents wrestle with the ramifications. In the midst of their pain and sorrow, the characters show compassion for others, facing the situation realistically and drawing closer together. The Last Dance is truly is that for Doug, a leukemia victim. After much agonizing, Brenda dates Doug out of kindness and discovers he is a very thoughtful person. She also has an on-again/off-again relationship with Matt, a football star at the local military academy who is not nearly so thoughtful or reliable. When the Christmas season arrives, Brenda must choose between the military ball with Matt or the Winter Fantasy formal dance with Doug. Brenda's dilemma, her sensitivity, and her response to the needs of a person with little hope is well and realistically done. To sixteen-year-old Ellie, Kathy's Life seems perfect. Beautiful, intelligent Kathy is a nanny to an adorable infant. She lives with a wealthy couple, has lovely clothing, and her own car; Ellie wears hand-me-downs and lives on a shoestring with her sister and divorced mother. As the girls work on together on a school project, friendship develops and Ellie inadvertently discovers that Kathy is not Chris's nanny, but his mother, and the couple wants to adopt him. Kathy's Christmas gift is to give Chris up and return to her family in Kuwait, allowing them both a new life. Once again this prolific author has written a book that is compelling, sensitive, and insightful. Female readers will clamor for her latest offering. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
