Stars in the Grass

ABOUT THE BOOK

The idyllic world of nine-year-old Abby McAndrews is transformed when a tragedy tears her family apart. Before the accident, her dad, Reverend John McAndrews, had all the answers, but now his questions and guilt threaten to destroy his family. Abby’s fifteen-year-old brother, Matt, begins an angry descent as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—an authentic story of faith and life after loss.

LORI'S TRAVELS

This book is a plus for me because it's told in 1st person and that would be 9 year old Abby.

This book is very emotional and will have you crying in most places of the book as the family struggles through the death of a loved one.

Abby and Matt took it the hardest especially Abby. I felt like they left her out of everything as each one tried to grieve on their own. 

I can relate to Abby in many ways. Grief strikes each person differently and grief has no time. 

Like Abbys dad says there is a place and time for everything and a time to heal and a time for growth.

He also said that God didn't run away from him, He ran away from God.

I think in some ways God was tryingto teach him a lesson becausehe uswd to bave all the answers. But, when tragedy happens he suddenly doesn't have all the answers and he doesnt know how to handle it all.

Renee is stuck in between and isnt sure what to do next. It seems she has moved on but yet not moved on. It seems as if she's waiting on something. 

Time heals all wounds but sometimes it doesn't. There are 5 stages of grief but I've forgotten what they are and maybe this family did go through those five stages.

I can relate to this book in many ways because I have lost loved ones too. 

I recommend this book very strongly. 

This story is in mid western Ohio town in the 1970's. I grew up in this time period and was an instant hit for me. I was 3 in 1970

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANN MARIE STEWART is the author of Preparing My Heart for Advent: A Spiritual Pilgrimage for the Christmas Season, and writes a bi-monthly column titled Ann's Loving "Ewe" for The Country Register. She is currently completing her first novel.

Her expertise as a vocal soloist and choral conductor help her incorporate music into each week's lesson, while her background in acting and scriptwriting add drama to her presentation of the gospel. Ann's ultimate purpose for this book is to encourage woman to meet, accept, and follow Jesus, as did so many New Testament Women.

Ann Marie graduated with honors from the University of Washington and also earned the top educational honor awarded by the school for female education majors. Ann later did graduate studies in film and television at the University of Michigan and taught English and music for several years at various grade levels ranging from preschool to college-level. With a background in acting and writing dramas, she excels at writing in an expressive, engaging style. Ann and her husband and two daughters run a small farm in Paeonian Springs, Virginia