A Star to Guide Me

About the Book

John Glover gets more than he bargained for when his father reluctantly allows him to go to sea. From the quiet village of Pictou, Nova Scotia, John begins his year long voyage aboard the tall ship, Bright Star. From the start, he is thrust into the rough and often violent world of life at sea. Through his journal entries, John expresses his feelings of expectation about the voyage and concern about his future. His journey into manhood is filled with danger, deceit, and murder as he struggles with a brutal world and his own changing emotions. All the while, John looks to the stars, the celestial link to his home and family, to remind him of a gentler life, and help him navigate through difficult times of self-doubt and uncertainty.

The Bright Star sails around the treacherous waters of Cape Horn and undergoes near destruction in the turbulent South Pacific. There John is forced to confront his worse fears and finds a girl that would change his life forever.

The lessons he learns about honor and loyalty mold and shape his destiny. He realizes he must take responsibility for the decisions he makes about his own life, and returns home tempered, changed; the intolerance of adolescence burned out of him, and possessing a renewed strength to face his life ahead.

About the Author

Diane Kolb is a Philadelphia native and began her writing career as a children’s librarian and storyteller. She received her masters degree in Library and Information Science from Drexel University and has a keen interest in historical fiction and poetry. For the past ten years, she has served in both the public and elementary school libraries, and is an active member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her nostalgic stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines, and she is often in demand at schools and organizations talking to children about the importance of preserving their family histories and personal stories. A Star to Guide Me is her first young adult novel and is based on the life of one of her own ancestors.