The Forest of the Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Yona’s mentor, Jerusza, left her with many skills to survive and even thrive in the unforgiving forest of eastern Europe, but she also left her with many unanswered questions. Why did she kidnap Yona from her German family? Why did she tell her their names just before she died? Why did she teach Yona how to kill a man? Jerusaza said the universe was about balance, for each method of death, she taught Yona a way to dispense healing, too. She taught her many languages and how to read, but Jerusza never appreciated or answered Yona’s questions. “She drank the books down like cool water and listened with rapt attention whenever Jerusza deigned to impart her secrets.” Maybe we can learn a lesson from Yona. Take people on their own terms, accept them as they are without attempting to change them. The only person any of us can change is the one in the mirror “Perhaps God gives us the answers before we know what the questions will be.” Yona was a sponge and she soaked up the learning offered to her. Will she ever meet her real family? Jerusza had said, “Lives are circles spinning across the world, and when they’re meant to intersect again they do.” Yona’s solitary life ends when she discovers a group of Jewish refugees fleeing from the Nazi terror in 1942. Yona’s big heart also accepts a second group of Jews without hesitation, however, the first group she rescued is disgruntled by her willingness to help another group of refugees. Isn’t life puzzling? Later, a conflict causes Yona to leave the refugees. She doesn’t leave her caring heart behind. She runs across a nun trying to save a little girl after her parents were killed and she jumps in to help. Maria Andrzeja tells Yona, “Do not be afraid to ask questions. But you must always be sure your heart is open to hear the answers.” It is hard for Yona to realize how cruel the Nazis are! When the soldiers line up the nuns to kill them Yona is devastated! Maria tells her, “God is your father, and He is always with you.” She feels broken and helpless. How can she help? She remembers one of the refugees that had lost his family before his eyes once told her, “It’s the cracks in us that make us who we are.” If you are ready for an adventure that you will not soon forget, join Kate and Sheila as they recap this unforgettable book, The Forest of the Vanishing Stars!