Title: Bouquet of Stars
Author: Joann Klusmeyer
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media LLC
ISBN: 978-1-64908-654-9
Pages: 235
Genre: Christian Fiction
Reviewed by: CC Thomas

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In Bouquet of Stars, the author Joann Klusmeyer tackles the dilemma of angels. No, not those dress-frilled, floating ladies, but hard-working angels with real work to do. You didn’t think angels were just fictional beings sitting around heaven, did you?

That certainly isn’t the case in Bouquet of Stars. Here, angels, such as Angel 695, are hard at work making coincidences so that people on Earth can fulfill their divine purpose. One of those divine purposes involves the life of a little eight-year-old girl named Patricia “Pattie” Hanover. The story begins with Pattie and a recurring dream. In this dream, she sees falling stars turning into beautiful flowers that she could hold in her hand. (Angel 695 knew this was the way to plant the perfect mustard seed for this particular human). The dream stayed with Pattie, but over time, the dream changed.

When Pattie’s father was killed in front of her at age twelve, Pattie had the same dream…except the stars didn’t turn into flowers. Instead, they turned into children’s faces. Pattie puzzled over it, but life was too turbulent for much introspection as she had a smaller brother and sister to care for and, soon, a new father figure.

Angels, though, didn’t just focus on Pattie. They had a lot of work to do to get everything ready for her next momentous step in life, including convincing eight prairie families to pick up and move out west to start a new town smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and they also had to convince Pattie’s stepfather, Papa Bill, that he wanted to move to this new town as well.

Bouquet of Stars follows the work of both named, or numbered, angels and anonymous angels as they create circumstances for Pattie’s life. Over time, “Pattie” changes to “Pat.” New people are brought into Pat’s life that directly need her unique skills. She is brought into the lives of people she can rely on. Which is not to say that Pat’s life is easy and charmed. It is, however, blessed. By placing just the right people at just the right time and place, Pat is both a blessing to those around her and recognizes the blessings that are sent her way. All those falling stars in her childhood dreams turned into the faces of those she came to love and be loved by.

Bouquet of Stars is both an enjoyable and inspirational read. The author weaves divine intervention throughout every step of Patricia’s life, showing readers how angels are probably at work in their very own lives, even though the twists and turns of fate may not seem like it. Joann Klusmeyer provides scriptural support for her ideas, including an alphabetical listing of angel abilities at the beginning of the book, supported by Biblical citations. However, most Christian readers won’t need to rely on sources. As the author shows in the novel, faith is enough to carry us through the most confusing and troubling of times.