Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Wanda Luthman’s Christian & Children’s Book Blog,

Today, I have a book to share with you on a topic that is very near and dear to my heart…death, grief, and hope.

Sandy Whiting has written a book on these very topics called Flight.

Here’s what it’s about…

Fifteen-year-old Cassie’s world is turned upside-down with the death of her father. Unable to cope, Cassie’s mom finds solace in pills. Her brother, Jeremy, becomes lost in Virtual Reality and her sister, Courtney, spends all her time with friends, leaving Cassie seemingly unattended and unloved. 

At the same time Cassie’s class begins an in-depth unit on butterflies, Cassie’s mom unexpectedly takes a trip, leaving her family in the hands of their widowed neighbor. Written in free verse, Cassie can either continue to see the worst in her unfortunate surroundings or embrace her new-found knowledge that butterflies aren’t the only creatures capable of change. 

A little bit about the author, Sandy Whiting…

A lifelong lover of reading and writing, Sandy has been penning poems and stories for as long as she can remember. She is employed as a Speech-Language Pathologist, is a certified yoga instructor, and heads a creative writing program for pre-teens at her local library. 

In addition to FLIGHT, Sandy previously published the first book in her author/illustrated early chapter book series, Meatball Man Head Detective: Case of the Missing Pepper Shaker, in June 2024. Meatball Man was endorsed by NYT Bestselling Author, Adam Wallace, and received the Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Sandy lives in Western, NY with her husband, two kids, and cat. 

Sandy’s Publishing House, Monarch Educational Services, LLC, reached out to me to read and review her book. I loved her book and below is my review…

This book is written for a young teenager who may have experienced death and loss in their life. Their grief may have taken away their hope which so often it does. But, this book shows a female protagonist who is struggling with these same issues of death and loss and grief along with having to take on the role of Mom while her own mother grieves the loss of her husband, the protagonist’s Dad. This happens far more often than one would think. You can tell from the way the author weaves grief and the associated feelings into the story that she, herself, has also experienced grief. But, what I loved the best of all about the book is it doesn’t leave you there in the grief, the protagnoist finds hope bit by bit. It’s a beautiful story and so incredibly helpful for others experiencing grief. I highly recommend it!