The Case of the Missing Silver Star

About the Book

Bridget couldn’t think of anything more boring or scary than going to a nursing home to visit her great-granddad, but her attitude changed when the Silver Star the old man carries around his neck on a red, white, and blue ribbon turns up missing. He is devastated and so is Bridget. “It’s right in front of your nose, dummy,” says the parrot on the gray lady’s shoulder. Bridget rises to the investigative challenge and conducts a heart-stopping search to find the culprit. I believe I bring a certain authenticity to both the dialogue and the narrative because of an internship in two nursing homes in the course of obtaining a master’s degree in counseling and my frequent visits to the assisted care where my dad resided. This, coupled with my background as an educator, allows me to bridge the generational gap. I think that this is an important read for families who have a relative in a nursing home. This book is a blend of humor and seriousness. Best of all, the seniors play a pivotal role in catching the thief, developing a new-found respect for the seniors we often forget are buried in institutions. The Case of the Missing Silver Star is well suited for young readers and seniors in assisted care. The pace kept both groups intrigued, and the humor and gumption of the seniors depicted in this book offsets any chance of feeling sorry for them for being tucked away in nursing homes. “This is a wake-up call,” says a retired policeman.

About the Author

Marie-Louise Meyers, a graduate of Rutgers University, teacher of many years with a Masters in Counseling, a published poet with three books to her name where a word carries a great deal of weight and meaning, has turned her talents to writing children’s fiction. The story revolves around Bridget, who resents visiting a nursing home where Great Gramps resides, whose appearance, actions and reactions are loosely based on the author’s own father. Great Gramps doesn’t remember my name, and he falls asleep when I’m talking to him. But when Great Gramps discovers his prize possession, a Silver Star awarded for Bravery in Battle missing, Bridget develops sleuthing skills with the assistance of Great Gramps, who no longer falls asleep because there is a reason to stay awake, and the Senior residents fly into action; some like the retired Policeman, who suddenly remembers his duty to the public to apprehend the criminal. Couple that with a Parrot, who responds, “it’s right under your nose,” makes for an intriguing mystery for the young and the older. A must read for families, who think their loved ones in Nursing Homes are only interested in a comfortable existence without the stimulation necessary to feel Alive and Useful again.