A NIGHT WITHOUT STARS

Maria Tirone is frightened. She's in the hospital, about to undergo open heart surgery. And no one -- not her friends, not her family, not even her doctors -- can tell her what to expect.Then she meets Donald, badly disfigured in a fire years before.The other kids in the hospital call him Monster Man, and tell Maria to stay away from him. But Maria sees the human being hidden behind Donald's scars and his bitterness, and finds in him what she needs most of all -- answers to her questions, and a friend.

James Howe JAMES HOWE began his writing career with Bunnicula, which was published in 1979. This book and the next, Teddy Bear's Scrapbook, were coauthored with his late wife, Deborah. Bunnicula went on to receive numerous awards as a favorite among children in the United States and Canada. It was also made into a popular television special. In 1982 and 1983, two sequels to Bunnicula, Howliday Inn and The Celery Stalks at Midnight, appeared. Howe is also the author of The Hospital Book, A Night Without Stars, Morgan's Zoo, What Eric Knew, and Stage Fright.