Synopses & Reviews
Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a powerful new novel about two parents' love for their child and the surprising lengths they will go to keep their family together.
Jack and Molly Campbell enjoyed an idyllic life in their small hometown outside Atlanta with their adopted 4-year-old, Joey. Then they receive the phone call that shatters their world: a social worker delivers the news that Joey's biological father has been released from prison and is ready to start life over but with his son.
When a judge rules that Joey must be returned to his father, the Campbells, in a silent haze of grief and utter disbelief, watch their son pick a dandelion and blow the feathery seeds into the wind. Struggling with the dilemma of following the law, their hearts, and what they know to be morally right, the Campbells find that desperation leads to dangerous thoughts. What if they can devise a plan? Take Joey and simply disappear...Like Dandelion Dust.
Review
[Kingsbury] delivers . . . genuine emotional punch.--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Karen is a gifted writer who confronts the hard issues with truth and sensitivity."--Francine Rivers, bestselling author of Redeeming Love
Synopsis
Enjoying an idyllic life with their adopted four-year-old son Joey in a small town outside Atlanta, Jack and Molly Campbell are stunned when Joey's biological father, recently released from prison, demands the return of his son, forcing the grieving Campbells into a potentially desperate situation.
Synopsis
Jack and Molly Campbell are right where they want to be, enjoying an idyllic life with their four-year-old son Joey, and the close family and friends who live in their small hometown just outside Atlanta. Then the phone call comes from the social worker the Campbells never expected to hear from again. Three states away in Ohio, Joey's biological father has just been released from prison. He is ready to start life over, but not without his son.
A judge's quick decision deals a devastating blow to the Campbell family: Joey must be returned to his biological parents. The day after the ruling, in the silent haze of grief and utter disbelief, they watch their son pick a dandelion and blow the feathery seeds into the wind.
In the days that follow the ruling, Jack Campbell has a desperate and dangerous thought. What if they can devise a way out? Then they could take Joey and simply disappear . . . LIKE DANDELION DUST.
About the Author
Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational storyteller. She is the author of the #1 bestselling Reunion and more than thirty other emotionally gripping novels, many of which have been adapted for film and television. Previously a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and a People magazine contributor, Karen lives with her husband and six children in the Pacific Northwest.
Reading Group Guide
1. Have you ever known someone who adopted a child and then had that child taken away because the adoption fell through? Describe that situation. How did the adoptive parents handle the loss?
2. What did you think of Molly and Jacks decision to leave the country?
3. Is there any way to justify the decision Molly and Jack made?
4. Read the story of Mary and Josephs escape to Egypt in Matthew, chapter 2. Did this give moral precedent for Molly and Jack to take Joey and flee the country? Why or why not?
5. What Molly and Jack wanted to do was illegal, no question about it. If you were Beth, would you have turned them in? Why or why not?
6. Molly and Beth shared a special relationship. What were some of the reasons they were close?
7. Describe a close relationship you have with a sister or a friend. What makes that relationship close?
8. Have there been times when you have had to make a difficult decisionlike the one Beth madefor the good of someone you love? Describe that situation. What was the outcome?
9. How might God have blessed Molly and Jack if they hadnt tried to defy the law?
10. Why was Jack so closed to the possibility of Gods help while he looked for a way to keep custody of Joey? Explain your answer.
11. What did Beth mean when she said that Gods will is always accomplished if you ask Him? Can you give an example of this in your life?
12. Wendy Porter was a woman caught up in abuse. Do you know anyone in a similar situation? Why do people stay in harmful relationships?
13. Read 1 Kings, chapter 3. How does the story of the two mothers relate to the sacrifice Wendy made on behalf of her son? How is the Bible story different?
14. Who was your favorite character in Like Dandelion Dust? Why?
15. Which character are you most like? How?
16. Do you think Molly and Jack wouldve gotten away with their plan? Why or why not?
17. Do you think they wouldve been happy in their new life in the Cayman Islands? Why or why not?
18. What would you do if a judge ordered that one of your children had to be taken away?
19. If you could make any change to the adoption laws in this country, what change would you make? Do you think the current system protects children most of the time, some of the time, or all of the time?
20. What did you learn from reading this novel?