Legend of the Wooden Star is the much-anticipated sequel to The Special Guest, which became a national bestseller when it was first released in 1996. Now, 30 years later, Lee returns with this powerful follow-up story.

In the original book, the Reid family welcomes an out-of-town stranger after his car suddenly stops running, leaving him stranded over Christmas weekend. Their guest, Zachery, challenges the family to “build a bridge” with the man who, a year earlier, had struck their 9-year-old daughter while driving under the influence—an accident that left her in a coma. The story unfolds into a moving lesson on forgiveness, culminating in a miraculous Christmas revelation about the stranger’s true identity.

In the sequel, readers meet the Reids’ grandson, Hunter Reid. As the story opens, Hunter and his new girlfriend, Denèe, are visiting the Richmond Children’s Hospital to bring Christmas cheer. There they meet 11-year-old Joey Haskins, who has been readmitted after his leukemia returns.

Joey shares that he is searching for a special star predicted to appear by Christmas—a “miracle star” he believes will bring him the healing he desperately needs. Joey’s hope is inspired by a mysterious stranger who visits him late at night when the hospital becomes quiet.

What puzzles Hunter and Denèe is how Joey’s description of this miracle star closely resembles the Christmas play Hunter has written and is directing for their church — a play titled Legend of the Wooden Star. Soon, the young couple finds themselves drawn into uncovering the true identity of Joey’s midnight visitor, a man who claims to be descended from an ancient order of stargazers.

The mystery deepens as they unravel the connection between Joey’s visitor and a small wooden star carved centuries ago by a shepherd boy on the first Christmas night in the fields outside Bethlehem. The role of this little wooden star weaves a memorable tale of faith, hope, and Christmas miracles.