133 Daunting Days: Volume 2

From acclaimed playwright and producer Cynthia Stephens comes a heartwarming coming-of-age story set on picturesque Lockjaw Island off the South Carolina coast.

Chester, along with his dog, Cheater, has been enjoying spending the summer with his grandparents on the island. His happy summer comes to an end, however, when his grandfather dies. Chester is too young to understand how to process grief and emotion. He rebels by beginning a friendship with Junebug, a bad influence who encourages Chester to make dangerous decisions. Chester, shy by nature and made even quieter by his grief, finds it hard to say no in the face of Junebug’s enthusiasm and aggression. It will take the help of Chester’s wise grandmother to break off his friendship with Junebug. Along the way, Chester will discover new truths about his grandfather’s death, as well as his own beliefs, before beginning the slow and painful process of healing.

Readers everywhere will connect with Chester’s sadness and grief. Many children struggle to cope with loss, and 133 Daunting Days assures them that they are not alone.

133 Daunting Days is the second book in Stephens’s trilogy about Chester and his family. The first, On Days Like These, is available through Amazon.com.

Cynthia Stephens has a doctorate in deafness rehabilitation from New York University. She has written and produced three plays, The Princess and the Golden Yam, Nineteen Secrets, and Painted Red.

Stephens's maternal family comes from John's Island, South Carolina. She grew up hearing stories about the island and used it as the basis of the fictional Lockjaw Island.

133 Daunting Days follows On Days Like These in Stephens's trilogy about Chester and his family.