Suwanee author wins Christopher Award for “Untangling Hope”

Suwanee, Ga. based author, Johnna Stein, won a Christopher Award for “Untangling Hope,” (young adult, Promise686). It is one of 12 winning books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 76th year.

The Awards celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors, whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflect the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

The book tells the story of Hope, a determined eleven-year-old, who lands in her seventh foster home in three years. The foster lady seems nice and has an adorable, smiling dog, but Hope's not betting on it. Besides, Hope doesn't need a new family. After all, her dad's just doing a little time in jail. Juggling temporary friendships and another new school seems possible if she can hide her foster status, get a phone to execute her daring plan, and unscramble her tangled brain when it really counts.

Hope embodies many of the incredible qualities of children and teens who are in foster care. Each year, through no fault of their own, thousands of children and teens just like Hope flood the U.S. foster care system. This book highlights some of the challenges they face. It is a story of hope for all kids in foster care to experience a stable, loving home and a time of healing.

In addition to being a published freelance writer, teacher, reading specialist, and tour director, Stein loves reading, writing, kids, and dogs, and she especially likes rooting for and writing about underdogs. She lived for a decade in Holland with her Dutch husband, Frank, and two now adult children. She serves as the VP of Creative Resources with Promise686. In eight years of fostering, more than 30 “bonus kids,” aged newborn to 18, have lived in Stein’s home for anywhere from 24 hours to 2.5 years. Johnna and her husband wholeheartedly believe that kids deserve safe, strong families, and have dedicated their lives to caring for vulnerable children.

All proceeds from this book will be donated to Promise686 to help equip more churches to support more families and children. According to its website, the hope of Promise686 is to see every child in a safe, loving family, forever. Family Advocacy Ministries help the organization get closer to this goal by creating support systems for foster & adoptive families, and biological families in crisis.

Christopher Awards were also given to creators of 9 TV/Cable shows and feature films. They celebrate authors and illustrators as well as writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” which also guides the organization’s publishing and radio programs.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “Our award-winning stories, both true and fictional, highlight people who have the odds stacked against them, but who face their challenges with faith and perseverance, allowing them to move through the darkness into the light and serve a higher purpose than themselves. In other words, these books, films, and TV programs don’t just engage and entertain; they teach, they heal, and they inspire.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.

Social media: #ChristopherAwards, Facebook: The Christophers / X: @ChristophersInc