Diane Kruger Reveals Her Daughter's Name with a New Children's Book: 'She's Changed My World'

Diane Kruger is celebrating the power of a name.

In her new children's book, A Name From the Sky (out Oct. 25), Kruger, 45, opens up about discovering the meaning of her own name and reveals how she and partner Norman Reedus decided on the perfect moniker for their 3-year-old daughter.

Growing up in Germany, Kruger says "Diane" was an uncommon name there.

"I remember coming home crying because kids were making fun of my name," she tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's issue. The actress's mom read her a book about the Roman goddess Diana, whom she was named after.

"It truly changed my life," adds Kruger. "And how I see myself today."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When it came time to name — and empower — her own daughter, Kruger and Reedus decided on Nova Tennessee.

"I had her late in life at 42, and [Norman] had a child when he was much younger," she says. " 'Nova' in Latin means new beginning, and a nova star keeps changing and is reborn. And we love Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains; we do motorcycle trips there."

Kruger admits she was surprised after giving birth to Nova (whose nicknames range from "Noonoo" to "Neenee") by "how much I love it. I wanted to be a mom and I was sure I was going to like it, but just the magnitude of wanting to be there every second, not missing a thing."

For the actress, it's also been "wonderful to rediscover firsts," she adds. "So many things at my age, you've done a thousand times, but just seeing it through her eyes again. Whether it's having ice cream for the first time or seeing snow for the first time there's just something so refreshing and simple about that life as mother and daughter that I've just found magnificent."

Kruger hopes her book will allow other kids to be empowered by their own names as well. "I think as children, we suffer through things," she explains. "Whether that's a given name, or somebody says something mean to you. Everything is so up in the air. In time, your powers will come, and you don't have to worry. That kind of was the idea of the book."

Now the actress is most grateful for her own journey to motherhood.

"[Nova] was a surprise. I thought it wasn't going to happen, and she came into my life when I was ready," Kruger adds. "I'm grateful that happened for me and our family. She's changed my world and the way I look at everything."

A Name From the Sky will be released Oct. 25.

For more of Kruger's exclusive interview, pick up this week's issue on PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.