Lurlene McDaniel Books In Order

Angels Watching Over Me

Happy Holidays! Bah humbug. ‘Happy’ is not the way Leah Lewis Hall would describe herself at the moment. She’s spending her twelve days of Christmas in an Indianapolis hospital, while her mother is thousands of miles away on a honeymoon with husband number five. Leah went to the doctor with nothing morethan a broken finger, but he ordered her to undergo some tests. Now she’s stuck in the hospital, alone. Then Leah meets her hospital roommate, a young Amish girl named Rebekah, and her big family. Cynical sixteen year old Leah has never known people like this before. From Rebekah’s handsome brother, Ethan, who can barely look Leah in the eye, to her kind older sister, Charity, the Amish family captivates Leah with its simple, loving ways. When Leah receives frightening information about her condition, her new friends show her that miracles can happen. And that sometimes angels appear in the most unexpected places.

Lifted Up by Angels

The companion to the Publishers Weekly bestseller Angels Watching Over Me. This inspirational novel follows the story of Leah and her friendship with the Amish family she met while hospitalized for cancer treatment. When Leah takes a summer job near their Amish community, she is happy to be near Ethan again. He is now at the age at which an Amish young man is allowed a taste of non Amish life before committing to the adults’ rules. Will Leah and Ethan’s feelings for each other overcome family obligations?

Until Angels Close My Eyes

Be sure to read this summer’s highly anticipated companion to Angels Watching Over Me and Lifted Up by Angels:Until Angels Close My EyesWhen Neil, Leah’s warm and loving step father, reveals that his cancer is no longer in remission, Leah finds comfort in a visit to Amish country to see her true love, Ethan. When Ethan chooses to leave his life on the farm, he moves in with Leah and her family. But once Ethan arrives, they realize that his Amish values are quite different from those of Leah’s complex ‘English’ world. Will their love help, or hurt, Leah as she faces the complex hurdles that await her?

Angel of Mercy

Heather Barlow has always been an idealist and now that she’s finished high school, she s ready to make a difference in the world. After graduation, she joins a mission group on a hospital mercy ship sailing to Africa. Once she s left the ship on the Kenyan coast and is stationed at a hospital in Uganda, however, Heather is not really prepared to face the disease, famine, and misery she encounters.

Ian McCollum is also among the medical staff in Uganda. Ian has left his native Scotland to help those threatened by a world of indifference. When Heather meets Ian, she finds her heart quickens and she s happy to be alive. But as the weeks pass, Heather finds her idealism vanishing amid the overcrowded refugee camps and orphanages; misery is everywhere. Only Ian can see beyond the horror and help Heather understand that the world can be changed by
saving those in need, one by one.

Angel of Hope

When Heather Barlow returns from Africa, the joy she felt during her missionary trip fades. She’s still suffering from unresolved grief over the death of her friend Ian, and now that she’s back home in the United States, she feels directionless. And while Heather has changed a great deal, her family has not. She is discouraged to see that her sister, Amber, seems no more mature than when Heather left, her parents no less involved with a medical practice that caters to the wealthy.

Heather’s sense of purpose is renewed when she persuades her mother to travel with her back to Uganda to try to save the baby she rescued on her mission trip. But when Heather becomes ill and cannot undertake the journey, Amber agrees to go in her place. Now Amber must emerge from her sister’s shadow to grapple with the age old question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’

Kathleen’s Story

It’s the summer after sophomore year and Raina has convinced her best friends since the sixth grade, Kathleen and Holly, to spend their summer as pink angels in Parker Sloan General Hospital s summer volunteer program. Kathleen is reluctant to do it she has enough responsibility at home caring for her sick mother. But when she meets Carson, a cute and flirty fellow volunteer, she is happy that she joined the program. Or, at least, she thinks she is. Carson s old friend Stephanie keeps showing up at all the wrong times. And Kathleen s mother keeps complaining that she needs Kathleen at home. But with friends Raina and Holly by her side and her Pink Angel t shirt on her back, Kathleen is able to realize that helping others also allows you to help yourself. From the Hardcover edition.

Raina’s Story

Raina is happy and relieved that her friends Kathleen and Holly found volunteering at the hospital rewarding. They loved their summers at the hospital so much they will be working for credit during their junior year. Raina is also looking forward to spending as much time as possible with Hunter during their last year of high school together. Kathleen is still dating Carson, but they are at different schools and she’s worried it won t last. And poor Holly s still waiting for her parents to let up on their rules so she can actually go out on a date. Everything is going well until Raina s old boyfriend Tony shows up and threatens to ruin the thing that matters to Raina the most her relationship with Hunter. But she isn t the only one with a secret. When Raina s mother reveals her family secret, Raina feels betrayed. Luckily she has Holly and Kathleen to lean on. From the Hardcover edition.

Holly’s Story

Pink Angels and best friends Holly, Raina, and Kathleen have been through a lot over the past year. The summer before their senior year promises to be busy but fun, as Holly and Raina return to their full time volunteer jobs at the hospital and Kathleen, who needs the money, works at the hospital gift shop. Of course, Raina and Kathleen will be spending as much time as possible with their boyfriends, Hunter and Carson. Holly is happy for her friends, but she can t help feeling a little left out when hanging out with the two couples. She did finally have a boy interested in her, but the e mails from her secret admirer, Shy Boy, recently stopped coming. What has she done wrong? Will she ever meet her mystery guy in person? But Holly’s world forever changes when tragedy strikes close to home. It s not fair that the most loving and giving person she knows is the victim of a random crime. She, Raina, and Kathleen will need each other now more than ever. From the Hardcover edition.

Till Death Do Us Part

The doctor’s diagnosis for April Lancaster is not good. April has a brain tumor which cannot be operated on. She’s only 18, and her future is uncertain. But when she meets Mark Gianni, a 21 year old with a passion for car racing, things change.

Mark is handsome and charming and has cystic fibrosis. Despite herself, April falls completely in love with him. April says yes when Mark asks her to marry him. But a racing accident aggravates Mark’s CF, and April must make a decision that will change the course of her life forever.

Six Months to Live

When 13 year old Dawn Rochelle is diagnosed with leukemia, she’s scared. While in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, Dawn meets Sandy, who also has cancer. Dawn and Sandy battle the disease together, and remain best friends even after they both go into remission and return home. But when Sandy gets sick again, Dawn wonders what the future holds both for Sandy and herself.

I Want to Live

Dawn Rochelle has just turned fourteen, and her cancer has been in remission for almost a year. This summer, as she helps prepare for her brother’s wedding and goes to camp, her life seems almost normal again.
But when Dawn returns home from camp, she’s suddenly tired all the time. Her latest test results show that the worst has happened: Her leukemia is no longer in remission. Dawn must receive a bone marrow transplant from her brother. Even with the transplant, she only has a fifty percent chance of survival. Will Dawn live to celebrate her fifteenth birthday?

So Much to Live For

Dawn Rochelle is fifteen, and the leukemia she’s been fighting for the past two years is in remission again, after a successful bone marrow transplant from her brother. This summer Dawn has agreed to work as a camp counselor for younger kids with cancer. It’s the same camp that she attended with her best friend, Sandy, just before Sandy died. Dawn knows that the kids need her, but being at the camp brings back painful memories. Since Dawn has So Much to Live For now, wouldn’t it be better to just forget about everything connected with cancer?

No Time to Cry

Dawn Rochelle has been through chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplnt, and the death of her best friend. Now a sophomore in high school, she wants nothing more than finally to live a normal life and be an ordinary high school student. The freedom other kids take for granted taking driver’s ed, going to
dances and the mall, dating means much more to Dawn. But no matter how long she stays in remission, Dawn fears that her battle with cancer will always be
with her. Will her past haunt her now, when she has No Time to Cry?

To Live Again

Dawn Rochelle looks like any other 17 year old girl, but looks can be deceiving. At the age of 13, Dawn was diagnosed with leukemia. Now almost five years into remission, Dawn’s a senior in high school and looking forward to going to college. But her plans are disrupted when she suffers another medical crisis that causes partial paralysis. The doctors are optimistic about her recovery, but Dawn finds herself giving in to despair. At least during remission she could try to forget about her cancer and pretend she was a normal girl. But the effects of the paralysis are impossible to hide from her friends and the boy she cares about. Dawn had thought her bad times were over. Will she be able to find the strength and courage To Live Again?

Time to Let Go

The doctors assure Erin Bennett and her parents that they can’t find a physical cause for her headaches. But the throbbing, violent pain is so intense that Erin knows she needs help. Even landing the lead in the senior musical opposite David Devlin, the good looking, popular guy everyone else is wild about, doesn’t give Erin much pleasure. In fact, she finds David so annoying that her headaches are getting worse. Erin knows that the headaches started just after the death of her younger sister, Amy, one year ago. She though her grieving was over, but somehow the headaches must be connected to Amy. The therapist Erin starts seeing begins to help her deal with her pain, but what is it about David that triggers Erin’s violent reaction?

Somewhere Between Life and Death

The celebration isn’t supposed to end in tragedy. The night of their high school drama group’s cast party starts out as fun for sisters Amy and Erin.
Their lives come crashing down when Amy takes the car to get more food and has a horrible accident. Erin and her family pray for Amy to awaken from her coma. But as the monitor bleeps and the respirator hisses, Amy lies Somewhere Between Life and Death.
Erin and her parents must find the courage to accept the fact that Amy’s life support system will never bring her back. When she dies, can the family give some meaning to her senseless death? Can Amy’s dying become the hope for someone else’s living?

The End of Forever

Somewhere Between Life and Death
The celebration isn’t supposed to end in tragedy. But the lives of sisters Amy and Erin come crashing down when Amy takes the car and has a horrible accident.

Time to Let Go

Landing the lead in the senior musical opposite David Devlin doesn’t give Erin much pleasure. Erin knows that her headaches started just after the death of her younger sister. What is it about David that triggers Erin’s violent reaction?

This companion volume explores the complexities not only of accepting unexpected loss, but also the need to move on.

Goodbye Doesn’t Mean Forever

In the sequel to Too Young To Die, Melissa’s condition takes a turn for the worse, and her best friend, Jory, must come to grips with the possibility of losing Melissa. As Jory becomes closer to Melissa’s mother, they support each other after Melissa’s death in this heartwarming look at loss and hope. Starfire original.

Too Young to Die

At sixteen, Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way. As the school year begins, her grades are up and she’s even landed a coveted spot on the high school Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever. But suddenly Melissa receives devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor’s diagnosis, but as her illness gets worse she cannot deny the truth. The caring and closeness Melissa feels toward her family and especially toward Jory help her find the inner strength and courage to face the mysteries of living and dying.

Always and Forever

16 year old Melissa Austin has always worked hard to get what she wants. As the school year begins, her work is paying off: Her grades are up and she’s landed a coveted spot on the Brain Bowl team. She and her best friend, Jory Delaney, are determined to have the best junior year ever. Then Melissa receives devastating news about her health. At first she refuses to accept the doctor s diagnosis, but as her illness gets worse, she cannot deny the truth. Only with the loving support of her family, and especially Jory, can Melissa come to terms with the mysteries of living…
and dying.

A Time to Die

When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant her a single wish, sixteen year old Kara Fischer, a girl with cystic fibrosis who has recently found friends in Eric and Vince, contemplates what her wish will be.

Mourning Song

When an anonymous benefactor sends Cassie, a girl stricken with an inoperable brain tumor, a sizeable check, Cassie’s younger sister Dani is determined to help Cassie realize her dream of going to Florida.

Mother, Help Me Live

Seriously ill, Sarah MacGreggor requires a bone marrow transplant in order to live, a crisis that prompts her parents to tell her that she is actually their adopted daughter and that they cannot donate their bone marrow for the operation.

Someone Dies, Someone Lives

You don’t know me, nut I know about you…
. I can’t make you live longer, I can’t stop you from hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me. Katie O’Roark feels miserable, even though she knows she’s incredibly lucky to have received an anonymous gift. Still, the money can’t but her a new heart or bring her back to her track star days. When a donor is found with a compatible heart, Katie undergoes transplant surgery. While recuperating, she meets Josh Martel and senses an immediate connection. When Katie decides to start training to attain her dream of running again, Josh helps her meet the difficult challenge. Will Katie find the strength physically and emotionally to live to become a winner again?

Sixteen and Dying

You don’t know me, but I know about you…
. I can’t make you live longer. I can’t stop you from hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me. It’s hard for Anne Wingate and her father to accept the doctors’ diagnosis: Anne is HIV positive. Seven years earlier, before blood screening was required, Anne received a transfusion to save her life, and the blood was tainted. Now Anne must deal with the inevitable progression of her condition. When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant a single wish with no strings attached, Anne decides to spend the summer on a ranch out west and live as normally as she possibly can. The summer seems even better than she dreamed, especially after she meets Morgan. But Anne hasn’t confided in Morgan about her condition, and when her health begins to deteriorate, she suddenly leaves the ranch. Is there time for Anne and Morgan to meet again?

Let Him Live

A candy striper helps a 17 year old boy deal with his uncertain future as he awaits a liver transplant. Together, they use his ‘One Last Wish’ money to build a center for terminally ill kids.

Please Don’t Die

When Katie O’Roark receives an invitation from the One Last Wish Foundation to spend the summer at Jenny House, she eagerly says yes. Katie is ever grateful to the anonymous ‘JWC,’ the person who gave her the gift that allowed her to receive a heart transplant. Now Katie is asked to help others who, like herself, are facing medical odds against them. Being a ‘Big Sister’ to Amanda, an eleven year old victim of leukemia; Chelsea, a thirteen year old candidate for a heart transplant; and Lacey, a fifeen year old diabetic who refuses to face her problems, is a challenge. As the summer progresses, the girls form a bond of friendship as they behave ‘just like healthy kids.’When a crisis occurs and one of the girls does not get to fulfill her dreams, the friends are devastated. The girls vow to gather each summer, so long as one of them is alive, in honor of their dreams and of a friendship strong enough to endure beyond this life.

The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True

Who is JWC and how was the One Last Wish Foundation created? Discover the tragic story behind a struggle for survival against impossible odds. Follow the interwining story of true love and friendships that compelled JWC to dedicate a life and legacy to helping others in this extraordinary novel of hope. You don’t know me, but I know about you…
. I can’t make you live longer, I can’t stop you from hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me…
.

She Died Too Young

Chelsea James and Katie O’Roark met at Jenny House and spent a wonderful summer together. Now Chelsea and her mother are staying with Katie as Chelsea awaits news concerning a heart transplant. While waiting for a compatible donor, Chelsea meets Jillian, a girl who’s funny and kind. Jillian is also waiting. She needs a heart lung transplant. The two girls become fast friends. When Chelsea meets Jillian’s brother, he awakens feelings in Chelsea she’s never known before. However, as her medical situation grows desperate, Chelsea finds herself in a contest for her life against her very best friend. Is it fair that there’s only a chance for one of them to survive?

All the Days of Her Life

Out of control that’s how Lacey Duval feels in almost every aspect of her life. There’s nothing she can do about her parents divorce, there’s nothing she can do about the death of her young friend, there’s nothing she can do about having diabetes that’s what Lacey believes. After a special summer at Jenny House, Lacey is determined to put her problems behind her. When she returns to high school, she is driven to become a part of the in crowd and win the attention of gorgeous Todd Larson. But Lacey thinks fitting in means losing weight and hiding her diabetes. She starts skipping means and experimenting with her medication sometimes ignoring it all together. Her friends from the summer caution her to face her problems before catastrophe strikes. Is it too late to stop the destructive process Lacey has set in motion?

A Season for Goodbye

Together again. It’s been a year since Katie O’Roark, Chelsea James, and Lacey Duval shared a special summer at Jenny House. The girls have each spent the year struggling to fit into the world of the healthy. Now they’re back, this time as ‘big sisters’ to a new group of girls who also face life threatening illnesses. But even as the friends strive to help their ‘little sisters’ face the future together, they must separately confront their own expectations. Katie must decide between an old flame and an exciting scholarship far from home. Chelsea must overcome her fear of romance. And Lacey must convince the boy that she loves that the feelings for him can be trusted. When tragedy strikes Jenny House, each of the girls knows that things can never be the same again. Will Lacey, Chelsea, and Katie find a way to carry on the legacy of the Jenny House? Can their special friendship endure when they go their separate ways?

Reach for Tomorrow

Katie O’Roark is thrilled to learn that Jenny House is being rebuilt. After the fire last year, Katie thought she could never return to the camp, where she spent the summers with teens like her who faced medical odds stacked against them. But thanks to Richard Holloway’s efforts, Katie and her longtime friends Lacey and Chelsea will work as counselors once again. They’ll be joined by Megan, Morgan, and Eric, who are newcomers to Jenny House but who have experienced the generosity of One Last Wish Foundation. It’s not until Katie arrives at camp that she discovers that Josh Martel, her former boyfriend, is also a counselor. Being near Josh again brings back a flood of old emotions for Katie. And when Josh confronts unexpected adversity, Katie knows she has to work out her feelings for him. Through the heart transplant she underwent years ago, Katie miraculously received a gift of new life. Now she must discover how to make the most of that precious gift and choose her future.

A Horse for Mandy

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Mandy wants her own horse. Her best friend had one and they had fun together. When Mandy does get her own horse, her friendship changes for the worse. How can she keep the two things that me

Last Dance

Rachel Deering has her eyes on her toes: she wants to become a world class ballerina. As a 14 year old, she is already one of the best dancers in the country. Just as she prepares for an audition for an opening with a prestigious dance troupe, Rachel starts having some very disturbing symptoms. After collapsing at school, she has many tests and her doctor tells her the news: She has diabetes. Now her world consists of blood tests, insulin shots, a controlled diet, and constant fear that she will have a reaction and end up unable to dance or worse.

Sometimes Love Isn’t Enough

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY.

If I Should Die Before I Wake

Ages 12 and up. This novel is about coping with cancer, both as the victim and the friend of the victim. Emotionally compelling scenes pull the reader into the drama of Deanne and Matt and a romance that doesn’t have quite enough time to bloom. Willowisp Press imprint.

Eternal Flame

Laura was a woman with everything at her feet, but she found her life suddenly empty and deviod fo meaning. Then she met Michael. He had ignited within her heart and soul an Eternal Flame.

Mother, Please Don’t Die

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When Megan finds out that her mother has a cancerous brain tumor, her anger at the world alienates her from her friends and family until she finally comes to realize what really is important.

My Secret Boyfriend

Jordan Starling has to keep up with her friends’ stories of their summer romances. Unfortunately, she begins a strand of lies that are bound to keep her tied up and in trouble, especially when her ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t even know he’s her boyfriend, yet.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Sometimes Carrie Blake feels she just can’t stand life’s problems or pain. At fifteen, she’s had leukemia for three years, and although the disease is in remission, she’s never sure when things might change. Her parents, whose bitter divoce has left Carrie feeling torn between them, don’t seem to understand how much harder they make her daily life. When Carrie meets Keith Gardner at a cancer support group, everything seems brighter. Keith and his loving supportive family are wonderful to Carrie. Then Keith’s illness worsens and he knows he can no longer fight off dying. Armed with love of family and friends, Keith chooses to participate in a hospice program, which allows him to remain at home instead of in the hospital. Carrie feels helpless as she watches Keith slip away. Will Keith’s courage help Carrie to face her own uncertain future?

When Happily Ever After Ends

Shannon has always shared so much with her father, a Vietnam veteran, but when he commits suicide, she realizes that he may not have shared his pain with her and that she must go on with her life.

Baby Alicia Is Dying

Desi thinks it’s totally unfair that innocent baby Alicia was born HIV positive. Now the eight month old Alicia lives at Childcare because she was given away by her sick teenage mother. Desi can relate to feeling unloved. Her parents give her all the material things she needs, but there seems to be a wall between her mother and herself. Working at Childcare has opened Desi’s heart and allowed her to feel the love that she’s been longing for. But Alicia is not her child and there is no cure for her condition. Can Desi cope with the harsh realities and still believe in love?Working at Childcare has opened Desi’s heart and allowed her to feel the love that she’s been longing for. But Alicia is not her child and there is no cure for her condition. Can Desi cope with the harsh realities and still believe in love?

Saving Jessica

Jessica McMillian and Jeremy Travino are a perfect couple. But now Jessica has been diagnosed as having kidney failure. She is on dialysis three days a week and is so depressed that she’s not sure she wants to live. Her one hope for a normal life is a kidney transplant, but she’s an only child and her parents aren’t suitable donors. Jeremy is determined to donate one of her kidneys to her, but his parents are terrified of losing their only child. Will Jeremy find the strength to go against his parent’s wishes and do what he must to save Jessica?

Don’t Die, My Love

Falling in love with Luke, a talented football player with a promising future, Julie Ellis encourages Luke to see a doctor when he falls ill and is horrified when he is diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

I’ll Be Seeing You

Carley Mattea never expected to become friends with a boy as handsome as Kyle Westin especially not in the hospital. Seventeen year old Kyle was blinded when a chemistry experiment exploded. His doctors don’t know whether he’ll get his vision back, and he’s deeply depressed. Carley understands how miserable it is to be in the hospital. At sixteen, she’s had plenty of experience. But Carley is keeping a secret from Kyle. She knows boys like girls who are pretty and she’s not. Scarred by a facial deformity, she has always used her sense of humor to cope. But now that she’s become so close to Kyle, she’s worried that if his bandages are removed and he sees her, it will be the end of their relationship. Carley wants what’s best for Kyle. But what will that mean for her?

The Girl Death Left Behind

Readers will be touched and inspired by this latest novel from bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel:Beth’s world has been torn apart. She cannot figure out how to go on when a car accident claims the lives of her entire family, and she is the only survivor. Things seem to get even worse when she moves in with her aunt and her spoiled cousin, Terri. But with the love and support of her aunt and some unexpected friends, Beth struggles to overcome the despair that threatens to consume her. Will she be able to move past the painful memories without feeling guilty for being a survivor?

Telling Christina Goodbye

Trisha Thompson and her best friend Christina are having a great senior year. Trisha and her boyfriend, Cody, are making plans to attend Indiana University together in the fall, while Christina has already received a scholarship to the University of Vermont. Everything would be perfect if only Trisha got along with Christina’s controlling boyfriend Tucker, who is trying to convince Christina not to go away for college. But suddenly their lives change one night when Tucker is driving the four home from an away basketball game. When his car hits a patch of black ice and overturns, Tucker walks away with barely a scratch, but Trisha is injured, Cody is in a coma, and Christina is dead. Those left behind must learn that it takes time for their scars both visible and not to heal. And they must find the courage to move on with their lives. From the Paperback edition.

A Rose for Melinda

Told in letters, journal entries, e-mails, doctors’ reports, and instant messages, the heartbreaking story of an aspiring ballet dancer battling leukemia.

From: Melinda Skye
To: Readers
Subject: Jesse

Hi! I can’t believe it. What a surprise from Jesse. When he got my e-mail about being accepted by the Washington School of Classical Dance’s summer program, he called to congratulate me! I loved hearing his voice. We’ve been friends forever-could it turn into something more?
Melinda

From: Jesse Rose
To: Readers
Subject: Melinda

I couldn’t believe the news. Melinda is so young! How could she be sick? How did she get leukemia? She’s got to get better. She’s got to.
Jesse

Garden of Angels

It is 1974 and the country is still struggling to come to terms with the Vietnam War. In the small town of Conners, Georgia, Darcy has just started high school, her older sister Adel goes to weekend dances at the local Army base, and their mother tends her beautiful garden the biggest and best in town. But Darcy’s world is soon changed forever when her mother goes to Atlanta for tests. The diagnosis is not good breast cancer. There is so much Darcy wants to talk to her mother about: the war and what happened to the soldiers who were there; the feelings she is having for the new and troubled boy in school. But she can t. So she finds solace in her mother s garden. There she can help the flowers her mother planted bloom.

From the Hardcover edition.

The Time Capsule

In first grade, twins Alexis and Adam wrote down what they wanted to be when they grew up and put it in their teacher’s time capsule. Now entering their senior year in high school, they are surprised to find out what they wrote: Alexis wanted to help people and Adam wanted to be a fireman. But that was before Adam got sick and their family fell apart. Adam s leukemia is now in remission but, sadly, so is the twins family. Their mother and father are always working not only don t they have time for Alexis and Adam, they don t have time for each other. Alexis can t even convince them to take a weekend off for one last family vacation to Disney World. No one is prepared when Adam gets sick again, but this time Alexis is not alone. Adam s illness reunites the family. And Alexis discovers that The Time Capsule predictions weren t so far off the mark. From the Hardcover edition.

Letting Go of Lisa

Nathan Malone has been homeschooled his whole life. He’s never spent much time with kids his own age and he s never dated. His mother is now busy with his new twin sisters, so Nathan must enroll at the local high school for his senior year. On the first day, a girl on a motorcycle catches his eye and Nathan is excited to discover the girl is also in his English class.

Not only does Lisa ride a motorcycle to school, but she s a loner who seems to come and go as she pleases. She doesn t care what anybody thinks of her. Nathan is intrigued he s never met anyone like her or had such strong feelings. When he and Lisa finally start spending time together, he s the happiest he s ever been.

But Lisa has a tragic secret and, when she decides she ll handle it herself, Nathan has to make a choice. Can he ever let go of Lisa?

From the Hardcover edition.

Briana’s Gift

Thirteen year old Casey’s mother always said that Casey’s sixteen year old sister marched to the beat of a different drummer. But it isn’t until Briana runs away with an older boy that Casey begins to understand what her mother meant. When Briana returns home alone and pregnant, Casey and her mother try to help Briana come to terms with her options.

It was already complicated to think about Briana’s choices and then things change suddenly again. When Briana is in a serious accident, Casey’s mother sees things one way. Although Casey understands her mother’s reaction, she feels she must try to convince her mother to make a different decision. Casey needs to grow up fast and do what she can to maintain Briana’s legacy. Will she be able to make her mother understand that there is only one way to accept Briana’s Gift?

From the Hardcover edition.

Hit and Run

If no one meant for it to happen, should someone be guilty?

Analise: She knows the roads and feels secure riding her bike.

Laurie: When asked out by Quin, Laurie is happy. Then his car hits something. Later, Laurie realizes there is a way to get Quin to date her.

Quin: Because Quin is athletically gifted, his father expects him to get a scholarship. Nothing is to get in his way of college, athletics, money, and success. When he realizes what has happened, he decides he must not let it ruin his future.

Jeremy: It’s been the perfect relationship with Analise. Little does Jeremy realize that the beautiful wood he carves will be used for something for Analise.

As the lives of people who never wanted to hurt others intersect, harsh realities of choices that cannot be changed are explored.

Prey

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he s feeling more than happy at first. He s used to being the class clown, but really he s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She s his teacher. She s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever. From the Hardcover edition.

Breathless

This moving and charged novel by Lurlene McDaniel, the bestselling author of inspirational fiction for young adults, presents ethical as well as moral dilemmas and explores the harsh reality of making a choice that, once made, can never be undone. Travis Morrison knows how good his life is. He’s a champion diver and one of the most popular kids at school. He has Darla, the girl he loves; Emily, his kid sister, whom he actually doesn t mind hanging out with; and Cooper, his best friend. On the first day of summer vacation, all four go boating on the lake, and everything feels perfect. They cut the motor and drift toward their favorite spot, where cliffs abound nature at its finest. Travis s friends ask him not to try the diving stunt, but he can t resist a challenge. Travis s silly stunt dive goes wrong, and he fears he has broken his leg. Instead, his trip to the hospital reveals devastating news. In an instant, Travis s life and the lives of everyone around him are forever changed. Travis understands that his parents believe they re doing what s best for him. But he s always been sure of himself, and he s sure of one thing now that he and only he should decide the course of his life. He has a plan, but he can t carry it out alone. How will he convince the three people he feels he can count on most to help him? And when things get even worse, who will fulfill his most important request?In this honest and probing novel, Lurlene McDaniel tackles a controversial subject, sensitively exploring the issues of personal choice and quality of life, and poignantly reminding readers that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity.

Heart to Heart

From Lurlene McDaniel, the bestselling author of young adult inspirational fiction, comes Heart to Heart. This emotionally charged novel explores loss, love, renewal, and the ways in which these complex bonds within families and between friends are tested at life’s most challenging moments. Elowyn Eden and Kassey Messechek are best friends. They share every aspect of their lives. But one thing Elowyn has not yet shared with Kassey is that she checked the organ donor box on her newly acquired driver’s license. Kassey only learns of this in a startling and devastating way when Elowyn’s life giving donor wishes are about to be honored. Arabeth St. Clair has not had the luck to have a best friend. Due to her diseased heart, she’s led a sheltered life. When Arabeth is sixteen, she and her mother receive the call that will change their lives but they don’t know to whom they should be forever grateful. When the worlds of these three girls and their families intersect, lives are changed in ways never imagined. Most especially, it is Kassey who sees things differently, for she can keep alive the memory of her dear friend by sharing the renewed life of another teenage girl, while helping to ease the pain of the two families involved and coming to terms with her own. From the Hardcover edition.

Starry, Starry Night

The star that led the three wise men could be the same star wished upon this Christmas time by three young women. In the opening story, ‘Christmas Child,’ 15 year old Melanie feels cheated when her baby sister, born during the holidays, lives only a few hours. But the baby’s brief life shows Melanie the lasting value of love. Brenda struggles between noble intentions and earthier desires when she becomes a dying boy’s final chance for happiness in ‘Last Dance.’ The closing story, ‘Kathy’s Life,’ presents a 16 year old who appears to have it all. Kathy is beautiful, intelligent, and has the perfect job as a live in caretaker for a couple’s baby boy. But not everything is as perfect as it seems. Must Kathy give up the one person she loves most in the world? Readers will be inspired, enlightened, and comforted by these moving stories that depict the many kinds of love in the world.

How Do I Love Thee

Though written more than a century ago, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beautiful sonnet rings true today for three young couples who believe in the power of love. In Night Vision, Brett finds a way to brighten a special girl s lonely existence. Bobby s Girl features Dana, who must choose between two brothers, both of whom she loves. Laura s Heart, the third story, introduces 16 year old Laura Carson, who is hospitalized on a regular basis because of her weak heart. But when tragedy strikes a loved one, she realizes her heart is stronger than she thought and that love lives on forever. From the Hardcover edition.