Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way, and now she's determined  to have the best junior year ever.  Everything appears to look promising as usual...until she receives the devastating news that she has cancer.  Despite denying the doctor's diagnosis at first, Melissa quickly realizes that her illness is growing worse and so she agrees to start treatment.  At the hospital, she finds unexpected friendship and love through Ric, another cancer patient who turns out to be the only other person who can truly understand what she's going through.  Together, Melissa and Ric learn how to find the inner strength  to face the mysteries of living and dying every day.

This is an inspirational story by the bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel that is perfect for fans of The Fault in Our Stars.  
© Meghan Green and Jon Lancaster
Lurlene McDaniel began writing inspirational novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. “I want kids to know that while people don’t get to choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond,” she has said. Her novels are hard-hitting and realistic, but also leave readers with inspiration and hope. McDaniel’s bestselling books have received acclaim from readers, teachers, parents, and reviewers. They include The Year of Luminous Love and its companion, The Year of Chasing Dreams; Don’t Die, My Love; Till Death Do Us Part; and many more. Lurlene McDaniel lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Visit her online at LurleneMcDaniel.com and on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at @Lurlene_McD. View titles by Lurlene McDaniel
  • NOMINEE | 1993
    Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
"McDaniel's writing is light and well suited to this refreshing and involving story."
--Publishers Weekly

About

Melissa Austin has always worked hard to make things go her way, and now she's determined  to have the best junior year ever.  Everything appears to look promising as usual...until she receives the devastating news that she has cancer.  Despite denying the doctor's diagnosis at first, Melissa quickly realizes that her illness is growing worse and so she agrees to start treatment.  At the hospital, she finds unexpected friendship and love through Ric, another cancer patient who turns out to be the only other person who can truly understand what she's going through.  Together, Melissa and Ric learn how to find the inner strength  to face the mysteries of living and dying every day.

This is an inspirational story by the bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel that is perfect for fans of The Fault in Our Stars.  

Author

© Meghan Green and Jon Lancaster
Lurlene McDaniel began writing inspirational novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. “I want kids to know that while people don’t get to choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond,” she has said. Her novels are hard-hitting and realistic, but also leave readers with inspiration and hope. McDaniel’s bestselling books have received acclaim from readers, teachers, parents, and reviewers. They include The Year of Luminous Love and its companion, The Year of Chasing Dreams; Don’t Die, My Love; Till Death Do Us Part; and many more. Lurlene McDaniel lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Visit her online at LurleneMcDaniel.com and on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at @Lurlene_McD. View titles by Lurlene McDaniel

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 1993
    Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

Praise

"McDaniel's writing is light and well suited to this refreshing and involving story."
--Publishers Weekly

Books for Native American Heritage Month

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting books that detail the history of Native Americans, and stories that explore Native American culture and experiences. Browse our collections here: Native American Creators Native American History & Culture

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more