Books with author lurlene mcdaniel

"Junior high will be a blast," promises Andrea Manetti's best friend. But while exciting things are happening at school―new friends, boys, and a chance to star in the musical―Andrea's home life is falling apart. Her parents are always fighting; her mom's new job means Andrea has to help more with the family. And then there's Andrea's brother. Can Andrea keep her family together―and keep their secrets from getting out? And why does the boy at school who hates her seem to be the only one who understands her?

Jordan Sterling has had a boring summer, unlike the other girls at her high school. When she hears story after story of fun summer romances, Jordan decides she has to come up with her own special boyfriend. She brags about Ryan, a gorgeous guy she met "over the summer." But Ryan is a real person—a boy she's known all her life. Luckily, he lives far away. So what is Jordan going to do when Ryan moves to her town and he has no idea he's the love of her life? Will one lie ruin a life-long friendship?

In the vein of This is Where It Ends, this exploration of grief and tragedy in the aftermath of a bomb explosion at a high school is sadly topical and powerfully heartrending. At 7:45 a.m. a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically wounded. Twenty-two are injured. One is blinded. In the aftermath of the violent tragedy, survive struggle to cope and heal as a result of something they may never understand. Told in alternating points of view, Red Heart Tattoo deals with issues of violence, death, and trauma in the lives of five teens.

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?"

HEATHER BARLOW HAS always been idealistic, and now that she has 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.Praise for Angel of Mercy:“There’s a huge audience for McDaniel’s romance fiction, and this one has all the features her readers look for.”—Booklist“Most readers will be caught up in the passion and sorrow of Heather’s missionary experiences.”—School Library JournalPraise for Angel of Hope:“The love between the sisters is realistically portrayed, and Amber’s slow maturation is convincing.”—Booklist

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.

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.

Feisty, thirteen-year-old Megan McCaffery is proud to be a tomboy, and she just can't relate to the "southern belles" in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Her older sister, Audrey, is driving her crazy with constant talk about her upcoming wedding. When a popular girl at school takes an interest in Megan's best friend, John-Paul, Megan is surprised at her own jealousy. Was she losing her tomboy edge? But when her mother's mysterious headaches turn out to be a brain tumor, Megan's world is truly turned upside-down.

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?

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?

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?