Let Me List the Ways

Gr 9 Up—Mackenzie and Nolan are next-door neighbors and best friends. They grew up together and share a special bond that none of their friends fully seem to comprehend. It's their senior year of high school and reality has set in that their paths will soon diverge. Their daily hangout sessions, weekend trips to the beach, and monthly movie nights will be a thing of the past. They decide to relive their favorite memories together and create a "Senior Year Redo Bucket List." Somewhere between the backyard campout and their spring break trip, Mackenzie realizes that she is totally and completely in love with Nolan. This is the only secret she has ever kept from him, and she must decide if and when she will spill her veiled affection. What makes this teen romance unique is that Mackenzie is living with type 1 diabetes. While diabetes is not the main story, it is referenced often enough to give readers an idea of what it might be like to live with the chronic condition. Teens will be able to connect with the characters and feel their sadness, embarrassment, heartache, and love through the dialogue and Mackenzie's first-person narration.