# 2

Living with a Secret

by Deborah Kent

Published 31 July 2001
Trapped! Cassie Mullins is fed up with her parents, who think she can't be trusted to manage her diabetes. Just because she cheated on her diet and landed in the hospital. Just because she wants to be a normal kid. Only Aunt Liz seems to understand, and she urges Cassie to take a job as counselor at a camp for diabetic children. Camp Caribou seems like the perfect solution. Cassie's free and her parents think she's safe. There's only one problem: she's the only counselor who is diabetic. And she has decided to keep it a secret. It's not easy to conceal the truth. Cassie can't even tell Jason, the cute counselor who has become a special friend. Her world falls apart when her parents show up unexpectedly and reveal her secret. Cassie's furious and ashamed. And Jason feels betrayed that she hadn't told him. Suddenly, nothing seems to matter. Why be careful when nobody trusts her anyway? Cassie is about to learn the lesson of her life. About love, compassion, responsibility...and the real meaning of friendship and self-respect.

# 1

The Courage to Live

by Deborah Kent

Published 30 January 2001
A Stolen Life One minute Chloe Peterson was a happy, busy teen, going to school, working at a vet's office, and trying out for The Sound of Music. Then her world fell apart. It began with headaches, fever, and aching stiffness that left her weak and dizzy. Then Dad was laid off from his job. And Mom began working overtime, so they rarely saw her anymore. The doctor said Chloe's problem was stress. But the vitamins he recommended didn't work. There was never a right time to approach Mom or Dad...until she collapsed. Todd Bowers, the cute guy she met at the vet's, had seen it coming. He tried to help. She almost let herself believe they could be a couple. But when Chloe landed in the hospital, everything changed. Suddenly she was fighting for her life -- against the greatest enemy of all: herself. Who could help her now? Was Todd's feeling for her real -- or pity? Could she dare take the ultimate risk and believe that he really cares?