Plot Summaries
I’ve Missed a Sunset or Three
Jim, a turned-off teenager who is lost in his own gray world, meets Rachel, a frightened girl whose repressive father has never allowed her to become part of any world. After giving first-aid to a young boy who is injured on the street, they unexpectedly find themselves becoming involved with him and the community center that means so much to him. Together Jim and Rachel grope their way from bad times into better times.
A Five-Color Buick and a Blue-Eyed Cat
Using a fourteen-year-old home-customized Buick, Fred and Randy are hired to handle pickups and deliveries for the chain of PALMER PET STORES. They are assisted by Laurie Palmer, the owner’s teenage daughter, who does the bookkeeping for the team. Although transporting live pets creates unexpected and challenging problems, Fred’s father creates even greater ones when Fred tries to get him to recognize his need for four things: a driver’s license, car insurance, a five-color Buick, and a cat named Ginger Blossom who goes with the Buick.
This Time Count Me In
Kate Marklee transfers from St. Anne’s Girls’ School to a public high school, hoping to find some friends of different races, and to have boys in her classes. She starts her sophomore year at Jefferson High School, feeling very unsure of herself, but does eventually find some friends— LaShonda and Cheryl, two smart and self-assured black girls. Soon one really nice boy likes her, too. But when she witnesses the theft of a teacher’s wallet and reports it, she is thrown into a frightening new situation where she has to testify in court against the school’s long-time troublemaker. She is helped through her ordeal by La Shonda and Cheryl, along with Ron, who turns into the very special boy she had dreamed of finding. With these three solid friends, Kate finds the strength to move ahead confidently in her new school and her new relationships.
I Think This Is Where We Came In
Maggie, her brother Paul, and Mike, who is like a second brother, are headed for a camping trip in the High Sierra. For years Mike has come over the back fence to stay with Paul whenever his alcoholic parents started their evening bickering. Although Maggie has always been the tag-along kid sister, they get along together. On the first day of this carefully planned trip their orderly plans vanish when they rescue an almost-dying Border Collie, who collapses on the scorching highway. As the convalescent dog, Fritzi, becomes a family member and camping partner, the unpredictable episodes steadily pile up. An amazing bond develops between Mike and Fritzi, who takes the place of the loving family Mike has never had. But even more amazing is the new way Mike begins to feel about Maggie as they work together and worry like new parents about their over-eager dog. Near the end of their vacation, the relationship between Mike and Fritzi is put to the ultimate test, placing an almost unbearable strain on Mike. Maggie’s strength at this point confirms what she already knows. She is no longer the kid sister in Mike’s life, but rather a special partner on a very different level.
Pass Me A Pine Cone, Please
Seth Overton, the principal’s son in the mountain town of Sierra, is drawn into a friendship with Sarah Rudeen by the love-hate relationship between his cat, Monster, and her Irish Setter, Shashi. Sarah’s growing business of hand-crafted cone creatures becomes a shared interest, along with building a tree house for Monster. When a group of school bullies threatens to vandalize the tree house on Halloween, Seth and Sarah and their two animals protect their territory in a thoroughly unorthodox fight. While forming the Triple S Cone Creatures Co., Seth and Sarah begin to see that they are becoming partners in romance as well as business.
Get a Little Lost, Tia
Eighteen-year-old Jason Hilliard plays a dual role since his father’s death and his mother’s return to work. Along with handling his own problems as a teenager, he also must deal with the roller-coaster emotions of his thirteen- year-old sister, Tia. Jason is attracted to Celia Miramontes, a seventeen-year-old with close family ties in the Latin community. With mixed feelings, Jason sees Celia taking time she would otherwise spend with him to help his little sister through a series of problems. Will it always be the two of us and Tia, he wonders. Couldn’t she just get a little lost now and then? But when Tia actually does get lost in the mountains, while on a picnic with Celia’s family, Jason moans, “That wasn’t what I meant when I said to get a little lost, Tia!”
Win Me And You Lose
Handling the divorce was his parents’ problem. Now it’s Matt’s turn to decide the custody issue, and he’s beyond caring. Well . . . I’ve had Mom for seventeen years. Hardly seen Dad since I was a little kid. Guess it’s Dad’s turn now. And so, as strangers, father and son launch their turbulent relationship. Cook? Shop? Clean the apartment? No clue. Worst of all, talk to each other? Never tried. As they struggle along, Matt discovers that a teenager, Rebecca Lindahl, lives with her mother in a nearby apartment. She is trying to learn the same household skills as Matt because her mother, as an emergency room nurse, has been assigned night shift. Rebecca and Matt become friends, sharing their cooking failures, and enjoying their walks to school. Soon, however, an uneasiness settles in. Rebecca senses that someone is watching her, shadowing her every move. Then the mysterious phone calls start coming at all hours of the night. Matt’s father realizes he has to help Matt protect Rebecca from the escalating fear and terror. The police are on the job. They know the stranger is dangerously deranged. His next move may be a bad one. Can the two Bristow men finally communicate enough to join forces to save Rebecca from the sick attentions of a psychopath? And can Matt and Rebecca find a way, after the trauma, to go on with their friendship and finally have some worry-free time together?
Meet Me in the Park, Angie
Angie, 18, and Peter, 19, are still basking in the honeymoon glow. When they adopt a homeless kitten, Fog, their new family seems complete. But reality intrudes on their dream world. Angie loses her job and quickly signs on for another without realizing what it really entails. Peter is forced into a bad situation at work by a fellow gardener who wants Peter to cover his illegal actions. Angie and Peter’s love and marriage are put to tests that would strain even the strongest relationships. The result is a taut and heart-warming story.
