In the Mood to Cry a Few Tears...or Be Encouraged?

Whenever recommending Lurlene McDaniel's books I always start with the One Last Wish Series…The following books were our favorites when passing them along to friends:
One Last Wish: Let Him Live
One Last Wish: The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True
One Last Wish: Sixteen and Dying (This book deals with the topic of HIV. The main character finds out she is HIV positive at 16, after receiving a blood transfusion as a child.)

These books are some of my personal favorites, all of these are some of her more current selections:
A Rose for Melinda
Don't Die, My Love
Journey of Hope (This is actually two books combined: Angel of Mercy & Angel of Hope. These two books are about two girls who are impacted by a mission oriented organization called The Mercy Ship. This organization is real although the story is fictional. It’s both touching and compelling. The publisher has combined both books into one and I’ve read that a third is on its way (and I hope so!).)
The Angels Trilogy (This is another series the publisher chose to combine. The original three books were: Angels Watching Over Me; Lifted Up by Angels, and Until Angels Close My Eyes. These books introduce readers to the Amish lifestyle from both outsiders looking in and insiders looking out. This is a great story line that will open readers to another way of life.)


I began reading the books of Lurlene McDaniel in the 7th or 8th grade. I don’t remember how I came across them, but once I did I went through all of them. Not only did I go through all of them, but I began to share them with my friends.

Lurlene McDaniel writes stories about teenagers faced with extraordinary circumstances. Many of her lead characters are suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses. They make you cry, that’s not a lie, but they are also encouraging. Many who have read these books find themselves wanting to volunteer at hospitals or wanting to help others in some manner. These books also bring up the importance of organ donation.

As I’ve read these books I’ve noticed one thing that I find especially exciting…Although these books deal with death they rarely touched on what happens after one dies. This is a sensitive topic and I felt that Christian bookstores neglected to add her books due to the fact that she didn’t talk much about God…There were some other issues that McDaniel brings into her books that might cause them to question whether the books should be in a Christian environment, however I found as I followed her through the years that she has either become a Christian, or maybe always was one. I have not read anything to confirm this fact so this is strictly my own observation.

Over the years McDaniel has begun to slowly add scripture to the first page of each of her books. She still doesn’t share more of her faith inside of the book, but it’s like a little clue has been left behind…That is until she began to write her Angel books. They are two different series, but each one puts a little more faith into the story. I found out that her son is a youth minister at a church at one point in time, but I don’t know if he still holds that occupation or what type of effect it has had on her writing…All I can say is McDaniels books are great for anyone to read…just be sure to have some Kleenex around!