Reach for Tomorrow

One Last Wish #12

by Lurlene McDaniel

Katie O'Roark is thrilled to learn that Jenny House is being rebuilt. After the fire last year, Katie thought she could never return to the camp, where she spent the summers with teens like her who faced medical odds stacked against them. But thanks to Richard Holloway's efforts, Katie and her longtime friends Lacey and Chelsea will work as counselors once again. They'll be joined by Megan, Morgan, and Eric, who are newcomers to Jenny House but who have experienced the generosity of One Last Wish Foundation.

It's not until Katie arrives at camp that she discovers that Josh Martel, her former boyfriend, is also a counselor. Being near Josh again brings back a flood of old emotions for Katie. And when Josh confronts unexpected adversity, Katie knows she has to work out her feelings for him. Through the heart transplant she underwent years ago, Katie miraculously received a gift of new life. Now she must discover how to make the most of that precious gift and choose her future.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Christian

172 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 1999

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to a great series. I love how she combines characters from other books in the series.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I thought it was touching and heartwarming. It is like she combined all of the main characters from the different One Wish books and brought all of them into one book. I loved the ending and how Katie and Josh got married.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve finally finished the series! And what a sweet wrap up that was. The One Last Wish series has open my eyes to a world of childhood illnesses and the emotional rollercoaster of being a young person fighting for your life.

This book was great in the sense that I got to revisit almost all of the old characters from the previous books and see where their paths had lead.

The writing style and the characters are still a bit immature in comparison with the books I normally ready so that’s why the 4 instead of 5 stars.

These books are short and sweet and go quickly but the still pack a punch in the emotional department. You feel every single emotion while reading these. I’ll never forget the things I’ve learned and the ways I’ve felt while reading these.

Thank you Lurlene McDaniels for bringing light, love, empathy, and hope.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashback to my childhood with this one. It seems I have been on a quest lately to re-read childhood favourites that made me the reader that I am today. What a new perspective and a different layer of emotions and insight when re-reading as an adult. I was left wanting more of Morgan’s story again. The ending beautifully ties all together. The yellow ribbon marks a quiet yet important celebration too. No wonder I ate up all of the one last wish novels as well as others by McDaniel in my early teen years. Bravo!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book...I just loved it. It’s so dramatic, but then again, what book about terminally-ill children isn’t dramatic? Lurlene McDaniel is a great writer of characters- I really felt like I knew them by the time I read this one (I’ve read almost all the books that have come before this one in the One Last Wish series).

[Livvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruise read.
while it was still good, it's a cop-out ending.

[Amanda Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. The characters always feel like real people. This was an easy five-star read for me.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read all of these!!!

[Keshia Burchette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book as always. Love Lurlene McDaniel!

[Thegrayrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very beautiful story. Very encouraging.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read. Spoilers abound.
The true end to One Last Wish brings about characters from all the previous books (except for Mourning Song, those survivors were nowhere to be seen...) to Jenny House one last time. Jenny House is being reconstructed after last year's fire but Richard has built some cabins by the stable to house a smaller number of campers for the summer. Katie has gone off to Arizona but still misses Josh and is regretting breaking up with him. She never did date Garrison so I have no idea why that was such a big deal for two whole books. Eric let's us know that Vince died of pneumonia so that's a bummer, and apparently he's a big flirt that Chelsea has set her eyes on. Lacey and Jeff are still together but he's not in this book. Meg falls for Morgan and they bond over poetry and both losing their significant others tragically. And we discover Kimbra has adopted Dullas and Sarah survived her bone marrow transplant...only to die later in the book from rejection. The ending was all of them together and happy at Josh and Katie's wedding even with his close brush of almost being paralyzed.

It was a nice and fitting epilogue for the series to see where everyone ended up and how they all coped with their losses and moved on with their lives. Eric was disappointingly still a tool but I liked seeing Morgan and Meg find love with each other. Of course Katie and Josh were always meant to be but the lack of Lacey/Jeff was a bummer. Also, Lurlene obviously decided Chelsea was done for and just dropped her cause she had a few lines in the book just to serve as a reminder that she was in the scene. And she done did Sarah dirty... overall, I was pleased with my reread of this series but am ready to move on to less heavy subject matter.

[Jodi Vogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Reach for Tomorrow back in 6th grade, and I still remember that summer so clearly. It was the start of vacation, and the library was my happy place—my escape. This book stayed with me because it was more than just a story; it was a mix of friendship, romance, and finding strength through life’s hardest challenges.

Katie O’Roark returns to Jenny House, the camp for teens who have faced serious health battles, after it’s been rebuilt following a fire. She’s reunited with her best friends Lacey and Chelsea, and meets new faces like Megan, Morgan, and Eric. I loved seeing those friendships grow and the sense of hope the camp brought to everyone there.

Then there’s Josh—Katie’s ex-boyfriend—who’s also back as a counselor. Watching them reconnect stirred up old feelings and added a sweet romance to the story. But what touched me most was Katie’s journey as a heart transplant survivor, learning to truly embrace her second chance at life and figure out what she wants for her future.

Back then, I was a sucker for romance, and the camp setting made me happy, but it was also the lessons about resilience and appreciating life that stuck with me. Even after all these years, this story still warms my heart.

[Tiffany Sosa]

Reach for Tomorrow was a really good book, in my opinion. The book is about how Katie goes to this camp and sees her ex-boyfriend,Josh Martel, and they are counselors at the camp. Later throughout the book, they had a tug-of-war over a mud pit, and they wanted to see who would win against the guys and girls, and obviously the guys won. also, there is more crushing and go on dates with the other characters. Josh Martel got in an accident and went to the hospital to get checked up on soon after that he went back to the camp. Katie and Josh are back together near the end of the book still at the hospital. This is what i thought about this amazing One Last Wish series book.

[Bailey B]

I thought that Reach for tomorrow was a great book. I’ve read a lot of her books so far and most of the One last wish books. This book was very interesting. Katie O’Rark and her former boy friend Josh Martel still have feelings for each other but wont tell each other. After some of the boys ran of to see the construction Josh goes to look for them the horse gets spooked and Josh ends up I the hospital with. Katie realizes how much she loves him and they end up getting married. This is one of my favorite books of the one last wish series so far.

[Bethany Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book.This book was about The Jenny House being rebuilt and a new set of counselors and kids come to the camp.The Jenny House was a camp for kids with health problems.Sarah was one of the girls in the story who had health problems.Her problem was that she recently got a bone marrow transplant before she went to the camp.Later on in the story Sarah's bone marrow fails and she dies.As a result she is not able to make it to Josh and Katie's wedding that was at the Jenny House Chapel.

[Katie Henson · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is fiction, with many real qualities throughout the book. I think the authors purpose for Reach for Tomorrow was to entertain the audience by pulling at your heart strings, and she achieved it. for me there was no real weaknesses for the book, but it had many strengths. for example the author uses imagery, so you can visualize what is going on in every part of the book. I do recommend this to anyone, but I will warn it can be sad in some parts, so have some tissues. " I let you go last summer, Katie. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to hold you back..." (McDaniel, 162)

[Jaclin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lurlene McDaniel shows her true colors with this book Reach For Tomorrow. It has all of her characters from the One Last Wish series, whats really good about this book is you dont have to read all the other books from the series to understand this one. This book shows the hardships of relationships and the way she captures the children and their sicknesses is amazing. Im not much of a cryer but the first time i read this book I cried.

[Arielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh.... they got married! They did! And that's the reason this book exists. It's so clunky and so confuddled that I don't know why Lurlene went back to these kids. Except I do. Because people kept asking her what happened to Josh and Katie. And you know how to sell a book? Write fan fiction and put them together forever! It wasn't as egregious as it could be, but still? Pretty awesomely not amazing. Although that chapel sure sounds pretty.

[Coryn N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It is one of the best books I have read so far. The ending was probably the best part of the book. It’s not at all what you expected, but it was a great surprise! I didn’t picture them getting married, and for them to get married at the Jenny House made the book that much greater! Anyone should read this book, it shows how you have to be brave and strong to make it through the worst situations. It also shows that it’s possible to survive such horrible things!

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 if I could.

I read all of these books when I was younger. Some were better than I remembered. Most were just OK (I honestly don't think I could ever rate a Lurlene McDaniel book anything higher than three stars). Once the characters start recurring there are several continuity issues. Nothing that hugely impacts the stories, just somewhat annoying.

This one is a nice ending to the series. It wraps up all the characters' storylines satisfactorily.

[Harley Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.
It was amazing to read all the loose ends from the various One Last Wish books tied up.
I was always curious about whether or not Morgan went in for his test after losing Anne. I love the way Lurlene McDaniel referenced the results without actually saying it.
As always, it's horrible when one of her character dies, but in the world that she writes, it can't be helped.
The ending was perfect.
I would have liked to know if anything ever happened between Chelsea and Eric though.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took a stroll down memory lane with this book. When I was in junior high, I ate up Lurlene McDaniel books and I wanted to revisit them. Reading the book was the literary equivalent of watching a soap opera, which definitely has its place, but isn't my thing anymore. The writing was, I don't know, lumpy, I guess and the plot was melodramatic and treacly at best. However, I did have fun blowing through it!

[Mikaela R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a pretty good book. It was sad when one of the boys fell off the horse and had to go to the hospital. I love how the girls had to sing to the boys when they didn't win the tug-of-war game. This wasnt one of my favorite books I have read by Lurlene McDaniel but it was okay. Many of the books are really good by her. But I rate it a 3 in all.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to sum up the wonderful One Last Wish series of Lurlene McDaniel's. I have been a fan from her since I was young and recently found there were quite a few of these books I hadn't read. Needless to say I was VERY excited. LOVE HER! She brought tears to my eyes, and I feel like she really does get the feeling of illness right. It's amazing. No other words fit.

[Aurora Salazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reach for tomorrow is the last book in the One Last Wish Foundation series. It bring mostly all the characters of the series together into one big story...from Morgan to Katie to Lacey to Megan and Eric.
I will not write a review because of the limited space I have and if this were and essay here go my 50 paged essay. Please read the book because it is wonderful; and full of surprises!

[Maggie Barcenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you start these books, its hard not to put them down. Lurlene is a very talented woman. She knows how to pull at your heart- strings. These are perfect for those wanting to pursue a career in the medical field.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, except for all the religious stuff. I liked the characters, but seriously. Too much is too much. It's a nice conclusion that wraps most of the characters from the series up.

[~ ! ♥ I rp therefore I am Awesome ♥ ! ~]

good book

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good!

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and actully all the books in this series and all of her books, eat one makes me want another and i cant put then down till i finish it.