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Wildfire #26
Nancy and Nick: A Cooney Classic Romance
All Nancy ever wanted was a family—and a boyfriend; a century-old cookbook could bring her both in Caroline B. Cooney’s classic tale of family, friendship, and romance
Whenever I see a good-looking boy I am impressed first and embarrassed second. . . . I start blushing as if I had written down a dozen wild fantasies about him in a diary and he had just read it . . .
Sixteen-year-old Nancy Nearing lives with her mother in Virginia and daydreams about having a big family. One day, at a flea market, her mom finds a cookbook written in 1915. It turns out to be about several generations of Nearings. In the small North Carolina town of their ancestors, Nancy uncovers layer after layer of fascinating family history. But it’s a heart-stoppingly handsome tour guide who catches her attention.
Nick is a high school junior who lives with his father. Their single parents aren’t all they have in common; Nick and Nancy spend hours exploring their mutual family genealogy. Suddenly, Nancy’s life is full of relatives she never knew she had. But Nick is the one she really cares about—in fact, she might be falling in love. Can she get him to see her as more than a friend?
Whenever I see a good-looking boy I am impressed first and embarrassed second. . . . I start blushing as if I had written down a dozen wild fantasies about him in a diary and he had just read it . . .
Sixteen-year-old Nancy Nearing lives with her mother in Virginia and daydreams about having a big family. One day, at a flea market, her mom finds a cookbook written in 1915. It turns out to be about several generations of Nearings. In the small North Carolina town of their ancestors, Nancy uncovers layer after layer of fascinating family history. But it’s a heart-stoppingly handsome tour guide who catches her attention.
Nick is a high school junior who lives with his father. Their single parents aren’t all they have in common; Nick and Nancy spend hours exploring their mutual family genealogy. Suddenly, Nancy’s life is full of relatives she never knew she had. But Nick is the one she really cares about—in fact, she might be falling in love. Can she get him to see her as more than a friend?
- GenresRomanceYoung Adult
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1982
4 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
131 books1,780 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 13, 2020
This was my absolute favorite teen novel ever. I read it for the first time when I was twelve and I really, really wished this was my life. Wildfire is the best teen series ever, back when authors wrote about average, everyday Americans and the realistic issues they faced. These were books about real girls with real life feelings and problems.
Nancy is a pretty, blonde teenage girl, who lives in a small, cluttered apartment with her mom. Her dad died when she was little and she doesn't remember him. They don't have much money. Nancy's mom likes to visit junk shops and buy old things, so on weekends, Nancy drives them around to various junk shops, flea markets and yard sales. They don't have any other family- it's just them.
Nancy's mom finds a turn of the century cookbook by a NC chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy in which most of the contributors share their last name and the very unusual first/middle name combination that Nancy's dad had insisted she be named. Her name is actually Nelle Catherine, with the nickname of Nancy. Nancy's mom realizes that they are about 150 mile drive from the small town with all the Nearings and she wants to go see if they are in fact, related.
Nancy and her mom make the long drive and the town is super small. They check out an historical house tour led by a dreamy blond boy with a ponytail. He recommends an antique shop just down the road, run by his dad. Turns out they're Nearings and so are pretty much everyone else in town.
So begins a story in which Nancy finds herself a part of the big family she's always wished for and a handsome blond boyfriend as well.
This is the type of small town America that doesn't exist anymore. Hardworking big Southern families, a world before the internet when there seemed so much possibility and family and culture mattered. This story was every bit as wonderful as I remembered.
Nancy is a pretty, blonde teenage girl, who lives in a small, cluttered apartment with her mom. Her dad died when she was little and she doesn't remember him. They don't have much money. Nancy's mom likes to visit junk shops and buy old things, so on weekends, Nancy drives them around to various junk shops, flea markets and yard sales. They don't have any other family- it's just them.
Nancy's mom finds a turn of the century cookbook by a NC chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy in which most of the contributors share their last name and the very unusual first/middle name combination that Nancy's dad had insisted she be named. Her name is actually Nelle Catherine, with the nickname of Nancy. Nancy's mom realizes that they are about 150 mile drive from the small town with all the Nearings and she wants to go see if they are in fact, related.
Nancy and her mom make the long drive and the town is super small. They check out an historical house tour led by a dreamy blond boy with a ponytail. He recommends an antique shop just down the road, run by his dad. Turns out they're Nearings and so are pretty much everyone else in town.
So begins a story in which Nancy finds herself a part of the big family she's always wished for and a handsome blond boyfriend as well.
This is the type of small town America that doesn't exist anymore. Hardworking big Southern families, a world before the internet when there seemed so much possibility and family and culture mattered. This story was every bit as wonderful as I remembered.
August 25, 2018
Wait. What happened? It was actually a cute story with so many plot lines that could develop from it and it just. Stopped.
What?
What?
August 8, 2020
Eh, other than a couple of the author’s hateful jabs at fat people this was...fine. Nick had zero personality other than having — gasp — a ponytail 🙄
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
July 19, 2025
YA romance
January 21, 2026
A cute, fairly predictable teen romance from teen author Caroline B. Cooney
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews