Living with a Secret

Why Me? #2

by Deborah Kent

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 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.

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Deborah Kent was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Little Falls. She graduated from Oberlin College and received a master's degree from Smith College School for Social Work. For four years, she was a social worker at University Settlement House on New York's Lower East Side. In 1975, Ms. Kent moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she wrote her first young-adult novel, Belonging. In San Miguel, Ms. Kent helped to found the Centro de Crecimiento, a school for children with disabilities. Ms. Kent is the author of numerous young-adult novels and nonfiction titles for children. She lives in Chicago with her husband, children's author R. Conrad Stein, and their daughter, Janna.

Reviews

[Ulysses · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this novel, I got to understand how diabetics lived, and it was another factor that made me more curious about how the human body worked. I am super thankful that I got to read such an amazing manuscript.
I did learn, however, that finger-pricking involves the use of a lancet, although I don't think accuracy is a big issue as long as the main point is conveyed.

[Amanda Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book and I'm hoping to read more from this author. Her books remind me of Lurlene McDaniel's books.