Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep [Paperback]

Lurlene McDaniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1991

Sometimes Carrie Blake feels she just can't stand  life's problems or pain. At fifteen, she's had  leukemia for three years, and although the disease is  in remission, she's never sure when things might  change. Her parents, whose bitter divoce has left  Carrie feeling torn between them, don't seem to  understand how much harder they make her daily  life.



When Carrie meets Keith Gardner at a  cancer support group, everything seems brighter.  Keith and his loving supportive family are  wonderful to Carrie. Then Keith's illness worsens and he  knows he can no longer fight off dying. Armed with  love of family and friends, Keith chooses to  participate in a hospice program, which allows him to  remain at home instead of in the hospital. Carrie  feels helpless as she watches Keith slip away. Will  Keith's courage help Carrie to face her own  uncertain future?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Sometimes Carrie Blake feels she just can't stand life's problems or pain. At fifteen, she's had leukemia for three years, and although the disease is in remission, she's never sure when things might change. Her parents, whose bitter divoce has left Carrie feeling torn between them, don't seem to understand how much harder they make her daily life.

When Carrie meets Keith Gardner at a cancer support group, everything seems brighter. Keith and his loving supportive family are wonderful to Carrie. Then Keith's illness worsens and he knows he can no longer fight off dying. Armed with love of family and friends, Keith chooses to participate in a hospice program, which allows him to remain at home instead of in the hospital. Carrie feels helpless as she watches Keith slip away. Will Keith's courage help Carrie to face her own uncertain future?

From the Inside Flap

Sometimes Carrie Blake feels she just can't stand  life's problems or pain. At fifteen, she's had  leukemia for three years, and although the disease is  in remission, she's never sure when things might  change. Her parents, whose bitter divoce has left  Carrie feeling torn between them, don't seem to  understand how much harder they make her daily  life.



When Carrie meets Keith Gardner at a  cancer support group, everything seems brighter.  Keith and his loving supportive family are  wonderful to Carrie. Then Keith's illness worsens and he  knows he can no longer fight off dying. Armed with  love of family and friends, Keith chooses to  participate in a hospice program, which allows him to  remain at home instead of in the hospital. Carrie  feels helpless as she watches Keith slip away. Will  Keith's courage help Carrie to face her own  uncertain future?

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Second Edion edition (March 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553288970
• ISBN-13: 978-0553288971
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.5 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Diseases > Fiction
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Divorce

More About the Author

Lurlene McDaniel is known for her poignant inspirational novels. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, March 6, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (Paperback)

i have read all of the lurlene mcdaniel books and i loved all of them!this one really got my attention though!its about a girl named carrie.her parents just got a divorce and it was tearing her up.Carrie was diagnosed with leukemia and went to a support group.there she gets to know keith gardner.his family becomes quitte close to carrie.keith gets an x-ray and finds he has a tumor in his stomach.the family goes to a camping spot while keith starts to slip away.in this carrie learns what a true family is.i realy recomend this book to all preteens and teens!10-17it really is a 5 star book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another poignant novel from Ms. Daniel, December 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (Paperback)

Carrie Blake is a fifteen-year-old who was diagnosed with leukemia three years ago. At that time, she also had to deal with her parents' divorce. She meets Keith Gardner, an athlete at her high school, who also had cancer, Hodgkin's disease. Both are in the hospital support group. They are both assigned to work on the picnic for cancer patients. As they get to know one another, both become great friends. Keith has a wonderful family who treats Carrie very kindly, while Carrie's parents are both seeing other people. But not everything is perfect for the Gardners. Soon, Keith's cancer returns, and there is nothing that can be done. Keith's family, and Carrie, have to learn how to live without him. This is a really great story, with plenty of emotion, as all of Lurlene McDaniel's books are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart wrenching novel which deals with reals life issues., October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (Paperback)

I would recommend this book, it is an extremely wonderful and heart wrenching novel which deals with real life issues involving the struggle between teenagers and a life threatening disease. It is suited for families that have dealt with leukemia or any type of other serious disease. People between the ages of 14 through 17 should probably read this novel because they can see how some kids their age live their life in pain. The teens in the story are not only confronted with leukemia, the sickness, chemotherapy, radiation, and physical changes which go along with the disease but also with the way their friends and family react to them. After Carrie and Keith go through chemotherapy at the hospital they find their worlds are turned upside down. Their relationships between friends and family had changed. They were frightened that their cancer would return. Their lives as typical teenagers were over. Carrie's parents divorce left her feeling torn between them, and she doesn't understand how much harder they made her daily life. Keith's family is very supportive and is always their for him. After Carrie and Keith met at the Cancer Support Group Carrie's life seemed to be brighter and more open. They discovered they both had survived cancer and became friends. Their disease brought them together and helped them to face their problems. Keith's illness worsens and he knows that he can no longer fight dying. He decided to participate in a hospice program which allows him to remain at home instead of the hospital. Carrie and Keith's relationship deepens throughout Keith's second incident with cancer. Good aspects of this book are the understandings of what some young adults have to go through and learning that you have only one life to live and that if you are in good health, thank god. Bad aspects of the book is feeling the pain for Carrie and Keith's families. This book was very emotional and was hard to read without a tear rolling down your cheek.