Nina always thought that if just one person would love her perfectly and completely, she’d never be alone again
Nina’s the first person in her family to leave home and go to college. Maybe that’s why she feels so isolated once she gets there, especially compared to some of the other students—like her roommates, who have been friends for so long they can finish one another’s sentences. But it seems like her narrow, small-town past hasn’t prepared her for this life in which everyone else knows things about the world that she doesn’t. Afraid of falling behind in her classes, all Nina does is study and wonder if she’ll always be this lonely.
But then she meets Mitch. He introduces himself from the top of some scaffolding, taking a break from painting the house next door to hers. Their growing relationship frees Nina from her self-doubt—finally, someone to love who loves her back! Their togetherness is perfect . . . but can it stay that way forever?
Norma Fox Mazer (1931–2009) was an acclaimed author best known for her children’s and young adult literature. She earned numerous awards, including the Newbery Honor for After the Rain, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Dear Bill, Remember Me?, and the Edgar Award for Taking Terri Mueller. Mazer was also honored with a National Book Award nomination for A Figure of Speech and inclusion in the notable-book lists of the American Library Association and the New York Times, among others.