Nancy and Nick

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?