Terry's Garden Series by Jill Penrod, Lydia J. Underwood

When eight year-old Leo Jansen watches Meg Kenton move in across the street, he has no idea the bossy girl will become his best friend. She is pink and sunshine and boldness, and while Leo’s family falls apart, her world is his sanctuary. Then she leaves for two years that becomes four, and Leo’s life goes to pieces. After Meg returns, lonely and doubting her worth, she looks for the boy who used to be her friend... moreWhen eight year-old Leo Jansen watches Meg Kenton move in across the street, he has no idea the bossy girl will become his best friend. She is pink and sunshine and boldness, and while Leo’s family falls apart, her world is his sanctuary. Then she leaves for two years that becomes four, and Leo’s life goes to pieces. After Meg returns, lonely and doubting her worth, she looks for the boy who used to be her friend. She finds a young man she doesn’t recognize, a mean, rough troublemaker who can't stand her. Yet she’s drawn to him, and she asks God to help her reach the old Leo she used to know. She’s certain he’s still in there somewhere. But Leo is guarding dangerous secrets, and should Meg get too close, she'll figure them out. If he doesn’t do something to get rid of her, the last strands of his existence will come apart. And yet he wants to be the boy she’s looking for, not the monster he needs her to see. With the help of the garden and Meg’s parents, who understand all too well the hardships of growing up, maybe Meg can save Leo’s life, and he can turn around and rescue her heart. The Lion and the Ladybug is book two in the Terry’s Garden series, tales about a love that touches generations and a garden where God heals broken hearts. less

After losing my big brother in a car crash, my family moved to a small town to start over. As if grieving wasn’t enough, now I had to find new friends, and in true small town fashion, everyone knew about us and nobody wanted to get close. Loneliest summer ever.The only good thing about the move was Justin, my first friend. Instead of treating me like a fragile flower, he trounced me at ping pong, sat with me in youth group, and dragged me to weed his uncle’s garden... moreAfter losing my big brother in a car crash, my family moved to a small town to start over. As if grieving wasn’t enough, now I had to find new friends, and in true small town fashion, everyone knew about us and nobody wanted to get close. Loneliest summer ever.The only good thing about the move was Justin, my first friend. Instead of treating me like a fragile flower, he trounced me at ping pong, sat with me in youth group, and dragged me to weed his uncle’s garden. The next good thing was Justin’s cousin Lauren, who moved in right before school started. She was my age, and she saw me and not just my dead brother. Her dad had moved them without warning, so she didn’t want to be here, but when we all got together, things clicked. Justin, Lauren, and Tag, best friends forever.Unfortunately, friendship—deep, true friendship—is messy. We hurt each other. We let each other down. Justin and I were so different that sometimes we didn’t even like one another. And Lauren… Well, falling in love is messy, too, and that girl had my heart wrapped around her little finger long before I knew what it meant to love someone.Long story short, it all fell apart. One day the whole planet and God himself turned on me. After that, what’s a guy supposed to do but keep his head down and tick days off until the end? And that, let me assure you, is a scary dangerous way to live—or not to live—a life.Terry’s Garden, stories about a huge family, an enchanting garden, and a love story that touches generations. Christian coming-of-age/romance novels for teens and anyone who remembers what it’s like to take those first wobbling steps into adulthood. less