This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist! Oddlot Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to The Thing About Jellyfish, with Gigi Pritzker set to produce with Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon. After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting-things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780316380867
|
Hardcover
Absolutely Normal Chaos
By Creech, Sharon
A prequel to the 1995 Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, Absolutely Normal Chaos proves that Sharon Creech is not the kind of author you meet once and forget -- she writes with a memorable voice that speaks directly to the thoughts and feelings of her readers. Absolutely Normal Chaos chronicles the daily life of 13-year-old Mary Lou Finney during her most chaotic and romantic summer ever. Sharon Creech fans will recognize Mary Lou Finney and her infamous summer journal from their appearance in Walk Two Moons. Mary Lou's journal opens with a plea, "Here it is: my summer journal . . But please PLEEEASSSE DON'T READ IT!" What begins grudgingly as a dreaded assignment for school becomes a hilarious chronicle of the circle of people and events that make her summer.
Publisher: n/a
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9780060269890
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Print book
Halfway Normal
By Dee, Barbara
A cancer survivor must readjust to "normal" middle school life in this hopeful novel from the author of Star-Crossed and Truth or Dare.Norah Levy has just completed two years of treatment for leukemia and is ready to go back to the "real world" of middle school. She knows it'll be tricky - but like the Greek mythological characters she read about while she was sick, Norah's up for any challenge. But seventh grade turns out to be trickier than she thought. Norah's classmates don't know what to make of her. Her best friend, Harper, tries to be there for her, but she doesn't get it, really - and is hanging out with a new group of girls. Norah's other good friend, Silas, is avoiding her. What's that about, anyway? When Norah is placed with the eighth graders for math and science she meets Griffin, a cute boy who encourages her love of Greek mythology and art. And Norah decides not to tell him her secret - that she was "that girl" who had cancer. But when something happens to make secret-keeping impossible, Norah must figure out a way to share her cancer story. But how do you explain something to others that you can't explain to yourself? Can Nora take her cue from her favorite Greek myth? And then, once she finds the words, can she move forward with a whole new 'normal'?
Publisher: n/a
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9781481478519
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Hardcover
The Secret Language of Girls
By Dowell, Frances O'roark
In the old days, when Kate had no interest in romance, she never cared what other people thought. Now, it appeared, love was turning her into a rotten human being. Eleven-year-old Kate Faber wishes she could talk to her best friend Marylin about this. But Marylin is no longer her best friend. Or is she? Kate and Marylin had always been the kind of best friends who lived on the same block for their entire lives and who could agree on the kind of boys worth kissing (only movie stars) or who should be invited to their sleepover (definitely not Mazie Calloway or Elinor Pritchard) . The kind of best friends who didn't need words to talk, but who always just knew. But lately Marylin has started to think that Kate can be a bit babyish. And Kate thinks that Marylin is acting like a big snob. And a lot of the time, well, it feels as though they just don't know each other anymore. Somehow nothing is the same, but secretly Kate and Marylin both wish that it could be.... Edgar Award-winning author Frances O'Roark Dowell explores how far the bonds of true friendship can be stretched as Kate and Marylin struggle to navigate the inexplicable terrain of sixth grade.
Publisher: n/a
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9780689844218
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Print book
It Ain't So Awful, Falafel
By Dumas, Firoozeh
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California's Newport Beach is her family's latest perch, and she's determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name - Cindy. It's the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even mood rings and puka shell necklaces can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the best-selling Funny in Farsi.
Publisher: n/a
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9780544612310
|
Hardcover
Where You'll Find Me
By Friend, Natasha
""Natasha Friend, I loved your book. I was hooked from the first page." -- Judy BlumeThe first month of school, thirteen-year-old Anna Collette finds herself...DUMPED by her best friend Dani, who suddenly wants to spend eighth grade "hanging out with different people." DESERTED by her mom, who's in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. TRAPPED in a house with her dad, a new baby sister, and a stepmother young enough to wear her Delta Delta Delta sweatshirt with pride.STUCK at a lunch table with Shawna the Eyebrow Plucker and Sarabeth the Irish Stepper because she has no one else to sit with. But what if all isn't lost? What if Anna's mom didn't exactly mean to leave her? What if Anna's stepmother is cooler than she thought? What if the misfit lunch table isn't such a bad fit after all? With help from some unlikely sources, including a crazy girl-band talent show act, Anna just may find herself on the road to okay.
Publisher: n/a
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9780374302306
|
Print book
My Life in Pink & Green
By Greenwald, Lisa
Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family's struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won't help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again - a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy's family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader? This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it's great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.
Publisher: n/a
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9780810983526
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Print book
Princess Academy
By Hale, Shannon
Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.
Publisher: n/a
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9781582349930
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Hardcover
Out Of The Dust
By Hesse, Karen
"Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ."A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands.To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.
Publisher: n/a
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590360809
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Hardcover
The Secret Hum of a Daisy
By Holczer, Tracy
Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.Lyrical, poignant and fresh, The Secret Hum of a Daisy is a beautifully told middle grade tale with a great deal of heart.
Publisher: n/a
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9780399163937
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Hardcover
The Girls
By Koss, Amy Goldman
Maya has been part of the group ever since the day Candace asked her if she wanted to "do lunch" in the cafeteria. Yet when Candace suddenly deems her unworthy, Maya's so-called friends just blow her off. While Maya just wants the girls back like they used to be, she
Publisher: n/a
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142300330
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The Wish
By Levine, Gail Carson
There's nothing wrong with Wilma Sturtz. She's perfectly nice. But nobody cares about nice at Claverford, her middle school. Wilma is left out, forgotten, ignored -- until she meets an extraordinary old lady who grants a wish: for Wilma to be the most popular kid in school. Presto
Publisher: n/a
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9780756942724
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Paperback
Write This Down
By Mills, Claudia
"Twelve-year-old Autumn wants more than anything to be a real author, but when she wins a contest by writing something too personal about her brother, she has to decide if her dreams are more important than their relationship"--
Publisher: n/a
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9780374301644
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Print book
Short
By Sloan, Holly Goldberg
In this heartwarming, funny middle-grade novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s, Julia grows into herself while playing a Munchkin in a production of The Wizard of Oz Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she'll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn't ever thought of herself as a performer, but when the wonderful director of Oz casts her as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive--one of the adults with dwarfism who've joined the production's motley crew of Munchkins. With her deeply artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia's own sense of self as an artist grows. Soon, she doesn't want to fade into the background--and it's a good thing, because her director has more big plans for Julia! Bubbling over with humor and tenderness, while emphasizing the importance of role models, this is an irresistible story of self-discovery.
Publisher: n/a
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9780399186219
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Hardcover
Stargirl
By Spinelli, Jerry
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
Publisher: n/a
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9781442065772
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Paris for Two
By Stone, Phoebe
The best cure for a terrible crush on someone like Windel Watson is a trip across the ocean. That's what twelve-year-old Petunia Beanly thinks, until she hears where her family is moving. Not Paris. Not France. Anywhere would be better. Because that's where Windel will be, too. When the Beanly family gets to Paris, Pet's older sister seems right at home. Ava swans around looking beautiful, and making Pet feel even smaller and more awkward. It feels like Paris has a place for everyone except Pet. All she wants to do is hide in a dark room with the pillows over her head. But it turns out Paris has plans for Petunia Beanly. There are three bouquets awaiting her. If Pet can only find her courage, each bouquet will open a door and bring with it a sparkle that will change everything. And the person behind it? That will be Paris's biggest surprise of all. "
Publisher: n/a
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9780545443623
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Print book
Project
By Tracy, Kristen
Popularity: who has it, who wants it, and who won't get it is the topic of this story about two middle school friends who want to make the lives of their classmates more equitable, to disastrous results. Middle school isn't a popularity contest. It's a war. Perry and her best friend, Venice, are excited to be yearbook photographers and tell the story of their school through their art. But that's before they find out the truth: the spontaneous moments they're supposed to capture are all faked. Bossy eighth grader Anya gives them a list of the popular kids - her own friends - who Perry and Venice have to take pictures of. And that makes Perry super mad. Yearbooks should include everybody - even the dorks. But Perry feels totally stuck. Until she starts taking flattering shots of the people on Anya's list, none of her candids will ever be chosen.
Publisher: n/a
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9780553510485
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Print book
Flipped
By Draanen, Wendelin Van
A classic he-said-she-said romantic comedy! This updated anniversary edition offers story-behind-the-story revelations from author Wendelin Van Draanen. The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. Juli says: "My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss." He says: "Its been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort." But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down: just as Bryce is thinking that theres maybe more to Juli than meets the eye, shes thinking that hes not quite all he seemed. This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices. . The updated anniversary edition contains 32 pages of extra backmatter: essays from Wendelin Van Draanen on her sources of inspiration, on the making of the movie of Flipped, on why shell never write a sequel, and a selection of the amazing fan mail shes received. Awards and accolades for Flipped: SLJ Top 100 Childrens Novels of all time IRA-CBC Childrens Choice IRA Teachers Choice Honor winner, Judy Lopez Memorial Award/WNBA Winner of the California Young Reader Medal "We flipped over this fantastic book, its gutsy girl Juli and its wise, wonderful ending." - The Chicago Tribune "Van Draanen has another winner in this eighth-grade he-said, she-said romance. A fast, funny, egg-cellent winner." - SLJ, Starred review "With a charismatic leading lady kids will flip over, a compelling dynamic between the two narrators and a resonant ending, this novel is a great deal larger than the sum of its parts." - Publishers Weekly, Starred review
Publisher: n/a
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9780375811746
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Hardcover
Why Can't I Be You
By Walker, Melissa
"This book is for anyone who has ever felt 'less than' or on the outside. That is to say, this is a book for everyone." - Elana K. Arnold, author of What Girls Are Made Of"With a clear, compelling voice, Walker creates a believable world where socioeconomic tensions challenge, but never defeat, her well-rounded characters." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Claire Ladd knows that this summer is going to be special. She and her two best friends, Ronan and Brianna, are turning twelve. She is leaving camp behind and gets to do what she wants all day. She feels everything starting to change. But things don't always change for the better.With Brianna's cousin Eden visiting for the summer, Claire feels like a third wheel. Even though she is only a year older, Eden seems so much more sophisticated and glamorous . . . and when she's around, she takes up everyone's attention, including Brianna's.But that doesn't explain why things have felt awkward with Brianna ever since she moved to a fancy new house, or why Ronan, who lives in the trailer next to Claire's, has started acting moody anytime anyone mentions his dad.Claire has always been happy with her life just as it is, but as the summer wears on and the issues with her friends start to grow, she can't help but wonder: Would everything be better if she could just be someone else?
Publisher: n/a
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9780062567208
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Hardcover
So B. It
By Weeks, Sarah
You couldnt really tell about Mamas brain just from looking at her, but it was obvious as soon as she spoke. She had a high voice, like a little girls, and she only knew twenty-three words. I know this for a fact, because we kept a list of the things Mama said tacked to the
Publisher: n/a
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9780066236223
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Print book
Wolf Hollow
By Wolk, Lauren
A 2017 Newbery Honor BookNew York Times BestsellerA young girl's kindness, compassion, and honesty overcome bullying. * An NPR Best Book of the Year* A BOOKLIST Best Book of the Year* An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year* A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year* A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year* A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year* An ALA Notable Children's Book "This exquisite debut confronts injustice and doesn't flinch." - People "[A] powerful debut . . . beautifully written." - The Wall Street Journal"Wrenching and true. . . . comparisons to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story - one full of grace and stark, brutal beauty." - The New York Times Book Review"When reviewers draw a parallel between Mockingbird and Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow, they are being neither hyperbolic, nor lazy. They are merely doing justice to Wolk's beautiful story." - NPR, Best Books of 2016 Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby's strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount. Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl's resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history. "The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle's courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters." - Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax"An evocative setting, memorable characters, a searing story: Wolf Hollow has stayed with me long after I closed the book. It has the feel of an instant classic." - Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author
The Thing About Jellyfish
By Benjamin, Ali
This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist! Oddlot Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to The Thing About Jellyfish, with Gigi Pritzker set to produce with Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon. After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting-things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.
Absolutely Normal Chaos
By Creech, Sharon
A prequel to the 1995 Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, Absolutely Normal Chaos proves that Sharon Creech is not the kind of author you meet once and forget -- she writes with a memorable voice that speaks directly to the thoughts and feelings of her readers. Absolutely Normal Chaos chronicles the daily life of 13-year-old Mary Lou Finney during her most chaotic and romantic summer ever. Sharon Creech fans will recognize Mary Lou Finney and her infamous summer journal from their appearance in Walk Two Moons. Mary Lou's journal opens with a plea, "Here it is: my summer journal . . But please PLEEEASSSE DON'T READ IT!" What begins grudgingly as a dreaded assignment for school becomes a hilarious chronicle of the circle of people and events that make her summer.
Halfway Normal
By Dee, Barbara
A cancer survivor must readjust to "normal" middle school life in this hopeful novel from the author of Star-Crossed and Truth or Dare.Norah Levy has just completed two years of treatment for leukemia and is ready to go back to the "real world" of middle school. She knows it'll be tricky - but like the Greek mythological characters she read about while she was sick, Norah's up for any challenge. But seventh grade turns out to be trickier than she thought. Norah's classmates don't know what to make of her. Her best friend, Harper, tries to be there for her, but she doesn't get it, really - and is hanging out with a new group of girls. Norah's other good friend, Silas, is avoiding her. What's that about, anyway? When Norah is placed with the eighth graders for math and science she meets Griffin, a cute boy who encourages her love of Greek mythology and art. And Norah decides not to tell him her secret - that she was "that girl" who had cancer. But when something happens to make secret-keeping impossible, Norah must figure out a way to share her cancer story. But how do you explain something to others that you can't explain to yourself? Can Nora take her cue from her favorite Greek myth? And then, once she finds the words, can she move forward with a whole new 'normal'?
The Secret Language of Girls
By Dowell, Frances O'roark
In the old days, when Kate had no interest in romance, she never cared what other people thought. Now, it appeared, love was turning her into a rotten human being. Eleven-year-old Kate Faber wishes she could talk to her best friend Marylin about this. But Marylin is no longer her best friend. Or is she? Kate and Marylin had always been the kind of best friends who lived on the same block for their entire lives and who could agree on the kind of boys worth kissing (only movie stars) or who should be invited to their sleepover (definitely not Mazie Calloway or Elinor Pritchard) . The kind of best friends who didn't need words to talk, but who always just knew. But lately Marylin has started to think that Kate can be a bit babyish. And Kate thinks that Marylin is acting like a big snob. And a lot of the time, well, it feels as though they just don't know each other anymore. Somehow nothing is the same, but secretly Kate and Marylin both wish that it could be.... Edgar Award-winning author Frances O'Roark Dowell explores how far the bonds of true friendship can be stretched as Kate and Marylin struggle to navigate the inexplicable terrain of sixth grade.
It Ain't So Awful, Falafel
By Dumas, Firoozeh
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California's Newport Beach is her family's latest perch, and she's determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name - Cindy. It's the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even mood rings and puka shell necklaces can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the best-selling Funny in Farsi.
Where You'll Find Me
By Friend, Natasha
""Natasha Friend, I loved your book. I was hooked from the first page." -- Judy BlumeThe first month of school, thirteen-year-old Anna Collette finds herself...DUMPED by her best friend Dani, who suddenly wants to spend eighth grade "hanging out with different people." DESERTED by her mom, who's in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. TRAPPED in a house with her dad, a new baby sister, and a stepmother young enough to wear her Delta Delta Delta sweatshirt with pride.STUCK at a lunch table with Shawna the Eyebrow Plucker and Sarabeth the Irish Stepper because she has no one else to sit with. But what if all isn't lost? What if Anna's mom didn't exactly mean to leave her? What if Anna's stepmother is cooler than she thought? What if the misfit lunch table isn't such a bad fit after all? With help from some unlikely sources, including a crazy girl-band talent show act, Anna just may find herself on the road to okay.
My Life in Pink & Green
By Greenwald, Lisa
Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family's struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won't help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again - a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy's family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader? This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it's great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.
Princess Academy
By Hale, Shannon
Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.
Out Of The Dust
By Hesse, Karen
"Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ."A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands.To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.
The Secret Hum of a Daisy
By Holczer, Tracy
Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.Lyrical, poignant and fresh, The Secret Hum of a Daisy is a beautifully told middle grade tale with a great deal of heart.
The Girls
By Koss, Amy Goldman
Maya has been part of the group ever since the day Candace asked her if she wanted to "do lunch" in the cafeteria. Yet when Candace suddenly deems her unworthy, Maya's so-called friends just blow her off. While Maya just wants the girls back like they used to be, she
The Wish
By Levine, Gail Carson
There's nothing wrong with Wilma Sturtz. She's perfectly nice. But nobody cares about nice at Claverford, her middle school. Wilma is left out, forgotten, ignored -- until she meets an extraordinary old lady who grants a wish: for Wilma to be the most popular kid in school. Presto
Write This Down
By Mills, Claudia
"Twelve-year-old Autumn wants more than anything to be a real author, but when she wins a contest by writing something too personal about her brother, she has to decide if her dreams are more important than their relationship"--
Short
By Sloan, Holly Goldberg
In this heartwarming, funny middle-grade novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s, Julia grows into herself while playing a Munchkin in a production of The Wizard of Oz Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she'll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn't ever thought of herself as a performer, but when the wonderful director of Oz casts her as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive--one of the adults with dwarfism who've joined the production's motley crew of Munchkins. With her deeply artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia's own sense of self as an artist grows. Soon, she doesn't want to fade into the background--and it's a good thing, because her director has more big plans for Julia! Bubbling over with humor and tenderness, while emphasizing the importance of role models, this is an irresistible story of self-discovery.
Stargirl
By Spinelli, Jerry
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
Paris for Two
By Stone, Phoebe
The best cure for a terrible crush on someone like Windel Watson is a trip across the ocean. That's what twelve-year-old Petunia Beanly thinks, until she hears where her family is moving. Not Paris. Not France. Anywhere would be better. Because that's where Windel will be, too. When the Beanly family gets to Paris, Pet's older sister seems right at home. Ava swans around looking beautiful, and making Pet feel even smaller and more awkward. It feels like Paris has a place for everyone except Pet. All she wants to do is hide in a dark room with the pillows over her head. But it turns out Paris has plans for Petunia Beanly. There are three bouquets awaiting her. If Pet can only find her courage, each bouquet will open a door and bring with it a sparkle that will change everything. And the person behind it? That will be Paris's biggest surprise of all. "
Project
By Tracy, Kristen
Popularity: who has it, who wants it, and who won't get it is the topic of this story about two middle school friends who want to make the lives of their classmates more equitable, to disastrous results. Middle school isn't a popularity contest. It's a war. Perry and her best friend, Venice, are excited to be yearbook photographers and tell the story of their school through their art. But that's before they find out the truth: the spontaneous moments they're supposed to capture are all faked. Bossy eighth grader Anya gives them a list of the popular kids - her own friends - who Perry and Venice have to take pictures of. And that makes Perry super mad. Yearbooks should include everybody - even the dorks. But Perry feels totally stuck. Until she starts taking flattering shots of the people on Anya's list, none of her candids will ever be chosen.
Flipped
By Draanen, Wendelin Van
A classic he-said-she-said romantic comedy! This updated anniversary edition offers story-behind-the-story revelations from author Wendelin Van Draanen. The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. Juli says: "My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss." He says: "Its been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort." But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down: just as Bryce is thinking that theres maybe more to Juli than meets the eye, shes thinking that hes not quite all he seemed. This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices. . The updated anniversary edition contains 32 pages of extra backmatter: essays from Wendelin Van Draanen on her sources of inspiration, on the making of the movie of Flipped, on why shell never write a sequel, and a selection of the amazing fan mail shes received. Awards and accolades for Flipped: SLJ Top 100 Childrens Novels of all time IRA-CBC Childrens Choice IRA Teachers Choice Honor winner, Judy Lopez Memorial Award/WNBA Winner of the California Young Reader Medal "We flipped over this fantastic book, its gutsy girl Juli and its wise, wonderful ending." - The Chicago Tribune "Van Draanen has another winner in this eighth-grade he-said, she-said romance. A fast, funny, egg-cellent winner." - SLJ, Starred review "With a charismatic leading lady kids will flip over, a compelling dynamic between the two narrators and a resonant ending, this novel is a great deal larger than the sum of its parts." - Publishers Weekly, Starred review
Why Can't I Be You
By Walker, Melissa
"This book is for anyone who has ever felt 'less than' or on the outside. That is to say, this is a book for everyone." - Elana K. Arnold, author of What Girls Are Made Of"With a clear, compelling voice, Walker creates a believable world where socioeconomic tensions challenge, but never defeat, her well-rounded characters." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Claire Ladd knows that this summer is going to be special. She and her two best friends, Ronan and Brianna, are turning twelve. She is leaving camp behind and gets to do what she wants all day. She feels everything starting to change. But things don't always change for the better.With Brianna's cousin Eden visiting for the summer, Claire feels like a third wheel. Even though she is only a year older, Eden seems so much more sophisticated and glamorous . . . and when she's around, she takes up everyone's attention, including Brianna's.But that doesn't explain why things have felt awkward with Brianna ever since she moved to a fancy new house, or why Ronan, who lives in the trailer next to Claire's, has started acting moody anytime anyone mentions his dad.Claire has always been happy with her life just as it is, but as the summer wears on and the issues with her friends start to grow, she can't help but wonder: Would everything be better if she could just be someone else?
So B. It
By Weeks, Sarah
You couldnt really tell about Mamas brain just from looking at her, but it was obvious as soon as she spoke. She had a high voice, like a little girls, and she only knew twenty-three words. I know this for a fact, because we kept a list of the things Mama said tacked to the
Wolf Hollow
By Wolk, Lauren
A 2017 Newbery Honor BookNew York Times BestsellerA young girl's kindness, compassion, and honesty overcome bullying. * An NPR Best Book of the Year* A BOOKLIST Best Book of the Year* An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year* A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year* A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year* A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year* An ALA Notable Children's Book "This exquisite debut confronts injustice and doesn't flinch." - People "[A] powerful debut . . . beautifully written." - The Wall Street Journal"Wrenching and true. . . . comparisons to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story - one full of grace and stark, brutal beauty." - The New York Times Book Review"When reviewers draw a parallel between Mockingbird and Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow, they are being neither hyperbolic, nor lazy. They are merely doing justice to Wolk's beautiful story." - NPR, Best Books of 2016 Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby's strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount. Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl's resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history. "The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle's courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters." - Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax"An evocative setting, memorable characters, a searing story: Wolf Hollow has stayed with me long after I closed the book. It has the feel of an instant classic." - Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author