Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty.
Victor, a Mexican American teenager known for being a fast runner, deals with racism at school but finds strength in his family, his future, and romantic interest in Tiffany, the most popular girl in school.
Terrell decides to expose the secret ritual that injured a new football player, Dylan, in spite of threats from Booth.
Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight. Yet the bitter feud between their families forbids all contact. Can the power of their love stand up against such a longstanding history of hatred?
Oliver Twist is a penniless orphan. What chance has he got on the dangerous streets of 19th century London? Before long, he's taken in by a gang of thieves. The boy's future looks grim indeed, until a few kindly souls enter the picture.
Dale Curtis, the rookie on the Jackson Eagles basketball team, struggles between his commitment to the team and loyalty to his ex-con brother.
Wallace, having messed up at his old school, is determined not to give up basketball, but he worries that bullies are going to interfere with his second shot at success. The plot contains profanity and drug use.
Kim and her best friend Fran are both interested in a new boy at school, but they don't realize that it's the same boy! Kim figures it out first, and has to decide if she is willing to risk her friendship with Fran.
Stella Connors has spent her whole life bouncing around from one town to the next, following the latest musician her mother has fallen in love with. She has always vowed she will never become a pathetic groupie like her mother, Viv. But then her best friend uploads a video of Stella singing a cover of her favorite band’s biggest hit. It goes viral, and suddenly Stella’s ideas about who she is and what she wants take a real hit. As a publicity stunt, the band’s manager asks Stella to perform with them when they come to town. Stella is thrilled and agrees immediately. Soon she finds herself in the spotlight, with everyone after her for interviews and photo ops. And unless she’s reading things wrong, she’s pretty sure the band’s lead singer has a thing for her. When she gets invited to go on the road with the band and perform in another concert, Stella forgets every bad thing she ever thought about being a groupie. After all, she’s nothing like her mother. She’s a star. Isn’t she?
Charlie's world comes crashing down when her fiancé leaves her for another woman. Then Aunt Della wins a trip for two to Rome. Maybe Italy can mend her broken heart? Or at least distract her from it—who needs romance when you have Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast? But with adventure come mishaps, and Charlie's trip seems to be full of them! In between the chaos and hijinks, will Charlie take another chance at love?
Nick was used to being good at everything. Hockey, football, track, they all came easy to him. Surfing was his latest passion. That is, until the accident. Now partially paralyzed, Nick is angry, depressed and getting far too fond of his prescription meds. But his frequent visits to his physiotherapist, a Syrian refugee, and a budding friendship with a partial amputee who has also experienced firsthand the horrors of war help him start to piece his life back together. A story about overcoming the odds and changing your life for the better.
Victorian England is riding high. People are so prosperous and smug they imagine themselves the masters of the universe. Then the unthinkable happens: England is attacked by Martians! Panic erupts as the countryside goes up in flames. Is there no way to stop the ghastly, machinelike creatures and their deadly heat rays?
On the brink of her freshman year at Tubman High, something clicked in Chelsea's mind. Shadrach rescued animals. And in a way, he saved kids by teaching them respect. Now she and her friends were rescuers by volunteering at the shelter. Jaris was a rescuer too. He was trying to save Sereeta's mom. And, maybe Maurice would have to rescue Athena from getting into trouble.
Abel Ruiz is coming into his own. He has plenty of friends, he has chosen a career path, and he has a loving girlfriend. But when Claudia dumps him for someone else, Abel is crushed and tries to keep his self-esteem from imploding.
The suspicions and accusations begin to fly around Tubman High when Marko is attacked with a baseball bat and left for dead.
Destini Fletcher hates Tubman High from day one. When Tyron Becker singles her out, Destini is thrilled to be a part of Tyron's crowd. But he corns her budding friendships with Alonee, Jaris, and Sami, and mocks her attempts to earn good grades. Do her excuses for Tyron's increasingly brutal behavior and bad attitude put her at risk?
Something very peculiar is going on at Baskerville Hall. The local people claim that the moor is haunted. But Sir Henry isn't satisfied with that explanation. So he calls on the great detective Sherlock Holmes. For a while, Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr. Watson are stumped. But only for a while. This book is an abridged version of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel in which detectives Holmes and Watson investigate the tale of a hound that haunts a family living by the lonely moors of Devonshire.
A jewelry store robber discovers the amazing abilities of the disabled young woman who witnessed his crime.
These high-interest novels feature characters in situations encountered by real-life teens everyday. The student body of Dawson High study hard, date, root for the home team, hold down part-time jobs, succeed and fail, just like most American teenagers. Characters are faced with tough choices- and must decide and react based on their principles. However, choices are complicated and learning to do the right thing is almost never easy. When opposing teams stay at the same motel, the coaches give the players strict rules to follow. Be polite and keep to yourselves. At first Rick appears to be cooperative, but Cole begins to question his actions. When Garrett goes missing, Rick acts strangely. What has he been up to?
Hester Prynne must be punished. Why won't she name her baby's father? The vengeful Puritans of Boston demand an answer. Can the new doctor in town unlock the mystery of the shameful secret? Hester's gentle pastor seems unable- or unwilling- to give her any help.
Jim and his friends have the treasure map but they're badly outnumbered. Do they have a chance against the bloodthirsty mutineers? Long John Silver says he's on Jim's side. But the one-legged old pirate is clever and wily-- and Jim's very life is at stake!
"The white bar can propel my Time Machine into the future," he explained. "The black bar can send it into the past." As the Time Traveler continues his amazing story, his friends become increasingly suspicious. They can't quite believe his wild story about the evil Morlocks and the beautiful Eloi. Would you believe it?
Searching for a sea monster, a scientist discovers an amazing underwater vessel. At first he's thrilled to be invited aboard the Nautilus. What changes his mind? He discovers that the mad captain plans to stay at sea forever.
The mysterious prisoner is called Marchiali- but is that his true name? And why has an innocent man been imprisoned for so long? The fabled three musketeers suspect a royal conspiracy. But there are deadly dangers in confronting the royal family. The musketeers could be killed- and poor Marchiali could end up wearing an iron mask!
The Civil War battlefields are nothing like Henry Fleming had imagined them to be. Isn't it the duty of every living creature to save its own life? Yet Henry is afraid to return to his regiment. His comrades are sure to sneer at his cowardice.
