The eighth graders at Walden Lange Middle School are super excited. They are going to outdoor education camp. Five days in the mountains with their friends. No siblings. No parents. No homework. Sure, it's school. But the kids will be studying nature. Marlon and his friends can't wait. On the way to camp, Marlon streams the news on his phone. He learns that there has been a prison break in a nearby town. But who cares? Arrow Pines is large. The chance of anything happening in the middle of nowhere is remote. Once they arrive at camp, everyone stows their gear and preps for a hike. But Marlon is a slowpoke. He and Steve miss the hike. While searching for their group, they come across an old cabin. It's a wreck. And who are those two bearded and dirty men hiding out inside? Oh no! The escaped prisoners! Walden Lane is a quintessential small city. And these chapter books describe a typical American family, with busy schedules and the usual problems. The series explores suburban life in a fun way, with topics appropriate for younger readers. These gentle reads are innocent, hopeful, and sometimes funny, with no unsettling surprises or storylines. Each book is 5,000 words (approx.) and 10 chapters.
High school freshman Robinson "Robin" Paige lives with his grandmother, Miz Paige, on the meanest street in the city. Miz Paige is his rock. Sly and Kaykay have been his buddies since forever. Smart, stoic, and loyal, Robin's life has been defined by loss. And he doesn't want another tragedy, so he lives afraid to stand or speak out. But then he gets pushed to the edge. Somehow, someway, he will get back at the Ninth Street Rangers...Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor takes on a whole new meaning--At the new auto repair business, Robin noticed a Lamborghini. He thought there'd be other cool cars in the alley behind the shop, but there was nothing, not even a garage door. Cars were going in. None were coming out. Book 3 in the series.
Trying to juggle his job at "Taste of Italy" along with writing papers for school and his graduation requirement to volunteer at the Golden Oaks Retirement Home, class clown Derrick uses humor to get the jobs done.
Through twenty-six letters to her friend Nina, twelve-year-old Kasey chronicles the often humorous observations and impressions of her unexpected, month-long stay in a geriatric ward for the treatment of a rare but treatable bone disease ("osteo-something-something-itis"). Kasey tries to make her life less dull by wearing her own nightgowns, surrounding herself with her favorite stuffies and developing an unusual exercise routine. Hospital food, insomnia and the germy communal bath are enduring sources of dread, but some new (and unexpected) friends make her life bearable.
Elle is on the road as an opening act for Johnny James, the biggest star in country music. Touring is everything she's ever dreamed of, but it has unexpected downsides: crazy fans, jealous backup singers, weird rules on the tour bus. But when something goes terribly wrong during a performance, Elle struggles to figure out how she can make things right with her fans, her father, her record company and with her friend Webb. True Blue continues the story that began in Billboard Express.
Fifteen-year-old Natalie is obsessed with ballet and plans to spend the entire summer in dance class with her two best friends. But when her mom gets a job out of town, Natalie gets shipped off to stay with cousins she barely knows. Natalie is thrilled when her cousins invite her to join them at the local dance studio. But it turns out it's not a ballet class; it's Irish dance. Skeptical at first, Natalie is surprised to learn she really enjoys the new dance style and agrees to take part in an upcoming competition. But this new passion could result in Natalie having to leave her ballet dreams behind.
Fourteen-year-old Ava is thrilled when she lands a part in a play based on the true story of orphans sent to Canada in the 1800s to work on farms. But is she good enough to hold her own in a professional production? As the rehearsal pressures crank up, Ava struggles with her character, with the vocal demands of outdoor theater and with the annoying ego of her castmate Kiefer. But as she learns more about the historical Lily on which her part is based, things begin to fall into place. Then one bad decision jeopardizes Ava's chances of being able to perform on opening night.
Sixteen-year-old Kat and her mom haven't seen much of each other since Kat's father died last year. Her mom has taken over the family trucking business and has been away a lot. She promised that Kat could join her on her next run, a journey across the frozen Manitoba lake known as the "winter road." But at the last minute she changes her mind. Kat, who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, stows away in the back of the semi instead. By the time her mother discovers her, it's too late to turn back.
Cody Smith and his family are new in a small town. When he reads an article about a local woman who collects antique carousel horses and was sold a fake, Cody wants to solve the mystery and find the crook.
The Galaxy Diner is a great place to hang out and looks just like a spaceship, but things really get interesting when a group of friends think they find a real spaceship in the woods.
A chance friendship with an elderly ex-magician helps Jared come to terms with the tensions in his own family.
Two boys harassed by a group of rowdy kids at school get their revenge when they stumble into the school custodian's cleaning closet and find something very unusual.
When Walter overhears a lord's murder, he must reveal the true killer before his innocent friend is convicted.
Kelly, one of a group of students with special needs chosen to participate in Dolphin Dives, finds her voice again after not speaking for three years when one of the animals is threatened by a very angry boy.
When Grady's family moves to a deserted island in the Florida Keys, the family finds more activity than expected as a hurricane comes their way.
T.J. can't believe it when he wins a trip to New York to be a contestant on Whiz Kid. Will he make his family proud?
Cody is involved in another mystery. When the cat keeps vanishing and a mysterious stranger is hanging around, Cody needs to do a little investigating to solve the case.
Cody finds himself in danger when he receives a note that warns him of bad luck on his big bike ride. He has to find out who's behind the note and why he is the target.
When Cody, his mom, and his friend Maria arrive in the Florida Keys to house-sit for their friend Sally West, they are warned about a kidnapper at large in the neighborhood who tried to abduct young Angela Gomez.
Transported accidentally back in time to a college campus in the South in 1931, Kenneth and Aleesa meet the young Langston Hughes on his poetry-reading tour and confront racism and threats to Hughes first-hand. What do they discover about the real power behind his words?
Cody and his friend Maria find themselves in the middle of several mysteries as they search for a missing emerald necklace.
Eighth-grader Derrick wants to be a stand-up comedian, but his football coach, his parents, Joe, his boss at Taste of Italy, his English teacher Dowling the Dragon, and his Mr. Perfect older brother Craig don't think he's so funny. When Derrick discovers he needs a B on an English paper to stay eligible for football, how can he tame his smart mouth to stay out of trouble?
A 12-year-old boy and his frisky horse experience many humorous trials and tribulations. The horse, Joker, means well, but seems to cause non-stop trouble.
While on detention for disrupting a science lesson, Kenneth and Aleesa are transported to 1939 where they try to protect the privacy and even the life of Albert Einstein as he struggles to decide whether he should help build an atomic bomb to stop Hitler. Can they stop the Nazis from getting the atom bomb first?
While spending the summer on his grandparents' Texas cotton farm, Michael sees a teenage boy on the other side of the Rio Grande in Mexico. He starts to write letters to Javier, and then helps him cross the river to come into the United States.
