Del plays striker on his high school soccer team, the Cardinals, and they’ve gone almost three seasons undefeated. To Del, it’s just a game, but some of the players think winning is all that matters. When an ugly tackle results in a major loss for the Cardinals against their main rival, the Rebels, things get heated between the teams. That night, one of Del’s teammates has his ankle broken by an unknown assailant, leaving him unable to take part in the playoffs. As Del tries to figure out which of the Rebels’ players is responsible for the attack, his coach brings in a substitute player, and he’s actually really good. Is it just a coincidence, or did someone finally take the above all else mentality too far?
Sam Campbell's school team, the Laggan Lairds, always loses. When someone suggests that their name be the Laggan Lard Butts, Sam thinks the team should change its name. What is a Laird anyway? The basketball coach agrees, and soon the whole school is involved in an election for a new team name. Sam and his friends nominate the name Lard Butts. When the basketball team starts winning games after a warm-up cheer of "Go Lard Butts!" it seems the Lard Butt campaign might actually win the election.
Marta is an outsider at school. Partly because she chooses to be. With parents who were once farm workers, she was used to moving a lot. It was hard to make friends. Though now the family is settled, trouble seems to follow her. To escape, she draws. Her art teacher thinks she has a gift. He signs her up for a program in another city. As she leaves behind the drama back home, she encounters other places, people, and events that are just as dramatic and even dangerous. Her drawings seem to be responsible.
Marlon Moore is part of Walden Lane Middle School’s buddy program. The popular program helps new kids adapt to the school by pairing them up with a buddy. The buddy’s job is to help new students by introducing them to friends and showing them around the campus. Marlon takes his job seriously. New kid Robert seems like a cool guy and fits in well with Marlon’s crew. But Marlon learns quickly that Robert is a thief. First he steals some food from the local 7-Eleven. The boys think it’s a fluke. But then Robert steals from WowTech, a gaming and electronics store. He puts an old PSP into Marlon’s backpack, and he steals a high-tech smartphone for himself. Marlon wants to ghost his new buddy, but his sister, Ashley, convinces him that Robert is worth saving. 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.
Someone has tagged the science building at Walden Lane High School. Ashley Moore is upset. School is supposed to be a safe place, and now she no longer feels safe. Students from the Key Club decide an act of community service is in order. The students organize and repaint the tagged wall during their lunch break and after school. They plan a fundraiser to pay for new glass for the painted windows. Kayla Flores agrees to paint after senior class president Alex Torres says he'll give her a signed program from Wicked. When Ashley gets the program from Alex's trunk, she finds cans of spray paint in the same color used to tag the school. Why would a star student on a full ride to USC wreck the school? Ashley is stunned and angry. After her confrontation with Alex, she questions her compassion and rigidity. Will Alex do the right thing? What, exactly, is the right thing to do? 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.
Marlon and Steve are going camping with their dads in the rural mountain town of Dry Oak. To Marlon's disappointment, there is no cell service at the campsite. What will he do without his phone? Marlon and Steve are playing a new video game from the creator of Clan Castles, and it's rad. Now the online players will be ahead of him. Whatever! The trip is only for three days. Marlon helps with the tent. He goes fishing. The camp food is actually good. But he wants more adventure and excitement, so he convinces Steve to go on a night hike. There are no lights on their trail, and it's darn cold. The boys get more than they expect when they get lost. When they spy a house in the woods, all Marlon can think of is a horror movie. And he takes off when he hears a terrifying sound, thinking his buddy is right behind him. But Steve has gone into the house! 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.
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.
Since moving hundreds of miles to a new school, Daria has become increasingly dependent on her cell phone. Texts, Facebook and phone calls are her only connection to her friends in Calgary, and Daria needs to know everything that is going on at home to feel connected to her old life. Her cell phone habit looks a lot like addiction to her mother and to her new friend Cleo. Daria dismisses the idea of technology addiction as foolish until her habit puts a life in danger.
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.
People have been decorating their bodies for thousands of years. Get the facts about tattoos, body piercing, and more. Then read "Death by Arsenic," a story about what happens when you start believing the ads.
There are trees that walk, statues that accuse, and white-faced ticket-takers with gentle names like Dave that send people on very long journeys. These stories are short, creepy, and perfect for reading around a campfire when the sky is full of stars.
Ten-year-old Bilal liked his life back home in Pakistan. He was a star on his cricket team. But when his father suddenly sends the family to live with their aunt and uncle in America, nothing is familiar. While Bilal tries to keep up with his cousin Jalaal by joining a baseball league and practicing his English, he wonders when his father will join the family in Virginia. Maybe if Bilal can prove himself on the pitcher’s mound, his father will make it to see him play. But playing baseball means navigating relation-ships with the guys, and with Jordan, the only girl on the team—the player no one but Bilal wants to be friends with. A sensitive and endearing contemporary novel about family, friends, and assimilation.
An action-packed, contemporary novel about surviving in the wilderness. Thirteen-year-old Karma is desperate to become a certified falconer. At her dad's bird education center, she helps give demonstrations to guests and can fly the birds. But when her favorite rescued falcon, Stark, hurts Karma, her parents insist that they return the bird to its previous owner -- in Canada. On the way to bring Stark back, a car accident in the middle of nowhere leaves Karma's dad trapped, and it's up to Karma to find a way to rescue him and her younger brother. When Karma loses her way trying to get help, she crosses paths with Cooper, a troubled teenaged boy. Lost for three days, the two figure out how to survive, and Karma teaches Stark to hunt like an actual bird of prey. Karma may be closer than she thinks to becoming a real falconer and having a real friend.
Justin is fascinated with the aged guard dog at the corner store. He names it Smokey and sneaks the dog treats. Smokey belongs to a company that supplies working dogs to local businesses. Justin is thrilled to get a job working for Smokey's company, until he learns about the mistreatment of the animals. When Justin can't shake his suspicion that someone in the company is involved in a rash of thefts, he tries to quit. But Justin knows too much, and his boss won't let him go.
For as long as he can remember, Matt has wanted to play basketball. Now, as he tries out for the team at his new middle school, he realizes that the easy days of elementary ball are over and that this is a much more serious game. Dealing with a hard-driving coach, competitive teammates and his own insecurities in a new school, Matt needs to call on all his skills, both on and off the court, to make the team and keep his head above water. When he is involved, albeit unwittingly, in tagging a store with racist graffiti, Matt finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for. And when he fights back against an aggressive teammate and is threatened with suspension from the team, he learns that it is not only game-time decisions that count, but also the choices made after the crowd has gone home and the gym is silent.
Max knows his mom can't afford to send him to summer camp. But he really, really wants to go. He needs a break from looking after his autistic brother, Duncan. And from his mom's new boyfriend. He is surprised when his mom says that he can go after all. But there's a catch. There are spots available at the camp for families with special needs. A grant would cover Duncan's fees, and Max could attend at no charge. If he goes as Duncan's escort. This is the second story featuring Max and Duncan after Maxed Out.
Sam and Annabel are on vacation with Annabel's parents in Italy. While visiting the small hilltop town of Civita, they hear rumors of looted gold from World War II buried somewhere in the town's network of underground tunnels and caves. Once again the two friends cross paths with their old nemesis, Humphrey Battleford, but he is not the only one in pursuit of the gold. An intimidating man named Kurt, the grandson of a ruthless Nazi, is also snooping around. After Annabel is kidnapped, Sam must solve the mystery of the hidden treasure to save his friend. This is the fourth mystery featuring Sam and Annabel, after Stolen, Bones and Lost.
In 1930 nine-year-old Miriam travels by train from Brooklyn to her grandparents' farm in upstate New York. Her grandparents are kind, generous people, but they aren't exactly ideal playmates for a lonely girl. When Miriam is not doing homework in the kitchen with Bubby or helping prepare meals for the migrant workers that Zayde hires to help out on the farm, she plays with the barn kittens born just before she arrived. Those kittens are her only friends, until the day Miriam discovers a young girl hiding in the barn. Cissy and her brother, Joe, who's one of Zayde's farm hands, are on the run from an abusive uncle back in Mississippi. Miriam and Cissy hit it off immediately. But their friendship is tested when Miriam is forced to choose between keeping a promise and doing the right thing.
More than anything, twelve-year-old Max wants to play hockey like he used to. But since the death of his dad, his mom does more crying than mothering, and Max has to take his special-needs brother, Duncan, with him everywhere he goes. The team needs Max to win the upcoming game against the Red Eagles, but one practice with Duncan makes it evident that it's not safe to leave him unattended on the sidelines. With only a week to figure out how he can play in the big game, Max is feeling the pressure. Will he find a way to be a good teammate, a good brother and a good son, or is it too much for one kid?
When Renata is chosen to play the lead role in the school musical, students who used to ignore her start saying hello and congratulating her in the hall. She is happy until it becomes evident that Karin, a wealthy girl who expected to get the lead role, will go to great lengths to ruin Renata's reputation.
In the shadows lurking between midnight and morning, the imagination reigns. Real and imagined become simply words with shifting boundaries and slippery definitions.
For as far back as Kyle can remember, he spent summers at Gram's cottage on the lake--fishing all day, and hanging out with the whole family. But this year is different. His father has moved out, his grandmother has died, and his mother is selling the cottage because they can't afford the upkeep. Sally Derby takes readers to a small lake in 1970s Michigan, where thirteen-year-old Kyle comes to understand that loss isn't forever, and that people are more complicated than they seem.
