Capital Central High School students Marley and Hector want a better life beyond their northeast D.C. neighborhood. So they study hard, taking extra classes at Tech to get ahead. Book 4 in the Cap Central series continues to explore the broad challenges facing urban schools, including crime, poverty, and encroaching gentrification.
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. It's time to elect a new class president. Cory and Eli quickly enter the race, although Jazz and Key aren't so sure that either of them would make a good president. After Jazz agrees to vote for his friend, Cory, he realizes he would like to run himself. Will Jazz turn out to be Cory's friend or foe?
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. Drake and Noah didn't want to go on Mr. Zane's field trip to the gardens. At first, they seem to be in luck because the permission slips go missing. Then someone calls the bus company on Mr. Zane's behalf-twice. Is the field trip canceled? Did Drake take the permission slips and make the calls, or did someone else?
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. 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?
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. During rehearsal, someone wearing a clown costume is seen next to the ticket money box. Soon, Mrs. Scott realizes that the money is missing. Did the clown take it? Did someone else? Logan's dream of being the star fades, as many at Carter High believe he took the ticket money. Can he prove that there was more than one person in a clown costume that day?
Carter High is a typical high school. The students of Carter attend classes, participate in sports and drama, cram for exams, and go on field trips. Just one day before the Carter High art show, Paige can't find her painting. She remembers putting it in room 19, or did she? Will Paige find her painting in time to enter it in the art show?
It was decided; survival was key. Ryan, Michael, and Henry would return to the outside. So they headed north toward LoDo and the richer suburbs, like Cherry Hills Village. Ryan splintered from the group, hoping for more success. He found Jesska. She had a secret. Who else could possibly know?
The pitching machine hurled the first pitch. It was just like at the cages. Carlos was comfortable. He lifted his left leg slightly. Then he turned his hips to the ball. He swung the bat. Crack!
Terrance thought about football. He was sore from practice. That was good. Coach Fisher said his blocks were better. He'd get to play in the game! Coach was right about football. You've got to have something to work for. It makes you work at everything.
Dale Curtis, the rookie on the Jackson Eagles basketball team, struggles between his commitment to the team and loyalty to his ex-con brother.
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.
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?
Paris is worried that Max isn't really visiting his grandparents. She thinks he's dating another girl. Instead of asking Max her real question, Paris takes her cousin's advice and accepts a date with Blake. After all, if Max can date someone behind her back, why can't she? Besides, no one will know her at the Wayfield homecoming game... or will they?
Ronette Bradley. Good on standardized tests, a mess on her report cards. With high school over, and her boyfriend going away to college, she is stuck cleaning hotel rooms. Until one fateful telephone call changes everything. Book 2 in the series.
Its a funny thing about time. The proverb, Time heals all wounds, is true to some extent. But Jayson still hurts. Maybe Ronette doesn't want time to heal this wound. It feels better fresh. Jayson thought shed change her mind over break. But Ronette is firm. Shes alone, finally. Except shes not. Hey, Houseman girl. This brother has the warmest, friendliest face Ronette has ever seen. The rest, as they say, is history. Book 4 in the series.
Harriet Tubman HS - Kevin had been talking about how much he wanted some real money, and that he'd do almost anything to get it. Jaris could sympathize with Kevin wanting to help his grandparents out, but wanting--needing--money that desperately was dangerous. It led to getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. Jaris always thought Cory Yates had drug connections in Los Angeles. He was a two-bit hustler, and he spent way too much time hanging around high schools.
The students of Carter High return for their senior year. These books continue the stories from Carter High Chronicles and introduce new characters. Topics are involving and pertinent to young adult readers: romance, sports, friendships, exams, work, family. In just 48-pages, struggling readers can easily complete each novel. Starting your senior year at a new school is tough. Harder still when you can't hear some of what is said to you. Rick wanted the Carter High students to like him. He thought if they knew he wore a hearing aid, they wouldn't want to be his friends.
Just like prose, a novel in verse tells a story. But verse is unique because readers access the text through short chapters, or poems. The varying lengths of the chapters are ideal for a struggling reader, giving them breaks to collect their thoughts, to imagine the characters in their mind's eye, and to set the scene - like a frame in a movie. Like watching a movie frame by frame, we watch Lexi is come unglued in this novel in verse. She's alienated from school and family. Her father is in the county jail. She cannot connect with her chain-smoking stepmom. Her brother, Blaine, is trapped in his own autistic world. And her infant sister's death has sent her into a spiral of grief and rebellion. Bright, witty, and irreverent, Lexi tries to navigate the rocky transition from adolescent to young woman. Winner of the 2014 Gold Moonbeam Award.
Capital Central High School, or Cap Central as the students like to call it, is in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. Any urban school faces broad challenges, and Cap Central is no different. But some tight-knit juniors meet the difficulties head-on with courage, friendship, determination, and hard work. Rainie's grades were slipping. Good grades were a lifetime ago. Back when her dad was around. Before her moms boyfriend started hanging out at their house. Commenting on her figure. Looking her up and down. Before she decided to stop eating. Become invisible. Her friends were alarmed, especially Joss. She knew times were tough for Rainie's family. But she felt like there was more going on. Something serious. And she was going to figure it out. Reading Level: 3.5. Interest Level: Young Adult
Capital Central High School, or Cap Central as the students like to call it, is in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. Any urban school faces broad challenges, and Cap Central is no different. But some tight-knit juniors meet the difficulties head-on with courage, friendship, determination, and hard work. Keshawn's life was about before and after. Before, Keshawn didn't have a computer. After, he helped his mom install software on their new computer. To monitor him. What a joke! It got him thinking. He could make money. So he offered his skills. Grades for cash. It was that simple. Only it wasn't. Then he realized Neecy was his way out. She needed good grades. But she wanted to earn them. Keshawn knew she would make it right. Fingers crossed.
Capital Central High School, or Cap Central as the students like to call it, is in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. Any urban school faces broad challenges, and Cap Central is no different. But some tight-knit juniors meet the difficulties head-on with courage, friendship, determination, and hard work. Jair hated being short. Back in middle school, he'd figured he hadn't hit his growth spurt. But now he was a junior at Cap Central. To compensate, he'd made sure everyone knew how tough he was. And every so often, he'd add to his reputation by punching someone. It had been a while since he had to school someone. But he knew that the new kid would get what was coming to him...
Brandi is smart and outgoing, but sometimes insecure and gullible. Marisa is graceful and articulate, but often too driven. Shane is a natural leader with a lot of spirit, but rebellious and headstrong. The girls have been inseparable since middle school. But now they are playing in the big leagues, and it's time to grow up and start thinking about the future. And Port City, Texas, is not all that. High school drama has a way of solidifying or destroying friendships. Will they stay tight or get swallowed up by Port City High? Or will they go from freshman to senior year and beyond remaining the best of friends? Book 3 in the series.
