Elfie Unperfect

Elfie Unperfect
Author: Kristin Mahoney
Publisher: Yearling
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2023-09-26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593175859

Perfectionist Elfie Oster learns the value of "unperfection," in this funny look at middle school life from the author of Annie's Life in Lists Elfie Oster was sure that Hampshire Academy was going to be the perfect school for her. She was sure about it right up to the minute she got expelled. On her first day. It was all a terrible misunderstanding, but until she can find a way to fix things, Elfie has to go back to Cottonwood Elementary for fifth grade. Where she's never really fit in. Or had friends. It is not a perfect situation. And then it gets worse. Her babysitter gets really sick. Her aunt and uncle aren't speaking. She's forced to do a group project involving an egg. . . . But sometimes when everything goes spectacularly wrong, you figure out what truly matters--and what doesn't. So really, this terrible, horrible, surprisingly hilarious year may just be the best thing that's ever happened to Elfie.

Annie's Life in Lists

Annie's Life in Lists
Author: Kristin Mahoney
Publisher: Yearling
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2020-06-23
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1524765120

For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of! Do you love Anastasia Krupnik, Ramona Quimby, and the Penderwicks? Then you will love Annie! Annie's a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her life in a new place. Annie has: 1. An incredible memory (really, it's almost photographic) that can get her in trouble. 2. A brother who is mad at her because he thinks she is the reason they had to move to Clover Gap, population 8,432. 4. A best friend who she is (almost) certain will always be her best friend. 5. New classmates, some of whom are nicer than others. 6. A rocky start finding her place in her new home. From the author of The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School, Annie's Life in Lists finds that even amid the chaos of everyday life, it's important to put things in order. "Perfect for anyone who's ever worried about starting a new school, saying the wrong thing, dying of embarrassment, or losing a best friend. I loved getting to know Annie through her lists!" --Kelly Jones, author of Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Horse Crazy

Horse Crazy
Author: Bonnie Bryant
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2012-09-26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0307824918

Carole Hanson and Stevie Lake have been best friends ever since they met at Pine Hollow Stables. So when Lisa Atwood joins their ridinggroup, the girls aren't sure she's got what it takes. Lisa may be the smartest student in the classroom, but she's got a lot to learn when it comes to horses. . . .

Ten Thousand Tries

Ten Thousand Tries
Author: Amy Makechnie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-07-13
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1534482296

Twelve-year-old Golden Maroni starts eighth grade determined to be master of his universe, but learns he cannot control everything on the soccer field, in his friendships, and especially in facing his father's incurable disease.

Carry Me Home

Carry Me Home
Author: Janet Fox
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2021-08-24
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1534485104

“A poignant and powerful reminder that homelessness is not hopelessness.” —Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor book Hattie Big Sky “A beautiful, haunting story… It carried my heart away with it.” —Ann Braden, author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus “A story about falling through the cracks and finding the light inside that darkness…Absorbing, moving, and deeply truthful.” —Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death Two sisters struggle to keep their father’s disappearance a secret in this tender middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Twelve-year-old Lulu and her younger sister, Serena, have a secret. As Daddy always says, “it’s best if we keep it to ourselves,” and so they have. But hiding your past is one thing. Hiding where you live—and that your Daddy has gone missing—is harder. At first Lulu isn’t worried. Daddy has gone away once before and he came back. But as the days add up, with no sign of Daddy, Lulu struggles to take care of all the responsibilities they used to manage as a family. Lulu knows that all it takes is one slip-up for their secret to come spilling out, for Lulu and Serena to be separated, and for all the good things that have been happening in school to be lost. But family is all around us, and Lulu must learn to trust her new friends and community to save those she loves and to finally find her true home.

Dear Student

Dear Student
Author: Elly Swartz
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2022-02-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593374126

When Autumn becomes the secret voice of the advice column in her middle school newspaper she is faced with a dilemma--can she give fair advice to everyone, including her friends, while keeping her identity a secret? Starting Middle School is rough for Autumn after her one and only BFF moves to California. Uncertain and anxious, she struggles to connect with her new classmates. The two potential friends she meets could not be more different: bold Logan who has big ideas and quiet Cooper who's a bit mysterious. But Autumn has a dilemma: what do you do when the new friends you make don't like each other? When Autumn is picked to be the secret voice of the Dear Student letters in the Hillview newspaper, she finds herself smack in the middle of a problem with Logan and Cooper on opposite sides. But before Autumn can figure out what to do, the unthinkable happens. Her secret identity as Dear Student is threatened. Now, it's time for Autumn to find her voice, her courage, and follow her heart, even when it's divided.

Mystery on Magnolia Circle

Mystery on Magnolia Circle
Author: Kate Klise
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1250756871

Rear Window meets Nancy Drew in this middle-grade novel by Kate Klise about a girl who believes she has witnessed a crime What happens when two best friends take on the world’s worst summer? On the first day of vacation, ten-year-old Ivy Crowden falls down the stairs and breaks her leg. Stuck in a plaster cast, she’s certain her summer is doomed. Not even Teddy, her neighbor and best friend, can cheer her up because he’s dealing with his own pain: the loss of a beloved dog. But when Ivy witnesses a possible burglary from her living room window, her summer takes a sudden turn from meh to mysterious. Who are the criminals? Might a classmate be involved? And . . . uh-oh. A second mystery is nipping at Ivy’s heels. Cue the best friends, the best dog, and the best chance that summer can be saved!

Part of Me Died, Too

Part of Me Died, Too
Author: Virginia Lynn Fry
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1995
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN:

Death may be a part of life, but it is a hard part. This important and moving book tells 11 true stories about young people, toddlers to teenagers, who have experienced the loss of family members or friends. Guided by a hospice counselor, these bereaved children used creative activities to bring their feelings out in the open. The creative strategies offered here will be of great value to readers struggling with the loss of a loved one.

Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen

Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen
Author: Kate McGovern
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1536218278

Maple is in fifth grade—again. Now everyone will find out she struggles with reading—or will they? An engaging read for anyone who has ever felt different. Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can’t read all that well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder—especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who’s half Indian and half Jewish like Maple herself—but words on the page just don’t seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple’s clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated—what will her friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher’s assistant (because of budget cuts, you know). But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up. Can Maple begin to recognize her own strengths, and to love herself—and her brain—just the way she is? Readers who have faced their own trials with school and friendships will enjoy this heartwarming story and its bright, creative heroine.

One-third Nerd

One-third Nerd
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2019
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1524718882

Ten-year-old Liam and his two younger sisters, precocious third-grader Dakota and second-grader Izzy, who has Down syndrome, face the possibility of losing their beloved dog, Cupcake, who keeps urinating on their apartment's carpet in this funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt story from the Newbery Honor-winning author of the Al Capone series. Illustrations.