"Can good girls read banned books?
Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. After all, rules are there for a reason … right? And adults always know best.
Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, Talia—who does what she wants, when she wants—is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend.
So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that Talia recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of. When Talia suggests they start a banned books club, how can Rose say no?
Pushing against her parents, her school, and even Charlotte opens a new world for Rose.
But when Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.
“Book banning is the catalyst for this powerful story about friendship, identity, and self-discovery. Through her engaging and complex middle school characters, Young deftly tackles how to bridge the divisions that can tear us apart while still standing up for what we believe.”—KATHERINE MARSH, National Book
Award finalist for The Lost Year"
"Marianne Blume has always known she's not smart.
After years of trying and trying at school, Marianne has mastered the art of getting by on luck, deflection, and her winning personality—that is, until she lands in Mr. Garcia’s class. Suddenly she’s at risk of flunking math, repeating the eighth grade, and being left behind by her best friend, Skyla.
To receive much-needed extra credit and get into high school, Marianne makes the desperate decision to join her school’s Quiz Quest team, only to find out they have problems of their own … and that they need to win the state championships for her to get the credit.
Now Marianne will need to believe she can succeed—like, truly believe it for the first time in her life—while also helping her teammates pull it together. Can Marianne learn to be smart? What does it mean to be “bright,” anyway? And will she be left in eighth grade forever?
Brigit Young (The Prettiest) has written an empowering story about bucking labels, overcoming preconceptions, and learning to hold your head—and hand—up high."
"THE PRETTIEST: It’s the last thing Eve Hoffman expected to be, the only thing Sophie Kane knew
she could be, and the one thing Nessa Flores-Brady never wanted to be … until a list appears online,
ranking the top fifty prettiest girls in the eighth grade.
And the list turns everything upside down.
Bookish Eve, ranked number one, can’t ignore how everyone is suddenly talking about her looks—and
her body. Sophie, the most popular girl in school, feels lower than ever when she’s bullied for being
number two. Theater star Nessa didn’t even make the list, but she doesn’t care. Or does she?
It’s time for a takedown. The three girls band together to find out who wrote the list, but their journey
from unlikely vigilantes to fiercely loyal friends doesn’t lead them exactly where they expect"
"Quiet outsider Tillie is known around school for using her camera to find lost things, but when a boy named Jake needs help finding his dad, Tillie faces her biggest challenge yet. Ever since Tillie Green's car accident left her with a severe limp, she's kept herself hidden behind her camera. Through the lens, she watches her family and classmates, spotting the small details and secret glances that tell a much bigger story than what people usually see. Students call her 'Lost and Found,' because her camera knows when you last had your headphones. Tillie is good at finding things, but she isn't prepared for Jake's request: to find his father. In a matter of days, Tillie goes from silent observer to one half of a detective duo, searching the college-town community for clues to explain Jake's dad's disappearance. When the truth isn't what Jake wants it to be, and taking photographs starts exposing people's secrets, Tillie has to decide what (and who) is truly important to her."
