The Farewell meets Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly in this empowering middle grade memoir from debut author Waka T. Brown, who takes readers on a journey to 1980s Japan, where she was sent as a child to reconnect to her family’s roots.
When twelve-year-old Waka’s parents suspect she can’t understand the basic Japanese they speak to her, they make a drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been her summer vacation, Waka is plucked from her straight-A-student life in rural Kansas and flown across the globe, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime.
In Japan, Waka struggles with reading and writing in kanji, doesn’t quite mesh with her complicated and distant Obaasama, and gets made fun of by the students in her Japanese public-school classes. Even though this is the country her parents came from, Waka has never felt more like an outsider.
If she’s always been the “smart Japanese girl” in America but is now the “dumb foreigner” in Japan, where is home...and who will Waka be when she finds it?
It's Maddy's turn to have a bayou summer. At first she misses life back home in the city, but soon she grows to love everything about her new surroundings -- the glimmering fireflies, the glorious landscape, and something else, deep within the water, that only Maddy sees. Could it be a mermaid? As her grandmother shares wisdom about sayings and signs, Maddy realizes she may be only the sibling to carry on her family's magical legacy. And when a disastrous oil leak threatens the bayou, she knows she may also be the only one who can help. Does she have what it takes to be a hero?
A coming-of-age tale rich with folk magic, set in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, "Bayou Magic "celebrates hope, friendship, and family, and captures the wonder of life in the Deep South.
Finn McAllister was a normal middle school nerd--now he's a ghost with a big mystery to solve
One minute, Finn was biking home from school, and the next, he was run off the road by a maniac in a big van. Now, he's a ghost. He can do lots of fun things, like try every ice cream flavor in the store, sneak up on people, and play as many video games as he wants. Finn even has a new ghost friend, Isabella, to show him the ropes. But he also has a lot of BIG questions, like: who wanted him dead? And can he stop the maniac from striking again?
Packed with hilarious moments, epic friendships, and fun art, Best Nerds Forever celebrates the nerd in each of us and the joy of living life to its fullest.
In the next thrilling installment in Gordon Korman's nonstop action-adventure trilogy everyone from the FBI to her brother is searching for the kidnapped Meg Falconer.
In this stand-alone follow-up to Sarah Weeks's beloved So B. It, a girl who the world might see as weird finds her footing and stands her ground.
All her life, Aurora has heard stories about Heidi and all the good luck she brought Aurora's family. Aurora, though, doesn't feel very lucky. The kids at school think she's weird. And she's starting to think her mom thinks she's weird, too. Especially compared to Heidi.
On the eve of a visit from Heidi, more bad luck hits Aurora's family. There's a fire in their attic, destroying a good part of their house. And, even worse, Aurora's beloved dog goes missing. Aurora and her family have always believed in soof -- Heidi's mom's word for love. But sometimes even when soof is right there in front of you, you still need to find it -- and that's exactly what Aurora is going to do.
New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop captures the middle-school experience -- from the hurt to the hope -- in this powerful story of creativity in the face of cruelty.
Life for 12-year-old Ked Eakins isn't easy. The school bully is after him, a lump on his back makes him a social outcast, and his dad has gambled away their rent money.
Though it seems like he should just give up, Ked determines it's time to take his life back. He hatches a scheme to make enough money to save their home: He's going to rebuild an old motor bike and sell it at a profit. But the plan is a gamble of his own, and what seemed like a good idea quickly lands him in deeper trouble.
Ked has his determination and creativity, however, and the school's Maker Space provides him with a place to build. Can Ked and the other Makers save his family from going under?
This underdog tale about a unique middle schooler is Michael Northrop at his gritty, gripping, unflinching best. It is a powerful portrait of a failing factory town and the families who are being dragged down with it. Ultimately, On Thin Ice is about daring to create when your whole world is crumbling.
A hilarious, snarky, and utterly addicting #ownvoices debut that explores friendship, sexual orientation, mental health, and falling in love (even if things might be falling apart around you).
When a guy named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II texts you, it should be obvious who you're talking to. Except there's two of them (it's a long story), and Haley thinks she's talking to the one she doesn't hate.
A question about a class project rapidly evolves into an all-consuming conversation. Haley finds that Martin is actually willing to listen to her weird facts and unusual obsessions, and Martin feels like Haley is the first person to really see who he is. Haley and Martin might be too awkward to hang out in real life, but over text, they're becoming addicted to each other.
There's just one problem: Haley doesn't know who Martin is. And Martin doesn't know that Haley doesn't know. But they better figure it out fast before their meet-cute becomes an epic meet-disaster . . .
Mix together a used food truck, a road trip that doesn't exactly go as planned, and a lot of pie, and you have the recipe for this sweet middle grade series starter brimming with humor, heart, and a family you'll fall in love with.
Sweet summer has taken a rotten turn . . .
After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects. Herb wants to swim every day.
Then their dad makes a big announcement: one of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they're millionaires!
But Dad has bigger plans than blowing the cash on fun stuff or investing it. He's bought a used food truck. The Peaches are going to spend the summer traveling the country selling pies. It will be the Great Peach Experiment-a summer of bonding while living out one of Mom's dreams. And there's one more issue Dad's neglected: none of them knows how to bake . . .
A perfect blend of humor, heart, and family antics, When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie is a delectable treat to be gobbled down or savored slowly. (Slice of pie on the side highly recommended.)
"My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek."MODEL MISFIT is the sequel to award-winning No. 1 UK debut GEEK GIRL.Harriet Manners knows a lot of facts.She knows that humans have 70,000 thoughts per day.She knows that Geek + Model = a whole new set of graffiti on your belongings.And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.But Harriet doesn't know where she's going to fit in once the new baby arrives. And with her summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get away.Can Harriet cope with the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother's 'chaperoning'. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes?Will geek girl find her place on the other side of the world?The sequel to the award-winning debut GEEK GIRL.
From the author of the unforgettable bestseller TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER comes another surprising, beautiful and funny novel about a child who, by disappearing, will write herself into your heart forever...Turning invisible at will: it's one way of curing your acne. But far more drastic than 13 year-old Ethel Leatherhead intended when she tried a combination of untested medicines and a sunbed.
It's fun at first, being invisible. And aided by her friend Boydy, she manages to keep her extraordinary ability secret. Or does she...?When one day the invisibility fails to wear off, Ethel is thrown into a nightmare of lies and deception as she struggles to keep herself safe, to find the remedy that will make her seen again - and solve the mystery of her own birth...
