Sophie Anderson

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Minnesota

All 12-year-old Marinka wants is a friend. A real friend. Not like her house with chicken legs. Sure, the house can play games like tag and hide-and-seek, but Marinka longs for a human companion. Someone she can talk to and share secrets with.

But that's tough when your grandmother is a Yaga, a guardian who guides the dead into the afterlife. It's even harder when you live in a house that wanders all over the world . . . carrying you with it. Even worse, Marinka is being trained to be a Yaga. That means no school, no parties--and no playmates that stick around for more than a day.

So when Marinka stumbles across the chance to make a real friend, she breaks all the rules . . . with devastating consequences. Her beloved grandmother mysteriously disappears, and it's up to Marinka to find her--even if it means making a dangerous journey to the afterlife.

The House with Chicken Legs

864cb3d2-e906-4585-98f2-644c162b1c78-1

Dusti Bowling

Aven Green was born without arms--so when her dad takes a job running a dying western theme park in Arizona, she knows she'll become the center of unwanted attention at her new school. But she bonds with Connor, a classmate with his own disability to conquer. Then they discover a room at the park that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. Can Aven face her fears, solve a mystery, and help her friend, too?

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

210445b1-6844-49d6-944c-f259f515bdc7-1

Lisa Moore Ramée

From the author of A Good Kind of Trouble, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book, comes another unforgettable story about finding your voice--and finding your people. Perfect for fans of Sharon Draper, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds. Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn't have any friends--and she's just fine with that. She's so good at being invisible in school, it's almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. At home, Jenae has plenty of company, like her no-nonsense mama; her older brother, Malcolm, who is home from college after a basketball injury; and her beloved grandpa, Gee. Then a new student shows up at school--a boy named Aubrey with fiery red hair and a smile that won't quit. Jenae can't figure out why he keeps popping up everywhere she goes. The more she tries to push him away, the more he seems determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Jenae starts getting used to having him around. But when the two are paired up for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, Jenae knows this new friendship has an expiration date. Aubrey is desperate to win and earn a coveted spot on the debate team. There's just one problem: Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience--including risking the first real friendship she's ever had.

Something to Say

a577af33-342a-4677-9e32-82f6810ee372-1

Gary D. Schmidt

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns muchof value about the world he lives in.

The Wednesday Wars

5a658cf6-c1a3-47cd-9897-c13627bc1182-1

Celia C. Pérez

A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk comes the story of four kids who form an alternative Scout troop that shakes up their sleepy Florida town. *"Writing with wry restraint that's reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo... a beautiful tale." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up. Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn't love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn't know they needed: sisterhood.

Strange Birds

febb9125-20f5-477b-88da-a3f07f5fcc78-1

Becky Albertalli

Adam Silvera

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera reunite to continue the story of Arthur and Ben, the boys readers first fell for in the New York Times bestselling rom-com What If It's Us. Ben survived freshman year of college, but he's feeling more stuck than ever. His classes are a slog, his part-time job working with his father is even worse, and his best friend Dylan's been acting weird for weeks. Ben's only real bright spot is his writing partner Mario, who's been giving him a lot of Spanish lessons and even more kisses. Mario's big Hollywood dreams make Ben start to dream bigger--and the choices he makes now could be the key to reshaping his future. So why can't he stop thinking about a certain boy from his past? Arthur is back in New York City for the first time in two years, ready to take the theater world by a storm as the world's best . . . intern to the assistant of an off-off-Broadway director. Of course, it sucks to be spending the summer apart from his sweet, reliable boyfriend, Mikey, but he knows their relationship is strong enough to weather the distance. Which is why it's no big deal when his ex-boyfriend Ben stumbles back into the picture. And it's definitely fine that Ben's blissfully happy with some mystery boy. First loves are special, but it's way too late for what-ifs. Right? Even as the boys try to shake off the past, they keep running into each other in the present. Is this the universe trying to tell them there's a do-over in their future?

Here's to Us

6990776e-b8d2-409e-83ed-5d437e8e1d4f-1

Sophia Rossi

A Hello Giggles Novel

Best friends. BFFs. Soul twinsies. Whatever you want to call them, Harper and Lily were born to be besties. With high school just around the corner, casual-cool Cali girl Harper and awkward, always-costumed Lily make sure to text each other all day, every day about their bond.

Not even the threat of different high schools could throw this BFF-ship off course, even if Lily begs her parents not to send her to the 'dreaded Pathways,' a special school for creative types, while effortlessly popular Harper attends Beverly High with the rest of their class.

But in a city where fitting in means standing out and there's nothing more uncool than being cool, it's the naturally charismatic Harper - with her blond hair and perfect bone structure - who finds herself fighting the tide of American Appareled teens who rule the school. Meanwhile, it's the perpetually 'gawkward' Lily - who accessorizes every ensemble with a pair of tattered fair wings - who finds herself flying alongside the queen bees of Pathways. Can BFF-ship survive the tidal wave of HS drama, or does growing up mean leaving some friends behind?

A Tale of Two Besties

2e99bb53-745b-471d-9d7d-e49378cebb3b-1

Rob Buyea

Several students relate their experiences helping Mr. Terupt move the old classroom to the sixth grade annex during the summer vacation.

Mr. Terupt Falls Again

328b7df5-ad5c-45d4-9947-f59d372041d4-1

Julie Buxbaum

Lie. Cheat. Bribe. How far would you go to get into your dream school? How far would your parents go? Inspired by the recent college admissions scandal, this ripped-from-the-headlines novel sees one teenage girl's privileged world shatter when her family's lies are exposed.

It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer-she has it all-money, privilege, and a ticket to the college of her dreams. Or at least she did until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her B list celebrity mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal, and Chloe might be the next one facing charges. The public is furious, the headlines are brutal, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As everything she's taken for granted starts to slip away, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. How much did she really know-or guess? Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat? And what does it really mean to be complicit?

The New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country in this timely tale of the hyper elite and the hyper competitive, and the lengths they go to stay at the top.

Admission

ea543a31-4ae1-40aa-8fa4-3e96a1d00480-1

Lana Krumwiede

Losing his powers in a traumatic accident, twelve-year-old Taemon, a boy from a world where most people have telekinetic abilities, is exiled to a colony with fellow disabled people and comes to enjoy the community's acceptance and manual labors before encountering dangerous secrets.

Freakling

0f088100-ba96-4e78-b786-4ea4fab76531-1

Andrea Beatriz Arango

(Newbery Honor Award Winner)

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER * In this timely and moving novel in verse, a preteen girl navigates seventh grade while facing mental health challenges. A hopeful, poetic story about learning to advocate for the help and understanding you deserve.

"Powerful." --Lisa Fipps, Printz Honor-winning author of Starfish

How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening?

The end of elementary school?
Worst time of my life.
And the start of middle school?
I just wasn't quite right.
But this year?
YO VOY A MI.

Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz's year. She's going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school. . . .

Except is that what happens? Of course not. Because no matter how hard Iveliz tries, sometimes people say things that just make her so mad. And worse, Mimi keeps saying Iveliz's medicine is unnecessary--even though it helps Iveliz feel less sad. But how do you explain your feelings to others when you're not even sure what's going on yourself?

Powerful and compassionate, Andrea Beatriz Arango's debut navigates mental health, finding your voice, and discovering that those who really love you will stay by your side no matter what.

Iveliz Explains It All

e0914ca0-8a0a-4ec5-8dfa-00df7f84eb9c-1

Ann Braden

NPR Best Book of 2018, Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019, Named to the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher List, Maine's Student Book Award List, Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award List, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award 2020 List, 2020 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee, 2021 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee, 2020-2021 Truman Award (Missouri) Nominee, Middle School Virginia Readers' Choice Titles for 2020-2021 , Charlie May Simon Award 2020-2021 List, South Carolina Book Awards Nominee, 2020-2021, and 2023 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award nominee .

Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do.

Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend--they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom's relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?

This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus

af30d474-317e-4900-99a8-0577f45d5a74-1

Jody J. Little





A pitch-perfect story exploring the many meanings of family, Jody J. Little's tough yet tender debut is perfect for fans of Leslie Connor and Katherine Paterson.

After Pop is sent back to rehab, Jane Pengilly arrives at her newest foster home determined to stick to the straight and narrow and get back to her beloved dad as soon as she can. It's not the first time they've been apart, but Jane's determined it will be the last.

Twelve days out in the boonies of Three Boulders makes Jane miss Pop more than ever. But as the days go by, she realizes that family is more than who you're related to--and that a home can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Mostly the Honest Truth sparkles with a fully realized supporting cast, a safe and supporting setting, and a writer whose ability to imbue her stories with love and hope marks her an author to watch.

Mostly the Honest Truth

1e38c000-30ec-4e95-b2aa-af8cfb9fa5be-1

Ann Clare LeZotte

It is 1805 and Mary Lambert has always felt safe among the deaf community of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard where practically everyone communicates in a shared sign language, but recent events have shattered her life; her brother George has died, land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people are becoming increasingly bitter, and a "scientist" determined to discover the origins of the islands' widespread deafness has decided she makes the perfect "live specimen"--and kidnapped her.

Show Me a Sign

63bb505e-3d5f-45fd-82b4-d4680f5c2681-1

Diane Guerrero

Erica Moroz

One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope

Diane Guerrero, the star of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, presents her personal story in this middle-grade memoir about her parents' deportation and the nightmarish struggles of undocumented immigrants and their American children.

Before landing a spot on the megahit Netflix show Orange is the New Black; before wow-ing audiences as Lina on Jane the Virgin; and before her incredible activism and work on immigration reform, Diane Guerrero was a young girl living in Boston. One day, while Guerrero was at school, her undocumented immigrant parents were taken from their home, detained, and deported. Guerrero's life, which had been full of the support of a loving family, was turned upside down.

Reflective of the experiences of millions of undocumented immigrant families in the United States, Guerrero's story in My Family Divided, written with Erica Moroz, is at once heartbreaking and hopeful.

Praise for My Family Divided:

"This memoir's greatest strength is that it captures how life moves on even after a great loss. . .To read this book is to understand. . .how a child's resilience can be as heartbreaking as it is inspirational." --The New York Times Book Review

"Eminently accessible. . . This is a timely reminder that none of us lives in a vacuum and that deportation affects more than just the deportee." --Kirkus Reviews

My Family Divided

c79a5ccd-d65e-41e6-82ad-15830770592c-1

Tae Keller

(Newbery Medal Winner)

WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Some stories refuse to stay bottled up... When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger. Tae Keller, the award-winning author of The Science of Breakable Things, shares a sparkling tale about the power of stories and the magic of family. Think Walk Two Moons meets Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! "If stories were written in the stars ... this wondrous tale would be one of the brightest." --Booklist, Starred Review

When You Trap a Tiger

75227b3b-4c9d-4f49-82f7-41762b4f5c22-1

Julie Murphy





The first middle grade novel from Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin' (now a popular Netflix film), is a funny, heartwarming story perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Ali Benjamin, and Holly Goldberg Sloan. Four starred reviews!

Patricia "Sweet Pea" DiMarco wasn't sure what to expect when her parents announced they were getting a divorce. She never could have imagined that they would have the "brilliant" idea of living in nearly identical houses on the same street. In the one house between them lives their eccentric neighbor Miss Flora Mae, the famed local advice columnist behind "Miss Flora Mae I"

Dividing her time between two homes is not easy. And it doesn't help that at school, Sweet Pea is now sitting right next to her ex-best friend, Kiera, a daily reminder of the friendship that once was. Things might be unbearable if Sweet Pea didn't have Oscar--her new best friend--and her fifteen-pound cat, Cheese.

Then one day Flora leaves for a trip and asks Sweet Pea to forward her the letters for the column. And Sweet Pea happens to recognize the handwriting on one of the envelopes.

What she decides to do with that letter sets off a chain of events that will forever change the lives of Sweet Pea DiMarco, her family, and many of the readers of "Miss Flora Mae I"

Dear Sweet Pea

ee62bc85-7528-4389-b51d-8b6be5869b1c-1

Paula Chase





When best friends Tai and Mila are reunited after a summer apart, their friendship threatens to combust from the pressure of secrets, middle school, and the looming dance auditions for a new talented-and-gifted program.

Fans of Renée Watson's Piecing Me Together will love this memorable story about a complex friendship between two very different African American girls--and the importance of speaking up.

Jamila Phillips and Tai Johnson have been inseparable since they were toddlers, having grown up across the street from each other in Pirates Cove, a low-income housing project. As summer comes to an end, Tai can't wait for Mila to return from spending a month with her aunt in the suburbs. But both girls are grappling with secrets, and when Mila returns she's more focused on her upcoming dance auditions than hanging out with Tai.

Paula Chase explores complex issues that affect many young teens, and So Done offers a powerful message about speaking up. Full of ballet, basketball, family, and daily life in Pirates Cove, this memorable novel is for fans of Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Jason Reynolds's Ghost.

"Chase vividly conjures the triumphs, tensions, and worries percolating in the girls' low-income neighborhood." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")

So Done

d2a2b6a7-efd2-4202-8f04-b0dc43d6287c-1

What to Say Next

3c1615a0-8c7a-4373-b7c2-cd65353b40c1-1

Mariama J. Lockington

I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.Makeda June Kirkland is eleven-years-old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena--the only other adopted black girl she knows--for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda's sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can't seem to find one true friend. Through it all, Makeda can't help wondering: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.

For Black Girls Like Me

e47367b1-5941-4330-91fa-0ee7e2e9ae12-1

Jen Ferguson

In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person--and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She'll be working in her family's ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend--whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort--and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.

But when she gets a letter from her biological father--a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life--Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.

While King's friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family's business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can't ignore her father forever.

The Heartdrum imprint centers a wide range of intertribal voices, visions, and stories while welcoming all young readers, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

ea2520b8-3514-4859-aa19-bb8adf312948-1

Megan McDonald

In Acton, Oregon, sisters Alex, Stevie, and Joey take turns telling about their lives, including their long line of actor ancestors, creative family dinners, toe marshmallows, swearing in Shakespeare, and the Sisters Club.

The Sisters Club, Rule of three, Cloudy with a chance of boys 

9e8c109a-10a9-4639-8a4a-8c5180497702-1

Kazu Kibuishi

a Graphic Novel

When Emily and Navin's mother is kidnapped by a tentacle creature on the first night inside their new home, Emily and Navin must figure out how to set things right and save their mother's life.

Amulet The Stonekeeper

7a086fb0-7c02-4873-9fbe-2a29c05f4ce8-1

Abdi Nazemian

From the Stonewall Honor-winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare to challenge the status quo through their writing. Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Kathleen Glasgow, and Jandy Nelson, with crossover appeal for readers of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep. Beth Kramer is a "townie" who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there's more to that story. Amanda Priya "Spence" Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys' dorms. And Freddy Bello is the senior who's no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin. At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born--and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

Browse by categories

Sophie Anderson

The House with Chicken Legs

Dusti Bowling

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Lisa Moore Ramée

Something to Say

Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars

Celia C. Pérez

Strange Birds

Becky Albertalli; Adam Silvera

Here's to Us

Sophia Rossi

A Tale of Two Besties

Rob Buyea

Mr. Terupt Falls Again

Julie Buxbaum

Admission

Lana Krumwiede

Freakling

Andrea Beatriz Arango

Iveliz Explains It All

Ann Braden

The Benefits of Being an Octopus

Jody J. Little

Mostly the Honest Truth

Ann Clare LeZotte

Show Me a Sign

Diane Guerrero; Erica Moroz

My Family Divided

Tae Keller

When You Trap a Tiger

Julie Murphy

Dear Sweet Pea

Paula Chase

So Done

Julie Buxbaum

What to Say Next

Mariama J. Lockington

For Black Girls Like Me

Jen Ferguson

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Megan McDonald

The Sisters Club, Rule of three, Cloudy with a chance of boys

Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet The Stonekeeper

Abdi Nazemian

The Chandler Legacies

Get The App