Book picks similar to
Marci's Secret Book of Dating by Jan Gelman


young-adult
junior-high
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read-when-younger

The Quartzsite Trip


William Hogan - 1980
    Cooper led thirty-six high school seniors on a spring vacation jaunt from Los Angeles to the desert near Quartzsite, Arizona. No student could earn the privilege of going on the Quartzsite Trip; it was given, and P.J. Cooper gave it. No activities were planned; they happened, and P.J. Cooper made them happen. What few rules there were were also P.J.'s and he enforced them with a whim of iron. In William Hogan's utterly delightful novel, the Quartzsite Trip turns out to be an utterly memorable experience.Here, the lion lies down with the lamb, the merciful find mercy, and the meek inherit the earth. Here, the tables are turned, and as they turn we meet a riotous and endearing cast of characters -- among them Deeter Moss, secret cowboy and closet Dodgers expert, who never talked to anybody before he went on the Quartzsite Trip; Margaret Ball, whose moonlit face displayed what pimples hid; Mary Allbright, who had a very secret fear and who, on the Quartzsite Trip, came up with a very secret plan to resolve it; and P.J. Cooper himself, the best teacher anyone ever had, who gave extra credit for Winnie the Pooh and The Catcher in the Rye and who discovered, in 1962, that the Great Equalizer makes rules too.[From the book jacket]

Gemini7


Jordan Cray - 1997
    When the dream girl he meets on the Internet shows up as a real person, Jonah watches his totally exciting other life turn into a nightmare.

Alex Rider: The Missions, #1-4


Anthony Horowitz - 2003
    Stormbreaker2. Point Blanc3. Skeleton Key4. Eagle Strike

A Private Collection


Kate Brian - 2007
    Includes the books Private, Invitation Only, Untouchable, and Confessions.

Defining Gravity


Genevieve Mckay - 2017
    He controls her weight, her friends, and even her career path. And he doesn’t approve of anyone in their family thinking for themselves. When one impulsive decision ends in disaster, Astrid is grounded for the summer, forced to put her archery career on hold and take a menial job cleaning stalls at a posh dressage barn. It takes a little horse named Quarry and a quirky cast of characters to banish Astrid's unhappiness and show her that she is worth something. But when her father steps in, once again, everything Astrid has grown to love is threatened.

Essence of Ra


Bonnie Humbarger Lamer - 2010
    She is becoming stronger and faster and even the elements seem to bend to her will. In the midst of these changes, she meets Josh Klein and she experiences a love that has waited thousands of years to rise again but will she be able to learn to control her new abilities before she ends up hurting, or even killing, him? Look for Exposed, the second book in the Eliana Brennan series coming soon!

The Spy School Collection: Spy School; Spy Camp; Evil Spy School


Stuart Gibbs - 2016
    But as soon as he gets on campus, Ben finds out that Spy School is way more deadly than debonair. And given his total lack of coordination and failure to grasp even the most basic spying skills, Ben begins to wonder what he’s doing here in the first place.Luckily, through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he could actually become a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!Ideal for newcomers to the series and loyal fans alike, this collection includes paperback editions of Spy School, Spy Camp, and Evil Spy School.

Invisible World


Suzanne Weyn - 2012
    She is descended from midwives, mind readers, and a fortune-teller who was put to death because she foresaw the death of Mary, Queen of Scots. She can hear people's thoughts and sometimes see what they see. She has supernatural gifts, but not evil ones. When Elsabeth sails with her sister, father, and governess to America, however, she does not foresee that their ship will be wrecked in a storm. Alone for the first time in her life, she washes up on a South Carolina plantation, where she falls in love with a boy she meets there and learns magic and healing from an unexpected source. As her powers grow, her stay is cut short, and she is sent as a servant to Salem, Massachusetts. There she accidentally allows an evil spirit to enter the village. When a group of girls start to say they're bewitched and accuse villagers of witchcraft, Elsabeth must find some way to save herself and the boy she loves.

Hello, I Must Be Going


Christie Hodgen - 2006
    Frankie's neighborhood, in a down-at-the-heels industrial city near Boston, has had its own happier times. Left behind along with Frankie are her mother, Gerrie, a waitress at Friendly's, and a sweetly innocent younger brother, Teddy.Soon, Frankie decides not to talk, resisting the overly ebullient school psychologist, and comforting herself by drawing cartoons. Gerri, now chain-smoking and addicted to television—Doris Day! Rock Hudson!—wears an imaginary charm bracelet of disappointments. The once-adorable Teddy runs wild and is frequently summoned to the principal's office.Finally, with some unlikely help, Frankie understands the possibility of growing beyond grief. Balancing perfectly between funny and sad, this poignant novel is about the tenacity of ghosts and the stubbornness of love.

Along the Indigo


Elsie Chapman - 2018
    Marsden is desperate to escape the “bed-and-breakfast” where her mother works as a prostitute—and where her own fate has been decided—and she wants to give her little sister a better life. But escape means money, which leads Mars to skimming the bodies that show up along the Indigo River. It’s there that she runs into Jude, who has secrets of his own and whose brother’s suicide may be linked to Mars’s own sordid family history. As they grow closer, the two unearth secrets that could allow them to move forward . . . or chain them to the Indigo forever.

A Candidate for Murder


Joan Lowery Nixon - 1991
    "Nixon is back doing the kind of book  she does best... an inviting read." -- Booklist

The Madolescents


Chrissie Glazebrook - 2001
    Holed up with her mum in a Newcastle suburb and living on a steady diet of Bailey’s and chips, Rowena fantasizes about her absent dad and plans her own funeral music. But when she embarks on an energetic campaign to eliminate her mother’s new boyfriend, Bernard “Filthy” Luker, Rowena starts to lose her slippery grip on reality and is packed off to a teenage therapy group. Meet the Madolescents.

Goodnight Kiss


R.L. Stine - 1997
    April is lured away from Matt when a vampire controls her -- hypnotizes her with his strange, intoxicating kisses. Now Matt must save April, before she gets her final goodnight kiss. Goodnight Kiss 2 Bill has been to Sandy Hollow before. This summer, he's returning to the little resort town -- but not for fun in the sun. He is searching for creatures of the night -- the vampires who prey on the tourists there. Billy's girlfriend was one of those tourists -- until the vampires killed her. Now Billy has vowed to destroy them all -- even if he must join them trying. Plus a new vampire story by R.L. Stine: The Vampire Club. Pete Kelly has left Fear Street and come to a new school -- Forest Grove High -- so he's eager to make friends. Then he meets Nan Garner, a gorgeous girl who invites him to join a club. Sounds good, Pete thinks. Until he discovers the club's terrible secret. And their plan to make him a permanent member.

The Last Cheerleader


Meg O'Brien - 2003
    literary agent Mary Beth Conaghan finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. At the same time, her high school friend, Lindy, shows up. Lindy was everything Mary Beth was not--a cheerleader who later married Roger Van Court, the wealthiest boy in school. But now, turned out by her husband, Lindy is living on the streets without access to her only child. Mary Beth can't turn her old friend away. But almost immediately, the women find themselves in more danger than they ever would have imagined.

A Trial of Words and Worth: a fairytale retelling


Amity Thompson - 2021
    The word echoes daily in Emi of Stagmount's mind. Never a failure. Never a success. Not good enough by far to lead her humble mountain realm.All changes as Emi tends a handsome, foreign stranger mauled by an unworldly monster. After exhausting her meager healing abilities, Emi tells him a story of magic, hope, and truth... And he wakes.Little does Emi know, her words contain magic as fantastic as the eldertales she grew up loving. But to earn a happily ever after, she must first find the bravery to speak.Experience wonder and enchantment in this standalone fairytale retelling by Amity Thompson. If you enjoy imaginative tales with loyal friendship, clean romance, and a mysterious foe, A Trial of Words and Worth will delight.*Loosely based on the Grimm’s tale, The Twelve HuntsmenNo profanity or sex