On Monday morning, she puts Courtenay on the bus to school. That afternoon, Courtenay doesn't come home. She never made it to school that day. She's missing. The detectives looking for Courtenay have hardly any clues. Then Maggie starts getting threatening phone calls...and she thinks she's being followed. Whoever took Courtenay is after her, too. One thing's for sure: If the police don't find Courtenay soon, Maggie will be the next one missing.

    This year is no different. She sticks out like a sore thumb among the teenagers who have been summering (a verb only the very rich use) together for years. But Naomi finds herself captivated by her mysterious next-door neighbor, Jacinta. Jacinta has her own reason for drawing close to Naomi-to meet the beautiful and untouchable Delilah Fairweather. But Jacinta's carefully constructed world is hiding something huge, a secret that could undo everything. And Naomi must decide how far she is willing to be pulled into this web of lies and deception before she is unable to escape.Based on a beloved classic and steeped in Sara Benincasa's darkly comic voice, Great has all the drama, glitz, and romance with a terrific modern (and scandalous) twist to enthrall readers.

    At issue is a new species of blue butterflies that John discovers on a jog through land owned by the lumber mill that employs his father and most of his town. An ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

    Miranda is shocked by energetic Grandma Lila, and something awakens in her as she discovers the wildlife of the marsh her grandmother so fiercely protects.Miranda captures nature's magic with her camera. She also captures Adam's heart. Part Cherokee, Adam cares for Lila's land and shares her love for wild creatures. When a sudden turn of events brings confusion and grief to Miranda's family; it raises disturbing questions about Adam. Is he all he seems to be? And what secrets account for the fury that torments Miranda's father? For the first time, Miranda the perfect daughter must take a stand. But doing so is painful as Miranda turns the camera on her own life and past.

    Rylant's reflective and often humorous verse follows God as he tries out human activities such as getting a dog, writing a fan letter, and making spaghetti.God Went to Beauty School combines the awesome with the everyday in an accessible, thought-provoking, and intelligent manner.

    For twelve years they've dressed alike, shared a room, and done everything together. But when they start Sweet Valley Middle School, everything begins to change. Elizabeth wants to work on the class newspaper, but Jessica doesn't. Jessica would rather join the Unicorns, a snobby all-girls club. Even though Elizabeth isn't interested in the same things as her twin, she tries to tag along. But is she losing her best friend?

    Their best friends, Maggie and Dennis, are shy and awkward, but willing to take the first tentative steps toward a romance of their own. Yet before either couple can enjoy true happiness, life conspires against them, threatening to destroy their friendships completely.

    Starving and lonely, an orphaned timber wolf is befriended by a boy named Red Wolf. But under the Indian Act, Red Wolf is forced to attend a residential school far from the life he knows, and the wolf is alone once more. Courage, love and fate reunite the pair, and they embark on a perilous journey home. But with winter closing in, will Red Wolf and Crooked Ear survive? And if they do, what will they find?

    Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people. Soon Chaya joins a resistance cell that runs raids on the Nazis' supplies. But after a mission goes terribly wrong, Chaya's network shatters. She is alone and unsure of where to go, until Esther, a member of her cell, finds her and delivers a message that chills Chaya to her core, and sends her on a journey toward an even larger uprising in the works — in the Warsaw Ghetto.Though the Jewish resistance never had much of a chance against the Nazis, they were determined to save as many lives as possible, and to live — or die — with honor.

    Rather than accept support from her friends or family, Bridget turns to Jasper, a wonderful guy willing to nurse her broken soul-when she lets him. As she comes to terms with life without Benji, and the truth about their relationship, Bridget learns that being able to love deeply and truly is essential, even if the one you love doesn't feel the same. More importantly, she discovers that happiness pinned to another person is only an illusion-now it's time to find happiness on her own. "From the Hardcover edition."

    Her real name is Victoria Jurgen, but she's renamed herself after the kick-ass heroine of her favorite sci-fi movie, Terminal Earth. Like her namesake, Egg dresses all in white, colors her eyebrows, and shaves her head. She always knows the right answers, she's always in control, and she's far too busy — taking photos for the school paper, meeting with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club, and hanging out at the creature shop with her dad, the special-effects makeup wizard — to be bothered with friends, much less members of the opposite sex. As far as Egg is concerned, she's boy proof, and she likes it that way. But then Egg meets a boy named Max, a boy who's smart and funny and creative and cool...and happens to like Egg. Could this be the end of the world — at least as Egg knows it?

    The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

    R. Frank switches gears and narrows her focus to the pivotal events of one 8th grade classroom.The progressive petri dish of Forest Alternative's middle school is stirred the wrong way when sophisticated, tongue-ringed Stacy makes the scene. Almost immediately, Stacy takes advantage of the school's relaxed and experimental atmosphere to start a little excitement.For reasons known only to herself, she begins to insinuate that Simon, the 8th grade's idealistic, good-looking young teacher, is in love with Alex, Friction's mild mannered first person narrator. Embarrassed and infuriated, Alex tries to squelch the gossip, but only manages to make herself look more guilty to her classmates. When she finally confronts Stacy, Alex is horrified when Stacy tearfully admits that the reason she's been spreading the rumors is to draw attention away from the fact that Simon is actually molesting her. Confused and half caught up in Stacy's stories herself, Alex makes the mistake of trusting her shifting feelings instead of what she knows to be true, irreparably harming her admired teacher in the process.Friction is a provocative, deadly accurate portrayal of puberty, in all its manipulative, perplexing, unmanageable glory. Alex's quest to discover the definition of truth is a journey every teenager makes, and teen readers of Friction will take great comfort in the fact that a trusted author, who clearly hasn't forgotten adolescence herself, is helping to chart the path. (Ages 12 to 15)

    It boasts the highest test scores in the nation. But at what price? Their school's curriculum is focused on beating standardized tests; classes are held in dreary, windowless rooms; and students are force-fed noxious protein shakes to improve their test performance. Worst of all, there seems to be a demon loose in the building, one whose murderous work has only just begun.A bitterly funny satire about the state of modern education from the author of Tangerine and Crusader. Includes a reader's guide and an author's note.

    But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she’s imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home—including herself.