Book picks similar to
Lunchtime Rules by Vicki Steggall


middle-grade
go-girl
children
childrens

Stepping on the Cracks


Mary Downing Hahn - 1991
    But the girls are also involved in their own personal war at home. Gordy Smith, the worst bully in sixth grade, teases and torments them, and Margaret is scared to death of him. But when Gordy and his pals Toad and Doug grow bolder than ever, Margaret and Elizabeth come up with a daring plan to get even. That's when the girls discover a shocking secret about Gordy that turns their lives upside-down and draws them into a startling confrontation with family, friends...and their own strongly held ideas.

The Island


Gary Paulsen - 1988
    He's discovered the island, a place where he can go to be alone and learn to know nature—and himself.Wil's only mission is to let go of the outside world. But the outside world refuses to let go of him. His family regards him as a puzzle. The town bully is determined to challenge him. And suddenly, even reporters know his name.He can confront them all, or he can embrace his solitude forever. Just one thing is certain now: Wil Neuton will no longer be relying on anybody but himself.

Among the Hidden


Margaret Peterson Haddix - 1998
    He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows - does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

The Westing Game


Ellen Raskin - 1978
    Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead ... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

The Kid Who Ran for President


Dan Gutman - 1996
    Humor, adventure, and excitement will draw kids into the world of elections and politics."Hi! My name is Judson Moon. I'm 12 years old and I'm running for President of the YOU-nited States."So begins this fast-paced, funny, and surprising account of a boy's run for the Oval Office in the year 2000. Under the tutelage of Lane, his brainy friend and self-appointed campaign manager, the affable sixth-grader from Madison, Wisconsin, takes on the Democrats and Republicans as a Third Party candidate who can make waves. "Grown-ups have had the last one thousand years to mess up the world," Judd tells a reporter. "Now it's our turn."

The Summer Before


Ann M. Martin - 2010
    As they start the summer before seventh grade (also before they start the BSC), each of them is on the cusp of a big change.

Chasing Vermeer


Blue Balliett - 2004
    Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one — neighbors, parents, teachers — is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?

The Allegra Biscotti Collection


Olivia Bennett - 2010
    But when school's out, she becomes Queen of the Runway-whipping up cutting-edge designs.When Emma is discovered by a well-known fashionista, the pseudonym Allegra Biscotti is born to protect her from the lime light. She soon discovers balancing a secret identity, boys, school, and friends isn't as easy as she thought.This fashion-themed series features doodles throughout the book-two-color illustrations are found as chapter openers and in the margins-adding tons of delicious style detail!

First Term at Malory Towers


Enid Blyton - 1946
    Darrell Rivers begins her happy life at Malory Towers two terms later than the other girls, but she soon makes firm friends with Sally, the steady one, and the adoring Mary Lou.

Judy Moody Was in a Mood. Not a Good Mood. A Bad Mood.


Megan McDonald - 2000
    Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood.Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. But she does have an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns the class a special Me Project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald's spirited text and Peter Reynolds's wry illustrations will delight any kid who's known a bad mood or a bad day - and managed to laugh anyway.

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail


Thornton W. Burgess - 1914
    Full of mischief (and then remorse), Peter has exploits that are delightfully recognizable to anyone who has children and will surely tickle yet another generation of young readers.Peter Cottontail's efforts to outwit the ever-hungry Reddy Fox lead to a number of whisker-thin escapes, and his fascination with the hibernation of some of his neighbors, such as Johnny Chuck, leads to his decision to hibernate . . . with riotous consequences.This reprint of the classic that was originally published in 1914 presents Burgess' classic style of telling a terrific tale while imparting information about the environment and its creatures.

The Pigman


Paul Zindel - 1968
    Virtually overnight, almost against their will, the two befriended the lonely old man; it wasn't long before they were more comfortable in his house than their own. But now Mr. Pignati is dead. And for John and Lorraine, the only way to find peace is to write down their friend's story - the story of the Pigman.

The Name of This Book Is Secret


Pseudonymous Bosch - 2007
    As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn't want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story inside is, too. For it concerns a secret. A Big Secret.

My Sister Jodie


Jacqueline Wilson - 2008
    Pearl is the younger one, small, shy and anxious. Jodie is nearly three years older, bold and brash and bad and Pearl adores her. When their parents get new jobs at Melchester College, a Victorian Gothic mansion, the girls spend a bizarre summer holiday in the boarding school with just a few leftover children for company. Things start to change now they are in their new home. Jodie has always been the leader but now it's Pearl who's making new friends. When term begins, their strange summer is over. But things keep on changing. Jodie really doesn't fit in with the posh teenagers in her class. Pearl is blossoming. Maybe she doesn't need Jodie as much as she used to. But Jodie needs her. And when the school celebration of Firework Night comes around and a tragic event occurs, Pearl realises quite how much she does need her big sister.

The Ghost of Fossil Glen


Cynthia C. DeFelice - 1998
    Her friend Karen calls Allie a liar and doesn't want to hear "stuff like that." But her old pal, Dub, listens eagerly as Allie tells him about the voice that guides her down a steep cliff side, the girl she imagines who begs, "Help me," and a terrible nightmare in which that girl falls to her death. Who is that girl? Is she the ghost? And what does the ghost want from Allie? 01 Nutmeg Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Grds 4-6),00-01 William Allen White Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Land of Enchantment Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 3-6), 00-01 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Masterlist(Grds 3-8), and The 2000 Texas Bluebonnet Award