Book picks similar to
Middle School Crushes by Melanie Marks


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I Wanna Be Your Shoebox


Cristina García - 2008
    Yumi would laugh if only her life wasn’t getting as complicated as her heritage. All of a sudden she’s starting eighth grade with a girl who collects tinfoil and a boy who dresses like a squid. Her mom's found a new boyfriend, and her punk-rock father still can't sell a song. She's losing her house; she’s losing her school orchestra. And worst of all she's losing her grandfather Saul.Yumi wishes everything could stay the same. But as she listens to Saul tell his story, she learns that nobody ever asks you if you're ready for life to happen. It just happens. The choice is either to sit and watch or to join the dance.National Book Award finalist Cristina García’s first middle-grade novel celebrates the chaotic, crazy, and completely amazing patchwork that makes up our lives.

Simon Scarrow Collection: The Eagle's Prophecy, The Eagle In The Sand, The Eagle And The Wolves, The Eagle's Prey, The Gladiator, Centurion, When The Eagle Hunts, The Eagle's Conquest, Under Th


Simon Scarrow
    

Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth


Kristin Secorsky - 2017
    The only problem is there hasn’t been a female dragon rider chosen in almost fifty years. One day, a rare red-and-black dragon is found injured in a meadow near her home. The events that follow propel Evalina on an adventure of a lifetime. Evalina finds herself far from home in King’s Citadel, training to be a dragon rider. Whispers of a dark prophecy puts Evalina and the land of Eryieth at great risk. A seer’s prophecy marked the choosing of the next female dragon rider with the return of an ancient evil to the land. Entrusted with a great secret, Evalina embarks on an adventurous quest to locate a mythical amulet that can either save or destroy Eryieth.

Pendragon (Boxed Set): The Merchant of Death; The Lost City of Faar; The Never War


D.J. MacHale - 2003
    But there is something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world. And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution. If Bobby wants to see his family again, heâ��s going to have to accept his role as savior. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning. . . .

Saving Dr. Warren


Jeffery McKenna - 2020
    ✯ The American Revolution ✯ WWII ✯ 9-11 What About Today?How do we share Patriotism with America's Future?The novel Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot answers that question through the eyes of a 14 year old boy.Steve O'Dell loves to write and does it well. But as an eighth-grade student at Needham Middle School, his talent sometimes seems more an embarassment than a blessing.Then, on Veterans Day 2001, Steve's award-winning essay propels him into an adventure twisting through Revolutionary battles and bloodshed. Thanks to the bizarre bequest of a manuscript and a musket ball from a long-lost family war hero, Steve's journey with the Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren begins.A time-traveling talisman missing from the archives of one of Boston's oldest historical societies takes Steve through portals of history, where he walks side by side with a real Boston patriot. He makes house calls with Dr. Warren on March 5, 1770 and stumbles onto the bloodstained streets of the Boston Massacre. From the killings of March 5, to boarding tea ships in 1773, Steve's history book explodes to life as he helps Dr. Warren and forges a friendship with Boston's True Patriot. Steve watches Dr. Warren launch Paul Revere on his midnight ride, and he helps Dr. Warren dodge British musket balls in the first battles of the War for Independence. With each adventure, Steve tastes the light that ignites The Revolution.Steve will eventually convince others that the Revolutionary relic he was given really does open portals through time, but he faces his most difficult quest alone-saving Dr. Warren from the onslaught at Bunker Hill. Can he do it? And if he fails, will he ever return to this century?Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot rips through the pages of history. From the Revolutionary War to the vanishing veterans of World War II, to the ashes of September 11, 2001, Saving Dr. Warren demonstrates to both old and young that patriotism, standing like an old oak tree on a grandfather's farm, has and will endure.★ ☆ ★ ☆Author's NoteI love Historical fiction; it is a wonderful tool for learning. Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot is a historical fiction novel written for younger readers and middle school teachers. Within these pages are resources that junior high school teachers can use to help their class explore the impact of September 11th, World War II and the beginnings of the American Revolution.Through historical fiction, the author is able to provide young readers a perspective on what it would be like to experience 9-11 and the War on Terror as a middle school student, allowing history to come alive.Combat stories as told by a United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient give middle school teachers the opportunity to share with students the Battle of Okinawa and impress upon them the sacrifices made for freedom. The importance of Veterans Day is also impressed upon Steve, the teenage protagonist, as he learns about his great uncle's experience as a World War II Marine.Finally, Steve's experiences with Dr. Joseph Warren will propel middle school readers into the beginnings of the American Revolution. All Americans have heard of Paul Revere, but how many know that it was Dr. Warren who sent his best friend out on the famous midnight ride? Junior high school students and teachers can experience the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the battles of Lexington, Concord and Menotomy, as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill, through the lens of Dr. Joseph Warren, America's forgotten hero.Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot was written to help teachers connect with these important historical events, while providing a fun adventure through history for teenage readers.

Grow Up


Ben Brooks - 2011
    Expensive things in shops. Jelly that is not ready to eat yet. Cigarette lighters. Necks. Dead Things. Dogs. Piercings. Toddlers' cheeks. Each other's knees. People also like to touch death.Jasper wants to get on in the world, but he's got a lot on his plate: A-levels, his mother pushing him to overachieve, weekly visits to his psychologist, comedowns, YouTube suicides and pregnant one-night-stands. Then there's his stepdad - the murderer.Hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, Grow Up is the ultimate twenty-first-century coming-of-age novel. It paints a vivid portrait of the pills and thrills and bellyaches of growing up today. Funny, smart and twisted, it is the story of one young man transformed.

Ruby Parker Hits the Small Time


Rowan Coleman - 2007
    It seems like Ruby Parker has the perfect life.She:goes to an exclusive stage schoolstars in the hit soap operagets to kiss Justin de Souza, the hottest actor aroundMillions of fans are watching Ruby—and wishing they could be her.If only they knew that behind the scenes, Ruby's life is falling apart.

The Fruit Bowl Project


Sarah Durkee - 2006
    The kids in 8th Grade Writer's Workshop are awestruck when their teacher announces that through her husband's cousin, she's met rock superstar Nick Thompson and has invited him to their class. He's come to talk about writing and he's even cooler than they imagined. Nick, known for his music as well as his lyrics, tells the kids his secret: A song is just a bowl of fruit-one must figure out how to paint it. Words are to a writer what paint is to a painter. How many ways can one arrange the fruit? An infinite number. There's style, voice, genre, and much more to consider. Nick gives the kids two weeks to complete the assignment using seven seemingly ordinary elements. Each student must tell an interesting story, reflecting his or her style. And so "The Fruit Bowl Project" begins. Rap, poetry, monologue, screenplay, haiku, fairy tale-and more.

Novels by Ally Carter: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Heist Society, I'd Tell You I Love You


Books LLC - 2010
    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Heist Society, I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover is a 2009 young-adult fiction novel written by Ally Carter, it is the sequel to Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and the third book in the Gallagher Girls series. It was published on June 9, 2009. The cover was released on March 19, 2009. As of February 28, 2009) Ally Carter posted mini-excerpts of the book on her blog, with the promise that while they would be in the book, they might be misleading. The book spent three weeks from June 19, 2009 to July 3, 2009 on the Children's Books version of New York Times Best Seller list, debuting at #6. The story starts with Cammie in Boston to visit Macey who is on the campaign trail to get votes for her father's vice-presidential campaign. During Cammie's stay, she, Macey and Preston (the son of the presidential candidate) are attacked on a rooftop, after the itinerary is changed. The girls barely make it out and are badly injured, after diving into a laundry chute. After the attack, Cammie remembers that one of their attackers was wearing a ring that she recognized but couldn't place. When Macey returns to Gallagher Academy, she is injured badly with a big yellow bruise and a broken arm. The Secret Service agent placed with Macey for her protection is Cammies aunt Abby (Abigail), who Cammie had not seen since before her mom quit the CIA, and before her dad died. Macey has to leave the school to help her father get votes in Cleveland, Cammie, Bex and Liz are reluctant to let her go, but they have too. Mr Solomon takes the junior CoveOps class on a trip to Cleveland during the ev...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=2201714

The Red Kayak


John R. Weber - 2006
    Fortunately, he meets Nick Dietrich, the waterfront director, who helps him overcome his fears and eventually have enough confidence to pass his swimming test and learn to kayak. Jordan's first relationship with Nick is that of hero-worship. When Jordan helps Nick rescue two of Jordan's friends from the lake at night, Jordan's hero-worship turns into a deep friendship. Later, Nick takes Jordan on his first whitewater kayak trip in northern Wisconsin on the Wolf River. Jordan discovers that it's much harder to kayak on a moving river than on a lake and he is terrified of the rushing water. Early in the trip, Nick is seriously injured in an accident that Jordan thinks he caused. Since Nick can no longer paddle, Jordan must overcome his fears of the water and paddle by himself almost twenty miles to the take-out point to get help to rescue Nick. After Nick is rescued, Jordan must confront his guilt and somehow maintain his friendship with Nick.

A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame


Brenda Woods - 2010
    Hart?s tenth-grade creative writing class, sparks a group of nine students each to tell his/her own story. Readers are introduced to Jake and Shante?s interracial romance, Carlos? fear of deportation, and Sunday?s determination after being sexually assaulted. These teens persevere through hardship and heartache, laughter and love, and in the end, their voices shine through inspiring journal entries that answer the question in unusual and unexpected ways. Once again, Brenda Woods shows a keen understanding of the teenage psyche, as she did in Emako Blue, winner of the 2005 IRA Children?s Choice Young Adult Fiction Award.

Spelldown: The Big-Time Dreams of a Small-Town Word Whiz


Karon Luddy - 2007
    The trouble is, every time she makes it to the final round of a spelling bee, she chokes. But when Mrs. Harrison, the new Latin teacher, offers to coach her, Karlene's spelling jinx miraculously disappears. The year 1969 is turning out to be her best ever, especially since she develops a surprising crush on her best friend, Billy Ray. But as soon as Karlene aims to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C., her father's drinking begins to spell trouble. How is a girl supposed to hold her family together, savor her first kiss, and become the best speller in America before the end of eighth grade?Debut novelist Karon Luddy spells out adolescence with unwavering faith and sass in a novel about big dreams and the people who make them happen.

Immortal Mana (A Mage's Cultivation Book 4)


Bruce Sentar - 2021
    No matter how much he'd practiced with immortal mana before venturing into the Immortal World hadn’t prepared him for it, and his first bumbling steps into the new world have him collared and sold to a brothel.Those who did this to him will pay dearly for underestimating him. Isaac plots his escape and the new path in cultivation as he makes plans to break through to his 5th ring and seek revenge.

Completely Cassidy: Accidental Genius


Tamsyn Murray - 2014
    With her embarrassing dad, pregnant mum, loser brother and knicker-chewing dog, she's almost invisible in her family. So she's hoping Year 7 is her time to shine, especially since a test proved she's Gifted & Talented. The only problem is she picked her answers at random. But surely the school wouldn't make a mistake about her genius? "For fans of Wimpy Kid, Cathy Cassidy and books of that ilk, this is a story that readers will enjoy very much... a great tale for the pre-teen market." - Manchester Evening News

It's Not Like I Planned It This Way


Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - 2010
    In It’s Not Like I Planned It This Way, Alice’s sophomore year is chock full of change, from a new living arrangement, to a possible new relationship, to the newfound freedom that comes with driving. And in Please Don’t Be True, the adventure of growing up continues in Alice’s junior year, when she and her friends deal with issues like a pregnancy scare and a heartbreaking good-bye. But no matter what changes, Alice is as relatable as ever.