McMaster the Disaster Trilogy


Rachel Astor - 2012
    Includes: Bridesmaid Lotto - Book 1Josephine McMaster is pretty and smart, but very much a klutzy mess. Finally, at 26, she may have actually lost the dreaded ‘McMaster the Disaster’ nickname that has followed her around her whole life. Josie’s quite content to be single, much to her mother’s disappointment. So when a bizarre contest is announced where a socialite is holding a lottery to pick her bridesmaids (and rake in a little extra cash), she can’t roll her eyes fast enough, even if it does mean meeting Jake Hall, her one and only movie star crush. Obviously, Josie doesn’t enter the bridesmaid lottery, so you can imagine her surprise when her picture pops up among the winners, thanks to Mom. With a little prodding -- okay bribing -- Josie agrees to participate.The wedding turns into the event of the year, and Josie finds herself in the middle of a paparazzi feeding frenzy, which gets even crazier after Jake Hall takes a special interest in her. Can Josie handle the pressure in the spotlight? Is it possible she might really have a chance with Jake Hall? And if she’s busy worrying about all that, how in the heck is she going to keep ‘McMaster the Disaster’ from showing up in front of the entire world? Gamble on Engagement - Book 2Josie McMaster is on the move to London for a top-secret stint as a ghost-biographer for a high profile celebrity. It's her dream job; she's got a beautiful place to stay in the English countryside, full access to the celebrity, and three months to complete the best ghostwritten autobiography anyone has ever seen.In true McMaster the Disaster fashion, Josie tumbles head-first into scandal, apparently more than just an average ghostwriter in the eyes of this new celebrity. Not to mention she has never written a biography, but… how hard could it really be? Of course, the paparazzi isn't helping matters, constantly publicizing the 'when will Jake Hall pop the question' betting pool, which is completely ridiculous considering she and Jake have only been dating a short while...... or is it? The Wedding Wager - Book 3Josie's back and she's getting married! Except, how is she supposed to plan a wedding when her mother and her best friend Mattie both think they're the designated wedding planner, and none of their ideas are remotely similar? Mom wants super-traditional and Mattie wants... well, the complete opposite.And that's not all Josie has to deal with. The gossip hounds are as invasive as ever; setting up polls on everything from what shoes she'll wear to when the divorce will be! Can't a girl at least get married first? But the marriage is threatened when the Disaster Diary provides Josie with an opportunity of a lifetime and the real question becomes: with the stakes so high, is Josie willing to risk it all and take a chance on herself?

Journey to America


Sonia Levitin - 1970
    Suddenly, there were more and more restrictions for the Jews: yellow stars they had to wear, schools they could not attend, things they were forbidden to do. The Nazis were in power. And Lisa Platt was scared.Her father knew they had to escape, and he left for America in the middle of the night. He promised to send for Lisa, her mother, and her two sisters when there was enough money. Until then, they were to live in Switzerland. And so they did, waiting, in hardship none of them could ever have imagined.

The Complete Big Nate: #7 (AMP! Comics for Kids)


Lincoln Peirce - 2015
    Presented in a numbered series of e-books, each containing one year's worth of strips, this is a goldmine for all Big Nate fans to see many cartoons that have never been published in books. Aspiring cartoonist Nate Wright is the star of Big Nate. As a popular middle-grade book character, Nate is 11 years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the all-time record holder for detentions in school history. He's a self-described genius and sixth grade Renaissance Man. Nate, who lives with his dad and older sister, has a habit of annoying his family, friends, and teachers with his sarcasm.

13


Jason Robert Brown - 2008
    This book is about a guy named Evan.2. Three months before his 13th birthday, he has to move from New York City 3. to Appleton, Indiana,4. where nobody knows him.5. He's not very happy about it.6. His mom is kind of nuts.7. His dad is kind of nuts too.8. Evan's not nuts, but he keeps ending up in nutty situations.9. One of them involves a movie called The Bloodmaster.10. Another involves a girl named Patrice.11. But the nuttiest situation of all is his bar mitzvah—12. which it's possible no one will come to.13. Unless Evan can make some new friends really fast.

About the B'nai Bagels


E.L. Konigsburg - 1969
    Their manager was Bessie Setzer, but every one called her Mother Bagel, and the team grew to love her and even Spencer, Brother Bagel, their coach. Which was fine for everyone but Mark Setzer. For him it made problems. Because with a mother as manager and a brother as coach, he felt he had lost his right to be awful on the field and had gained a lot of sticky situations. Then, in addition to worrying about his performance on the baseball team, be had to worry about his performance at his Bar Mitzvah and about his friend, Hersch, who had moved to another part of town and found another best friend. Practicing in the relative privacy of The Projects, where there were some very good and very interesting players, helped Mark's game. It took more than that to help the rest, though. And there were some tough moments before Mark felt competent to handle the social situations and moral decisions his position demanded of him.

What We Will Become: A Mother, a Son, and a Journey of Transformation


Mimi Lemay - 2019
    From the age of two-and-a-half, Jacob, born “Em,” adamantly told his family he was a boy. While his mother Mimi struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that her child may be transgender, she experienced a sense of déjà vu—the journey to uncover the source of her child’s inner turmoil unearthed ghosts from Mimi’s past and her own struggle to live an authentic life.       Mimi was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, every aspect of her life dictated by ancient rules and her role as a woman largely preordained from cradle to grave. As a young woman, Mimi wrestled with the demands of her faith and eventually made the painful decision to leave her religious community and the strict gender roles it upheld.   Having risen from the ashes of her former life, Mimi was prepared to help her son forge a new one — at a time when there was little consensus on how best to help young transgender children. Dual narratives of faith and motherhood weave together to form a heartfelt portrait of an unforgettable family. Brimming with love and courage, What We Will Become is a powerful testament to how painful events from the past can be redeemed to give us hope for the future.

Babysitters Club Collection #7 (The Babysitters Club, #19-21)


Ann M. Martin - 1998
    Claudia and the Bad Joke20. Kristy and the Walking Disaster21. Mallory and the Trouble With Twins

Did You Know My Mom Is Awesome?


Shelley Admont - 2014
    In this touching bedtime story, a little girl describes why her Mom is awesome. We see her going through her day, carrying the warmest feeling about her mother. Mom always knows how she feels and can help with any problem. Mom can make the most complicated braid and explain fractions; Mom can help to wake her up in the morning and hug her tightly when she’s sad. With adorable illustrations and a message to which everyone can relate, this is a perfect book for kids and their moms.

God's Gym


Leon de Winter - 2002
    It is the day he celebrates his daughter Miriam's seventeenth birthday, meets his old friend Philip - with whom he has been out of touch for eighteen years and who now works for the Israel Ministry of Defense, and crosses paths with Erroll Washington (aka Godzilla) the owner of God's Gym -- a Venice health club Miriam frequents. Philip has sought out Joop for reasons that are more than personal, and Joop, in turn, has no choice but to let himself be carried along by political developments that he has previously tried to avoid, but that now inescapably control his life.