Book picks similar to
How Not To Be Popular by Cecily Anne Paterson
middle-grade
netgalley
kids-these-days
children
The Friendship Riddle
Megan Frazer Blakemore - 2015
Who needs friends when you have fantasy novels? Roaming the stacks of her town’s library is enough for Ruth. Until she finds a note in an old book . . . and in that note is a riddle, one that Ruth can’t solve alone. With an epic quest before her, Ruth admits she needs help, the kind that usually comes from friends. Lena and Coco, two kids in her class could be an option, but allowing them in will require courage. Ruth must decide: Is solving this riddle worth opening herself up again?In this surprising and emotionally satisfying journey through the ups and downs of middle school, Ruth finds that even the bravest heroes need true friends by their side.
The Boxcar Children Collection, Vol. 3 (The Boxcar Children #33, #82 #88-89)
Gertrude Chandler Warner - 2007
Includes the following four titles: The Mystery of the Mummy's Curse, The Mystery of the Star Ruby, The Pizza Mystery, The Radio Mystery, The Summer Camp Mystery.
Half a Chance
Cynthia Lord - 2014
Will her photos ever meet his high standards? When she discovers that he's judging a photo contest, Lucy decides to enter anonymously. She wants to find out if her eye for photography is really special -- or only good enough.As she seeks out subjects for her photos, Lucy gets to know Nate, the boy next door. But slowly the camera reveals what Nate doesn't want to see: his grandmother's memory is slipping away, and with it much of what he cherishes about his summers on the lake. This summer, Nate will learn about the power of art to show truth. And Lucy will learn how beauty can change lives . . . including her own.
The New Girl
Rowan McAuley - 2008
What will she be like, and will they be friends? But when Isabelle starts being really mean, Zoe has to choose between being mean too, or standing tall and being a good friend. Over one million GO GIRL! copies in print in Australia!
Fairylicious
Tiffany Nicole Smith - 2013
She always means well, but somehow trouble follows her wherever she goes. Bex thinks she's doing something nice when she blows out her birthday candles and wishes for fairies for her and each of her friends. The good news: Bex's wish comes true. The bad news: Maize, Blush, Olive, and Iris are not the fairies the girls were expecting.These fairies are allergic to pixie dust and afraid of heights. On top of that, every wish they grant ends up being a disaster. Bex thought fairies were supposed to make life easier. Between these fractured fairies, an aunt and a teacher who seem to hate her, and the perils of being the biggest kid in the sixth grade--will Bex survive?
Real Friends
Shannon Hale - 2017
. . Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends ever since they were little. But one day, Adrienne starts hanging out with Jen, the most popular girl in class and the leader of a circle of friends called The Group. Everyone in The Group wants to be Jen's #1, and some girls would do anything to stay on top . . . even if it means bullying others.Now every day is like a roller coaster for Shannon. Will she and Adrienne stay friends? Can she stand up for herself? And is she in The Group—or out?Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends—and why it's worth the journey.
Counting Thyme
Melanie Conklin - 2016
But it also means the Owens family has to move to New York, thousands of miles away from Thyme’s best friend and everything she knows and loves. The island of Manhattan doesn’t exactly inspire new beginnings, but Thyme tries to embrace the change for what it is: temporary.After Val’s treatment shows real promise and Mr. Owens accepts a full-time position in the city, Thyme has to face the frightening possibility that the move to New York is permanent. Thyme loves her brother, and knows the trial could save his life—she’d give anything for him to be well—but she still wants to go home, although the guilt of not wanting to stay is agonizing. She finds herself even more mixed up when her heart feels the tug of new friends, a first crush, and even a crotchety neighbor and his sweet whistling bird. All Thyme can do is count the minutes, the hours, and days, and hope time can bring both a miracle for Val and a way back home.
Running with the Reservoir Pups
Colin Bateman - 2005
Otherwise, he never would have gotten mixed up with the Reservoir Pups, the scrappy gang of boys who rule the streets in his new town. And he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to their initiation mission: to break into the hospital his mom works at. It’s just Eddie’s luck that he stumbles upon some twisted baby-snatchers on the way. And just when it seems like life can’t get any worse, he bumps into the leader of the Andytown Albinos, the most fearsome gang of all. . . .“Fast, fabulous fun . . . [an] excellent comic adventure. I loved the carefree, sheer enthusiasm of the writing and laughed aloud throughout. I’m delighted to report that it’s the first of a trilogy. Can’t wait for the next!”—The Bookseller (UK)From the Hardcover edition.
Raymie Nightingale
Kate DiCamillo - 2016
And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.
The Slobberers
Paul Jennings - 2004
And now they are to be step-sister and brother. Even worse, something very weird is happening to the worms Rory keeps as pets. But what happens when the Slobberers escape during the wedding is only the beginning.
The Dogs of Winter
Bobbie Pyron - 2012
But help comes in an unexpected form: Ivan is adopted by a pack of dogs, and the dogs quickly become more than just his street companions: They become his family. Soon Ivan, who used to love reading fairytales, is practically living in one, as he and his pack roam the city and countryside, using their wits to find food and shelter, dodging danger, begging for coins. But Ivan can’t stay hidden from the world of people forever. When help is finally offered to him, will he be able to accept it? Will he even want to?A heart-pounding tale of survival and a moving look at what makes us human.
Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life
Shelley Tougas - 2017
Charlotte's mom has just moved the family across the country to live in Walnut Grove, "childhood home of pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder." Mom's idea is that the spirit of Laura Ingalls will help her write a bestselling book. But Charlotte knows better: Walnut Grove is just another town where Mom can avoid responsibility. And this place is worse than everywhere else the family has lived--it's freezing in the winter, it's small with nothing to do, and the people talk about Laura Ingalls all the time. Charlotte's convinced her family will not be able to make a life on the prairie--until the spirit of Laura Ingalls starts getting to her, too.
24 Hours in Nowhere
Dusti Bowling - 2018
For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere’s biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of the best racers in Nowhere, comes to his rescue—but in return she has to give Bo her prized dirt bike. Determined to buy it back, Gus agrees to go searching for gold in Dead Frenchman Mine, joined by his old friends Jessie Navarro and Matthew Dufort, and Rossi herself. As they hunt for treasure, narrowly surviving everything from cave-ins to mountain lions, they bond over shared stories of how hard life in Nowhere is—and they realize this adventure just may be their way out.
The Last Fallen Star
Graci Kim - 2021
Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she's a saram--a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she's ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family's old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie's initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It's a perfect plan!Until it isn't. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie's life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.
Sheets
Brenna Thummler - 2018
A practical thirteen year old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she’s worked for.Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world.When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt’s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.