They'll make deals, throw parties, crush on boys, all on the way to discovering that no matter how famous or important you are, friendship always comes first. Well, almost always.

    The boys' quest takes them to the highest and lowest levels of society in their small Maryland town, and eventually to a derelict amusement park that is supposedly closed for the season.

    What Jim needs is a fresh start.Living in a former pit village in the North of England, Joe’s learning difficulties have left him isolated, his only contact with the community playing the back-end of the horse in the local panto. Until Jim, another of life’s outsiders for a whole different set of reasons, comes home. So begins an unlikely friendship. Jim and Joe offer one another loyalty and camaraderie, simple but magnificent qualities that give Jim that most elusive thing – hope – as he rebuilds his life. But when rumours of an unthinkable crime get out of control, Jim’s loyalty is put to the test, with heartbreaking consequences.Funny, bittersweet and unforgettable, Magnificent Joe is a tale of devastation, loss and the redemptive power of one extraordinary friendship."

    When fashionable Skyler meets mathlete Nathan, worlds collide -- and a makeover challenge begins! Can Skyler take Nathan from geek to gorgeous in time for the Valentine's Day dance?

    She makes me feel things no other woman has ever made me feel. In bed, she rocks me like a punch to head and leaves me flat of my back begging for more. But she has a secret, something she isn't telling me, and when I discover what that secret is, people are going to get hurt. Some who deserve it, some who do not. Either way, I'm willing to fight for the woman I love, even if it turns my brain and heart to mush.

    Practical Gracie has been the one to manage their lives. Then Mom remarries, suddenly, and they move to Salt Lake City, where Gracie has to share a room with her six-year-old stepbrother, Sinjian. But in some ways the move is good for Gracie. She meets Tiimo, her first boyfriend, explores the city, and even begins to enjoy Sinjian's company. But for Mom, it's a disaster. When her mother attempts suicide, it's up to Gracie to hold her new family together.

    She desperately wants a bicycle so that she can race her friend Abdullah, even though it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes. Wadjda earns money for her dream bike by selling homemade bracelets and mixtapes of banned music to her classmates. But after she's caught, she’s forced to turn over a new leaf (sort of), or risk expulsion from school. Still, Wadjda keeps scheming, and with the bicycle so closely in her sights, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.Set against the shifting social attitudes of the Middle East, The Green Bicycle explores gender roles, conformity, and the importance of family, all with wit and irresistible heart.

    Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other's backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night—and one wrong decision—will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friendship . . . and their future?An ALA Best Book for Young AdultsAn ALA Quick Pick “Top Ten”IRA Children’s Book Award (Young Adult)

    Grandma spends most of her time wrapped in a blanket by the wood stove.There is one bright spot in Angel's world: a mysterious stranger who teaches Angel all about the stars and planets and constellations. Carving out a new life proves harder than Angel ever imagined. But she feels a tiny spark of hope when she remembers what the stranger said that she is made of the same stuff as stars.

    That's why he needed something of Gram's - something special that had belonged to her, something to remember her by.Spoon wasn't quite sure what the something was, though he knew he would know it when he saw it. But Spoon's little sister, Joanie, did not leave him much time to look. She was always following him, demanding attention. Spoon didn't have the time he needed to think, or perhaps he wouldn't have done what he did.02 Nutmeg State Children's Book Award Masterlist and 00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist

    Things scare him, and he can’t help it. So naturally he’s terrified when he moves to a new town and the bully is ready to pounce. But just as Rodney is about to flee, a baseball flies in from out of nowhere and knocks out the bully. Now everyone thinks Rodney’s invincible—when really he feels just the opposite.  Can he figure out to live up to his new reputation and make friends along the way?Told with warmth and heart, this debut novel from a middle-school teacher that will speak to the hidden insecurities—and strengths—of every middle-grade reader.

    As a Chinese American, she has never felt her separateness more than now, in 1927, in this new place in West Virginia. Only Miss Lucy, their landlord and neighbor, seems welcoming....There's nothing coy about Yep's portrait of prejudice, which he sketches from several angles."--Booklist. "A pleasure to read, entertaining its audience even as it educates their hearts."--Horn Book.

    Sitomer, an acclaimed author as well as California's Teacher of the Year for 2007, delivers a poignant, funny coming-of-age story about a first-generation Hispanic teen torn between her dreams and her familia.

    Journey to Briar Park if you dare... Brother Nicholas is tempted by evil forces to read from an ancient book. His fellow monks are the first victims of this awful and irreversible act. Brother Nicholas is taken from the monastery to live in a remote house Briar Park, compelled to live out the rest of his days in tormented solitude. Constantly tortured by the whispering voices, he is instructed to commit a terrible crime. Can anything end the evil hold on the house in Briar Park? How far will the unholy acts reach? And can anything silence the whispering voices? Keep your wits about you and look carefully over your shoulder as you learn the history of the house in Briar Park…. What was that sound? Is that a faint whispering you can hear in the dark of the night? Scroll up now to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited or just 0.99 do it before your nerve breaks. Also available With Wicked Intent Silent Screaming The Darkness in the Shadows

    "Models for Writers" continues to offer thought-provoking selections organized to demonstrate not only the rhetorical patterns that students will use in their own essays but also the elements and language that will make those essays effective. With a wide variety of new selections and new attention to sentence grammar, reading comprehension, and critical thinking, the new edition of "Models for Writers" once again stakes its claim as America's best-selling short essay reader.