They don't. I almost don't go in. But then I think of Baby Ella. And Mom. I push open the door.... When twelve-year-old Hershey must run away with her mother to a women's shelter, she wonders how, among other things, she'll compete in the town talent show with her best friend, Phoebe; who will take care of her cat, Augustus Gloop; and if she'll survive being on a new bus route with her sworn enemy.

    It's the first book in an empowering and funny new middle-grade series illustrated by Simpsons illustrator, Eric S. Keyes.Meet Hope Roberts. She's 11 years old, and she wants to be an astrophysicist. She loves swimming, Galaxy Girl comic books, and her two rescue dogs.Hope believes it's always a good day to champion a cause, defend an underdog, and save the future. And most of all, she believes in dreaming big. That's why she's enrolled in all of the advanced classes at her new middle school. She's smart and confident in her abilities. But though Hope seems super strong on the outside, there's another side of her, too. She's just a regular girl trying to survive middle school.This first book starts with the beginning of sixth grade, and Hope's BFF Sam made some new friends over the summer. Hope doesn't know how to handle it. She and Sam have always been inseparable! Then Hope meets her new lab partner, Camila, and they get off on the wrong foot. And even though Camila is great at science, she doesn't want to join the science club. The club is all boys, and she doesn't feel welcome.When Hope hears that, she's determined to recruit more girls into the science club, including Camila. Hope knows that sometimes changing the world starts small. So now Hope has a mission! Can she turn the science club into a place that's welcoming for everyone -- and make some new friends along the way?Hope's relatability, kindness, empathy, and can-do attitude will inspire a generation of do-gooders. This new series is a response to the very palpable feeling that not only can young people save the world -- they will!

    But the dream of romance with popular Dave Young soon turns into a nightmare of juvenile delinquency when Dave, resentful of his stepmother and her pregnancy, becomes rebellious, involving Sue in thrill stealing, blatantly ignoring the authority of his parents and parents in general. David's rebellion becomes Sue's crisis as with love and sympathy she leads him toward a normal acceptance of family life.

    Then he discovers something about himself: he's a fast runner. He joins the running group and is recruited for the school track team. But being on the track team and getting more attention brings Lionel closer to the bullies he's been avoiding and makes him a target.

    They wonder if his friends will start showing up again. They wonder if they'll be walking down the street one day and they'll run into Jojo and Jojo will give them attitude or shove them around, just for fun. Jojo's friends have a way of making it hard--really hard--on people who decide to press charges against Jojo. Those people just wish Jojo would go away and never come back. Then there are the people who have hate in their hearts. These people wish something bad would happen to Jojo. Something really bad. Ardell Withrow is one of those people.

    While there, Sierra spends time with Luke, a boy who's known as a troublemaker, and discovers that he's not the person she assumed he would be--and that the lines between good and bad aren't as clear as she once thought. Claudia Mills brings another compelling school story to life with Zero Tolerance.

    Things can't get much worse at home. Her mother works long hours to make the mortgage payments on their tiny farm. Her older brother Justin talks about running away, and her younger brother Chip has a way of getting into trouble when Kate is supposed to be minding him. Now Kate faces a long, hot, boring Florida summer with no friends and nothing to do but chores. The day Kate's goat Sugar runs away, things start to get more interesting - and a lot more complicated. She and her brothers meet the Wilsons, a tight-knit African American family. Kate is drawn to Ruby, the Wilsons' glamorous grown daughter who has returned home from New York City. Ruby hasn't got much time for white trash but the two eventually form an unlikely bond as partners in Ruby's fledgling candy business. And as Kate begins to spend more time with Ruby, she awakens to the undercurrents of prejudice that run through their small town.

    But here I am! Rafe Khatchadorian - global jetsetter!Now all I need to do is find a way of avoiding the school bully, getting Jeanne Galletta to talk to me, and try not to get lost in London.But things are never that simple. So fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, because this could be a very bumpy flight.

    If he doesn't bring his grade up, his parents threaten to make him quit the team.His best friend Tony thinks the natural solution is for McKay to befriend Serena, a pretty girl in class, who also happens to get straight A's in algebra. Not only will that get McKay the tutor he desperately needs, but it will give Tony the chance to flirt with Serena's two best friends. Unfortunately, if McKay follows Tony's advice on how to "play the game," he might find himself in an even worse spot than when he was merely failing algebra. With a keen sense of wit, and more self-confidence than he gives himself credit for, McKay will keep readers alternately laughing and groaning as he is dragged kicking and screaming into the subtle (and often not so subtle) world of teen dating.

    Tall, Dark and Douchey is causing me all kinds of problems... Working 3 jobs while at college and struggling to maintain my GPA, I crashed pretty hard. The result. I’m being punished and I have to share a room with the biggest name and hearth-throb on campus. The trouble: • He’s the burning hot, bad-boy superstar of the football team • Biggest sports star on campus and even bigger jerk • Sexy as hell My only problem, I’m a SUCKER for a bad boy and damn if his dominant attitude isn’t skin tingling. And now he sleeps on a bed only a few feet from mine! One game day with him and my life changes forever. Will I be able to make it through this semester with my GPA and dignity intact?…

    What Mati doesn’t know is that he is the last of a vital, age-old breed and that a mysterious feline assassin named Mithos is close on his trail. With his enemy nearing, can Mati learn to harness his ancient powers — before a deadly feline force destroys both him and his newfound friends and takes the spirit of every cat on earth?

    It all starts the summer Christy vacations on a California beach and meets two friends who change her life forever. But after moving across the country with her family, Christy must begin her sophomore year of high school uncertain where she'll fit in. A red-headed new best friend, a try at cheerleading, a job at a pet store, and expectations for the prom fill Christy's high school years with a string of laughter-and-tears moments. Fireball Katie keeps everyone guessing what she'll do next, and surfer Todd keeps showing up while popular Rick has determined to get her full attention! As these memorable years unfold, Christy and her God-loving friends find out what it means to be a "peculiar treasure." Follow Christy Miller as she stays true to her identity in Christ, drawing closer to God for help in realizing her dreams and dealing with her disappointments.Whether you're meeting her for the first time or have known her for years-- Christy Is a Forever FriendSurprise Endings Cheerleading tryouts are coming up, and Christy Miller is giving it all she's got. The competition is tough and some of the girls are just rude, but Christy thinks she has a good chance to make the squad. Meanwhile prom is just around the corner, and Christy hopes her parents will make an exception to their "no dating until sixteen" rule. She'd love to go with Todd to his prom! But nothing turns out as Christy had planned. As the surprises keep coming, can Christy respond with grace...and maybe even spring a surprise of her own?Island Dreamer Christy Miller is spending her sixteenth birthday on Maui with her family, Todd, and Paula, her best friend from Wisconsin! What could be better? But Christy soon finds that she and Paula don't have as much in common anymore. Paula's obsessed with having a boyfriend...even if it means stealing Todd from Christy! Will he choose Paula over her? Or will the islands send Christy dreaming in new directions?A Heart Full of Hope Christy Miller is sixteen, and that means she can finally date! Rick has waited months for this, and he has a whole list of dates planned. He's not happy about her early curfews and weekend job, but Christy knows her parents aren't about to negotiate on those points. Really, she's dazzled to be pursued by such a thoughtful guy. So why does she feel overwhelmed? Where does Todd fit into her life now? And can any guy really fulfill all her hopes?Story Behind the Book"The Christy Miller series was actually born when a group of thirteen-year-olds challenged me to write a novel. I'd been questioning the content of their favorite books when they said, 'Why don't you write a book for us?' I told them no, I only wrote picture books. But they persisted: 'How hard could it be? We'll even tell you what to write! We want a love story with teenagers at the beach.' And there you go. Summer Promise first released seventeen years ago and is now translated into five languages. I continue to hear from readers all over the world, many girls saying that they gave their life to Christ after reading Summer Promise. I love that!"--Robin Jones Gunn

    All she wants is to hang out with her best friend, make the high school swim team, and convince Nate, the guy of her dreams, to stop calling her "Dude." And, oh--she'd really, really like to stay in her own skin.Ever since Claire hit her teens, electrical storms have been making her switch bodies. Usually she's back to her old self in no time. But when something goes terribly wrong, she finds herself stuck as another girl. And not just any girl, but the icy beauty who has caught Nate's eye.Suddenly Claire goes from being Miss Average to Miss Gorgeous--the model-thin blonde that every girl wants to look like and every guy wants to date. Will she ever figure out how to get back to her old life? More importantly, will she want to?

    What's the point? If wishes came true, she wouldn't live in a trailer and she wouldn't have to wear ratty clothes to school. But then her sister Hannie finds an old stuffed unicorn, and suddenly Mags' luck starts to change. Mags knows the unicorn can't really be magical, but what's the harm in letting Hannie believe that it is? "Ranks with Betsy Byar's Pinballs and Cynthia Voight's Homecoming in describing families surviving as best they can under economic deprivation." — "Publishers Weekly"

    She may be only fourteen, but Linda loves making fresh Mexican food with her aunt Elba and blogging about food with her best friend, Julia.But after Aunt Elba suffers a ministroke, Linda is catapulted across the country and into a whole new life. In Pittsburgh, living with bossy Aunt Pat and her seven kids, Linda feels completely out of place. Aunt Pat wants Linda’s help with Angel, a young foster child in the family who speaks only Spanish, but he seems impossible. And Linda’s cousin Chloe treats her like a total intruder. Worst of all, Aunt Pat is a local celebrity with her own TV show, Cooking from Cans — and she won’t let Linda in the kitchen. Linda might go loco if she doesn’t get some fresh food — like now.Finally Linda gets her chance to sizzle — with a cooking project at school. It’s an added bonus that cute-guy-with-a-secret Dino Moretti (who even smells delicious) is in her group. But when jealous Chloe joins the group, Linda’s new life heats up fast. In the end, it’s up to Linda to decide what kind of cook — and person — she truly wants to be.