Book picks similar to
Making It by Barbara Corcoran
ya
realistic-fiction
ucla
young-adult
Boone Shepard
Gabriel Bergmoser - 2016
You might have heard the rumours—whispers of an evil plot involving time travel, dangerous experiments, a secret fortress, a terrible book, famous authors and, regrettably, murder. You might also have heard of heroes who were caught up in this plot, fighting to do the right thing. That sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was. My name is Boone Shepard. I’m here to set the record straight.”Boone is taking a break from writing for The Chronicle newspaper to hunt down and destroy every last copy of a very rare, very dangerous book. But then his editor calls to demand he investigate a missing persons case deep in the Scottish Highlands—in the company of his rival, photographer Promethia Peters—and he is forced to abandon his personal goals and get back to work. Restless and begrudging, Boone is unprepared when this hunt leads him back to the one story that won’t stop chasing him—his own. Boone Shepard is the first in a series of young adult novels following the adventures of an Australian expat, errant journalist and accidental hero.
Fostergirls
Liane Shaw - 2011
That's how everyone thinks of her. Sadie doesn't care. In fact, she'd be happier if they didn't think of her at all. Her goal is to go unnoticed and disappear until she reaches the age of sixteen and can apply for legal emancipation. Now she finds herself in another new high school, another new group home--number thirteen, but who's counting? This time there's a girl at her school named Rhiannon, who won't let her be invisible and insists on being her friend, and a guidance counselor, who won't give up trying to find out why Sadie has such a hard time in English class. Their belief in her might be able to restore Sadie's belief in others, and maybe even herself. But a person from her past and a shocking accident threaten to turn Sadie back to the safety of her self-imposed isolation.
Diary of a Witness
Catherine Ryan Hyde - 2009
. . .Ernie doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Just Will. They have stuff in common—like fishing. But more important, they have common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport. For the most part, Ernie and Will take life at high school in stride. Until Will has one very bad day. Now nothing is remotely funny. Ernie finds himself a witness—to loss, to humiliation, and to Will’s anger—an anger that’s building each and every moment. Ernie doesn’t want to believe his best friend is changing, but he can’t deny the truth. Soon he has a choice: join or die. Or can he find another way? Praise for The Day I Killed James:“Teens who have experienced crushing rejection or who have laughed at the ardent feelings of a classmate will devour this original, gripping story.”—Kirkus Reviews
Cattail Moon
Jean Thesman - 1994
Determined to be herself, not the "perfect" girl her mother hopes for, Julia chooses to live with her grandmother and her divorced father in a little town in the Cascade Mountains.But tiny Moon Valley lacks the one thing Julia desperately craves: a good music teacher. When a girl dressed in white appears among the cattails, singing Puccini arias in a haunting voice, Julia knows she must meet her and find out where she studies. But the girl always manages to slip away and vanish among the trees. There are hints that the people of Moon Valley may have the answer to the mystery, and surely Luke Sutherland, Julia's silent, blue-eyed neighbor, knows more about this elusive person than he will admit.With her latest novel, Cattail Moon, award-winning Jean Thesman has created a romance, a mystery, and an absorbing story of a young girl who is learning to claim her decisions and choices as her own.
Seven Days to a Brand-New Me
Ellen Conford - 1981
And his locker is right next to hers. But how can Maddy Kemper, self-labelled Mouse, get him to notice her?Why, with the help of that best-selling new book, Seven Days to a Brand-New You. In just seven days, Maddy is determined to go from dull to dazzling, from being next to Adam's locker to being in his arms.Only things don't quite work out the way Maddy planned.Suddenly, it's seven days to a great big mess!
The Invisible Hero
Elizabeth Fensham - 2011
He’s used to being the loner, the odd one out, the boy who lives with his nan. So when Philip’s class is given a school assignment to write about heroes and villains, the project causes conflict in the classroom as everyone weighs in on the debate. For the first time, Philip has the opportunity to shine in school - but can he convince the class that being different is not necessarily a bad thing and that heroes have many disguises?
Kare Kano -- Vols 1-3 Collection
Masami Tsuda - 2008
She's the number-one student at her school...or at least she was until she was shown up by the new boy, Soichiro Arima. He one-ups her in every department, and the worst thing about it is that he's sincere! With her ego in jeopardy, Yukino will do whatever it takes to regain the spotlight, but falling in love was never part of the plan.
Babysitters Club Collection #4 (The Babysitters Club, #10-12)
Ann M. Martin - 1996
Logan likes Mary Anne!11. Kristy and the Snobs 12. Claudia and the New Girl
The Boyfriend Plan
Shilo "Nightdrives"
Dory laughed, “That’s ridiculous.” Bernadette shook her head, her face lighting up. “No! You’re onto something, Evie! This is the 21st century, after all. No more boys throwing girls over their shoulders and wooing them! We can do it too. Let’s go kidnap some boys.” ❞
1,000 Reasons Never to Kiss a Boy
Martha Freeman - 2007
Why bother, when there are a thousand reasons why it will never be worth it. But there are more surprises in store for Jane this year, and one of them--a surprisingly cute one of them--lives right next door.
Maine Squeeze: Maine Squeeze / Banana Splitsville
Catherine Clark - 2010
She's going to share a house with her best friends, earn money for college, and spend every free moment with her boyfriend, Ben. It's the perfect plan. At least until she discovers that she's going to be working side by side with Evan, the guy she dated last summer—the best summer of her life . . . until he broke her heart. Will Colleen be able to keep her cool when this summer starts heating up?Courtney Von Dragen Smith didn't plan on being single her senior year. But in Banana Splitsville, thanks to her now-ex-boyfriend Dave, single is exactly what she is. And miserable. That's okay, though, because she has a plan: steer clear of boys for the rest of high school. Oh, and stick to a new vegan diet. But it turns out that ignoring all guys (well, really one guy in particular) is about as hard as keeping away from sundaes when you work at Truth or Dairy. Is Courtney falling in love again? (With more than that dish of scrumptious ice cream?)
L.A. Candy
Lauren Conrad - 2009
Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara-free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres-and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
Hollywood Nobody
Lisa Samson - 2007
Scotty is determined to discover what she wants from life. She’s even documenting the journey on her “Hollywood Nobody” blog. But as Scotty begins to ask tough questions, will her story have a happy ending?
What I Wish I'd Known in High School: The Second Semester
John Bytheway - 1995
. . Class is back in session with John Bytheway. In this sequel to his best-selling What I Wish I'd Known in High School: A Crash Course in Teenage Survival, John Bytheway approaches the deep-down, soul-searching questions that teenagers ponder. He outlines each chapter as if it were a class in high school. 'Classes' cover such subjects as repentance, recognizing the Spirit, prayer, and preparing for the temple. The author has looked for answers to questions in the scriptures and from the words of the prophets. A lively lunch break between classes is vintage Bytheway. Teenagers will better understand the gospel when they read the answers to some of their own questions in John's humorous yet teaching book.
Spoken
Melanie Weiss - 2019
A relationship with his father. When Roman’s life gets turned upside down, (thanks, Mom!?), he is forced to leave his pampered Hollywood lifestyle and move into his grandparents’ Midwestern home. Sleeping on a lumpy pullout sofa and starting at a new high school is the worst, but Roman’s life starts to look up when his pink-haired friend, Zuzu, and his crush, a classmate named Claire, introduce him to performance poetry through the high school's Spoken Word Club. While his mom is flying back and forth to L.A., trying to return them to the life they had, Roman becomes part of a diverse group of characters who challenge his rather privileged view of the world. Through Spoken Word, Roman recognizes the hole in his own life he needs to fill and discovers his voice. Spoken Word leads Roman on a journey of new friendships, first love, and finding the dad he never knew. “Spoken” is an uplifting, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story that captures how the honesty of performance poetry binds together students from all different walks of life and forever changes Roman’s life.