Acampora, Paul.  Defining Dulcie. Y Fic Acampora
When sixteen-year-old Dulcie's father dies, her mother makes a decision to move them to California, where Dulcie makes an equally radical decision to steal her dad's old truck and head back home.

Alvarez, Julia. Return to Sender. Y FIC Alvarez
After his family hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest daughter, but when he discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real friendship knows no borders.

Bonk, John J. Dustin Grubbs : one-man show. Y Fic Bonk
A sixth-grader, who longs to see his name in lights, recounts life at Buttermilk Falls Elementary in preparation for the school drama production

Choldenko, Gennifer. If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period.  Y FIC Choldenko
Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, alternate telling how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate, even as they are uncovering a long-kept secret about themselves.

Cochrane, Mick.  The Girl who Threw Butterflies.  Y FIC Cochrane
Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.

Gavalda, Anna. 95 Pounds of Hope.  Y FIC Gavalda
From his first day, school had been torture for Gregory and it got progressively worse, until he was expelled in eighth grade, but through all his difficulties, Gregory could count on support from his grandfather, until his grandfather became ill and needed support from Gregory.

Goldschmidt, Judy. The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez .  Y Fic Goldschmidt
In a weblog she sends to her best friends back in Berkeley, seventh-grader Raisin Rodriguez chronicles her successes and her more frequent humiliating failures as she attempts to make friends at her new Philadelphia school.

Higgins, Jack. First Strike.  Y FIC Higgins
British twins Rich and Jade are once again thrown into danger as they try to help their spy father, John Chance, save the President of the United States from a radical group holding the White House hostage and attempting to steal the nation's nuclear launch codes.

Kaaberbol, Lene. The Shamer's Daughter.  Y FIC Kaaberbol
After her mother, a Shamer, is summoned to Dunark for a mission, ten-year-old Dina is forced to use her own special powers as she is caught up in an adventure of political intrigue and survival.

Korman, Gordon. The Twinkie Squad. Y Fic Korman
Chaos spreads when Douglas, the most eccentric sixth grader in Thaddeus G. Little Middle School, joins the Twinkie Squad, a special counselling group for problem students.

Koss, Amy Goldman. The Girls. Y Fic Koss
Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, and the hurt and self-doubt that it causes them.

Lawrence, Iain. The Wreckers.  Y FIC Lawrence
Shipwrecked after a vicious storm, fourteen-year-old John Spencer attempts to save his father and himself while also dealing with an evil secret about the English coastal town where they are stranded.

Martin, Ann. Here Today. Y FIC Martin
In 1963, when her flamboyant mother abandons the family to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, eleven-year-old Ellie Dingman takes charge of her younger siblings, while also trying to deal with her outcast status in school and frightening acts of prejudice toward the "misfits" that live on her street.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Alice In-Between. Y FIC Naylor
When motherless Alice turns thirteen she feels in-between, no longer a child but not yet a woman, and discovers that growing up can be both frustrating and wonderful.

Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. Y FIC Paterson/Y PB P
Having felt deprived all her life of schooling, friends, mother, and even her name by her twin sister, Louise finally begins to find her identity.

Paulsen, Gary.  Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered.  Y FIC Paulsen
Sent to live with relatives on their farm because of his unhappy home life, an eleven-year-old city boy meets his distant cousin Harris and is given an introduction to a whole new world.

Sheldon, Dyan.  Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.  Y FIC Sheldon
In her first year at a suburban New Jersy high school,  Mary Elizabeth Cep, who now calls herself "Lola,"  sets her sights on the lead in the annual drama production, and finds herself in conflict with the most popular girl in school.

Spinelli, Jerry.  Maniac Magee : A Novel.  Y FIC Spinelli/ Y PB S
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.

Wells, Rosemary. Through the Hidden Door. Y FIC Wells
Two boys stumble upon the remains of an ancient underground civilization.

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