The Big Cheese of Third Street

The Big Cheese of Third Street

Little Benny lives in a world of big people, and he doesn’t get any respect. They use him as a ball, dress him as a doll, and even mistake him for a tomato in the salad. The big Antonellis and the big Sorensons have a lot of fun with Little Benny until the day of the...
Prom

Prom

Ashley doesn’t care about going to the prom. She cares about T.J. and about moving into an apartment with him. Her friends, however, especially Nat, are dreaming about the prom and when it turns out that a math teacher has stolen all the prom funds, Nat steps up to...
Speak

Speak

This book was nominated for a National Book Award in 1999 so you get a sense of how well written it is and how powerful it is. This is a keen look at life in a high school through the eyes of a girl who cannot speak up for herself. She has lost the ability to speak up...
Twisted

Twisted

What a powerful story of a guy trying to figure out who he is and what his values are, while his parents are falling apart, and the girl of his dreams is tantalizingly close, yet caught in her own struggle and weakness. Senior in high school, Tyler Miller, has a...
Catalyst

Catalyst

High school senior, Kate Malone, is waiting for her acceptance letter from MIT so she can proceed with her life in orderly fashion. Unbeknownst to her family and friends, MIT is the only school she applied to. There are no safety schools waiting to catch her if she...
Tomorrowland: Ten Stories About the Future

Tomorrowland: Ten Stories About the Future

I am such a strong proponent of short stories for kids who have moved into middle school. They have limited time to read, and they tend to choose the same thing over and over again. A collection like this exposes them to different authors and gives them a chance to...
Pictures of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods

“No wonder she hasn’t been adopted. She’s a mountain of trouble, that Hollis Woods.” Hollis is twelve years old, and she’s been in plenty of foster homes. She keeps “running money” so she can always tell herself she can get away, and she’s an artist. Hollis is about...