Middle School Friendship

New York Times best-selling author Nikki Grimes has received numerous accolades for her writing, including the Coretta Scott King Award. In Planet Middle School, 12-year-old Joylin Johnson is satisfied with her life. Everything seems pretty simple: a nice, relaxed game of basketball with the boys is all she needs to keep her happy. But it all changes when her best girlfriend starts flirting with her best guy friend.

Meet Hope Roberts. She's 11 years old, and she wants to be an astrophysicist. She loves swimming, Galaxy Girl comicbooks, 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.

Eleven-year-old Imogene (Impy) has grown up with two parents working at the Renaissance Faire, and she's eager to begin her own training as a squire. First, though, she'll need to prove her bravery. Luckily, Impy has just the quest in mind - she'll go to public school after a life of being homeschooled! But it's not easy to act like a noble knight-in-training in middle school. When her new friends encourage her to do something mean, Impy goes along with it. Before long, Impy doesn't even recognize herself. Is she the dragon in her own story or the heroic knight?

Eleven-year-old Anthoni Gillis is not the kind of kid who believes in fairies, unicorns, or even the word maybe. She's more of a comic-book girl. So when her mom brings her to Thunder Lake for a summer at the Showboat Resort, she doesn't believe the local rumors about the Boulay Mermaid. Anthoni has bigger fish to fry. She's always wanted a true-blue friend. But it's been hard to find one, since for the past five years she's been bouncing from town to town, helping her mother sell Beauty & the Bee cosmetic products to keep them both afloat. This summer will be different, though.

Inspired by the global phenomenon of the Murdle puzzle books comes the first novel in a new thrilling mystery series, for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library and The Swifts. It’s a cloudy day on the Sacred Kidney playground, but Jake likes it that way—dark and uncertain. For a junior...

Here are 33 stories about bullies and the ups and downs of friendship for younger teens, including "True Friends and New Friends", "Mean Girls... and Boys", "Embarrassing Moments" and "Bully Payback".

Harkening to classics such as Roald Dahl's The BFG, this heartwarming story highlights the power of friendship and the importance of finding your voice. Carl Chesterfield wishes he could speak up—whether that means being honest with his father about the family's new (and failing) food truck...

Magic and mayhem collide in beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter’s hilarious children's book debut, perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski and Wendy Mass. Emma Rockford knows it will take bonafide magic to make middle school everything she wants it to be. Luckily, before...

It's a robot revolt! As Sammy's inventor mom works on a secret project, he and his sister try to contain the hilarious pranks and chaos of droids on strike. After a few early glitches in their relationship, Sammy and his "bro-bot" E are now fast friends. In fact, E is such a valued member of the...

Salvatore d’Amato is determined to get a kiss before his birthday – easier said than done. From the bestselling and much-loved Jean Ure. No child is ever ordinary, and certainly not Salvatore d’Amato – or Sally Tomato, as he’s sometimes called. He’s out to get a girl and he has a...

The #1 New York Times bestseller, perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! An extraordinary robot enters an ordinary fifth grade class in this hilarious, action-packed start to the #1 bestselling series from James Patterson! Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez has never really fit in, with an inventor...

Created by real-life rivals and #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft this hilarious story features two talented fifth graders going head-to-head in a competition for the ages. J and K are the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J...

A new series of standalone video game books from bestselling author Dustin Brady (Trapped in a Video Game series) to delight young gamers. Perfect for ages 9-12. YouTube sensation Sir Hype is using groundbreaking technology to take his annual mountain challenge inside of a video game. One...

Raam Patel is eager to prove himself ever since he didn't make the middle school's basketball team. So, when Hoop Con comes to town he is determined to be there and take his shot. His big moment proves to be unforgettable . . . but not in the way he'd hoped. Raam gets schooled by the camp's golden boy right in front of his NBA idol. To make matters even worse, this fail goes viral.

Rain Reign meets Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World in this heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons. Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit...

Dive into the first Breakfast Club Investigators mystery with Marcus and friends! This spooky adventure is the first exciting book in the series by England International footballer and bestselling author Marcus Rashford MBE. Inspired by Marcus's own experiences growing up! When twelve-year-old...

A mysterious new fox! A daring mission! Glitter cannons galore! Your favorite fox cub siblings are back with an all-new wildly funny story that will have kids (and their grown-ups) laughing out loud. Fox siblings Ted and Nancy love their new life in Grimwood––the forest where anything can...

Inspired by the internationally bestselling Murdle phenomenon, comes the second novel in the thrilling mystery series for fans of The Candymakers and The Swifts. Olivia is literally the world's smartest detective. She can hack into any computer, get past any firewall, download anything she...

In book two of the House of Robots series, it's 'bot brains versus 'bot brawn in an all-out war! Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez and his "bro-bot" E are making new friends every day as E works as his bedridden sister Maddie's school proxy. But disaster strikes when E malfunctions just in time to be...

Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: "He" is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender's body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection, or worse. Despite the risks, Grayson's true self itches to break free. Will new strength from an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher's wisdom be enough to help Grayson step into the spotlight she was born to inhabit?