August Ross
Back before the stock market crash, Jack's dad had been working steadily, and their family had had plenty of money. But now, in the middle of the 1930s Depression, there isn't much work for a trombone player—just a gig down in New York City once in a while. So fourteen-year-old Jack is doing his best to help out. He's lucky enough to get a weekend job at the town boat club where the "rich folks" hang out, but Jack wishes his dad would at
...3) Chipper
It's 1895 in New York City. Hard times have hit, and life isn't going to get noticeably better any time soon.
Almost-thirteen-year-old Chipper Carey is running with the Midnight Rats kid gang just to survive. Chipper doesn't normally like to think beyond the present. His past has been bad enough! Ma died of consumption when he was six. His short-lived stay with Aunt Millie and Uncle Bert consisted of endless beatings. He never even knew
...4) The Jazz Kid
At thirteen, George Stable still hasn't made his mark on the world. Oh, he plays the guitar and sings a little. And he appeared on television for six whole seconds once. A couple of years ago, he even wrote a sort of book, called The Teddy Bear Habit. But nothing really exciting has happened to him. But now, it looks as if his big chance has finally come. This agent of his, Woody Woodward, who discovered him during his six-second TV career,
...Dead Jed is Shaun of the Dead meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Jed's not your typical middle school geek. He is, to use the politically correct term, cardiovascularly challenged. And while his parents have attempted to shield him from the implications of being different for as long as they could (Jed was eight and at a friend's sister's birthday party when he blew his lips off onto the cake in front of everyone, finally prompting
...With seventh grade behind him, Jed jumps at the opportunity to spend the summer in Mexico with his dad. But there's just one catch: Luke and Tread get to tag along.
In Mexico, fitting in might be easier than Jed imagined, with holidays such as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Here, a rising eighth grade zombie boy and his zombie dog won't draw that much attention.
But then Tread unwittingly sets off Mexico's Chupacabra Defense
...After a tumultuous first semester in seventh grade, Jed Rivers returns triumphant—or so he thinks. After embracing his undeadness to put his archenemy Robbie in his place, the thirteen-year-old zombie thought he'd have a much easier time surviving the second semester relatively intact. That was before he came across the antizombie propaganda published by the mysterious NZN Network, a group trying to push Hollywood stereotypes as the truth.
...11) So Hard to Say
Frederick is the shy new boy in school, and Xio is the bubbly chica who lends him a pen on the first day of class. They become fast friends—but when Xio decides she wants to be more than friends, Frederick isn't so sure. He loves hanging out with Xio and her crew, but he doesn't like her in that way. Instead he finds himself thinking more and more about Victor, the captain of the soccer team. But does that mean Frederick is gay? He
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