Allie West finds it challenging to make new friends and stay true to old ones as she navigates fifth grade at a school run by her mother.

In middle school, words aren't just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever. When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in...

"It's hatching season, and all of Jemison Elementary is buzzing about the arrival of the baby chicks. Soon, the chicks will pip a hole in their shells, unzip the eggs, and take their places in the world. For fifth-grader Jillian, breaking out of her shell is much harder. Jillian is always too shy to raise her hand in class, even when she knows the right answers; meanwhile her nemesis, Rashida, is never afraid to speak her mind. As Jillian's grandma...

On the first day of kindergarten, Polka-dot uses the fix-it kit her grandpa has prepared for her to help her make a friend.

Gavin hates riding the bus. Max, the bus bully, is always picking on him. But when Max is gone for a few days, Gavin starts to worry. Does Gavin actually miss the bus bully?

Best friends Gabe and Oliver tackle family problems, bullying, and the challenge of dealing with the new kid in their sixth grade class, Reuben, who refuses to talk--and no one knows why.

Seventeen-year-old Taiwanese American Olivia joins forces with a secret society of students intent on ending the school's culture around bullying--all while making friends and falling in love along the way.

After book blogger Vivian Galdi's longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart. But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission--and Vivian's zing meter--into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where she works, Dallas wages a counter-mission. Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined...

In Muffuletta, being good at eating is the key to success. French fries and grilled cheese? Beginner food! Haggis and truffles? Delicacies! After failing a school eating test, picky eater Minerva is placed in the lowest eating track of all: Remedial Eating to Change Habits. RETCH class is full of kids with weird personalities and even weirder food preferences. And to make matters worse, Minerva's best friends, in the Gifted and Gourmet class, no longer...

This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science fiction, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations...