Synopsis: Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she's flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. As readers delve into the story, they'll eventually discover what it was that tore Mazzy's family apart, and they'll see what it takes to put it back together.

Despite its serious subject matter, Mazzy brings humor to the trying age of adolescence and gives readers just the kind of awkward, troubled, and endearing character they will gladly embrace.

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family’s struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won’t help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again—a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy’s family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader?
 
This book is a funny and sweet debut featuring an unforgettable narrator who knows what she wants, whether it’s great makeup, a killer business plan, or a better world.

F&P level: T
F&P genre: RF

Synopsis: A breakthrough new series from bestselling author Patrick Carman, featuring text and technology in an innovative new way.

Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and forbidden to see Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her videocam to search things out. . .and then email the clips for Ryan to see.

In a new, groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts -- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.

Synopsis: It is 1954 in small-town Oklahoma and for 14-year-old Albie Stone and his two best friends, their innocent summer vacation revolves around fishing in the creek, afternoons at the local swimming pool and riding their bikes outside of town to explore the dark, hidden crevasses of the nearby caves they've recently discovered. But the caves become more than a simple adventure destination when an elderly, silver-haired Indian man appears almost magically out of nowhere to join them during a weekend campout. The old man befriends and mesmerizes the spellbound youngsters with his captivating campfire stories . . . before quietly disappearing into the summer night! Returning to the caves a few weeks later in hopes of another visit with the Indian they know as Johnny Killbird, the boys are instead swept into a dangerous fight for survival with an escaped murderer who's hiding out in the caves. Albie flees to a secret hideaway in the caves but soon finds himself in a face-to-face confrontation with the heartless convict. The battle in the darkened caves suddenly comes to a shocking conclusion as Albie emerges only to himself swept into the middle of a . . . murder investigation! It's a summer . . . and the fond memories of an old Indian . . . that Albie will never forget!

Synopsis: In The Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig, two young boys stumble into a parallel world called the Land of Lights and join an expedition with a mysterious girl, two dwarfs, and two donkeys on a quest to find a “gusher”―a buoyant, glowing sphere that holds an as-yet unthought-of brilliant idea. This exciting fantasy adventure book for middle readers is unlike anything else you will find. The unique and imaginative story―full of danger and magic; seers, dwarfs and elves; bloodthirsty trolls and crazy miners―keeps the reader glued to the book, while interwoven historical facts remind the reader of great gifts to the world by the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Wilber and Orville Wright, Charles Babbage, and others. In this fantasy story all ideas originate in the Land of Lights. These ideas are released for discovery into our world, which is called the Land of Harvesters. The ideas are contained in glowing spheres call squirts and gushers. Squirts are the everyday types of ideas: “I’ll walk the dog,” or “I’ll wash the car.” Gushers are world-changing: the printing press, flight, computers. The squirts and gushers encountered by the two young boys on their journey, and while camping on top of a mountain playing a game called “Catch the Squirt,” provide a glimpse into their past and future, creating an excitement for ideas. For children today, preparing to embark on their journey through ideas which we call high school and college, the most important thing they can take with them is a passion for education and discovery. This book, with hidden worlds, crazy characters, and danger, plants these seeds of passion. As one of the reviewers of the book wrote: “With elements reminiscent of The Hobbit and Harry Potter, the pace and variety of challenges carry the reader along to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.” A part of this satisfying conclusion is captured in the very last line of the book: “Ideas define us, our past, our present, and, most importantly, our future.” It’s for the future that this book may have the most impact, by sending kids forward with a budding thirst for knowledge and an excitement for the world’s undiscovered potential.

Synopsis: Quirky, smart, and good looking, Zack Chase is a book-loving, talented hockey player.But he doesn't want to turn pro like his late dad, despite his mom's hopes. New in town, Zack's pitted against obnoxious Mac, the hockey team captain with something against Jane, the alluring Goth-girl who's caught Zack's eye. As incidents on the ice and off force Zack to decide what he really wants, he copes with sore losers, other people's drinking problems, and the consequences of making out with too many girls. As Zack focuses even less on hockey, he discovers other ways he wants to score in life, especially as a 15-year-old guy with spiking hormones. He's being chased by hot little Mona; his best friend Sheila has curves that make him sweat; and he'd like to show Jane that he's not another typical hockey player. Soon Zack finds out the hard way that people have secrets and burdens all their own, and that some actions have tragic, far-reaching consequences.