Ellie, the main character in The Third Mushroom by Jennifer Holm, was in middle school when the “Mushroom War” started. Her parents tried to get Ellie to eat mushrooms by hiding them in various dishes, but after trying them twice, Ellie refused to eat a third mushroom.
The Santa’s Gift is a short story written by Paromita Goswami who lives in central India, so Indian culture, attitudes, and ways of speaking flow throughout the story. It is about almost 11-year-old know-it-all Toby who winds up learning some lessons about life. He thinks his mother should make sure he has clean socks every day, but she is overwhelmed with her job and household duties without the help of her maid. She thinks Toby is old enough to take on some responsibilities himself, so she stops washing the extra clothes he gets dirty.
Grow Up Messy! is about a little girl named Misry whom everyone has nicknamed Messy, as she usually makes a mess out of things. Misry lives in India where her father is a soldier. A few things that cause messes are that she tries to prove she is as good as the older kids, swim on her own, fight on the bus, and defend herself by spitting! With the help of her mom, dad, aunt, and principal, she learns how to grow up – but not messy!
A Secret in the Forest by Marie Navarro is another enchanting addition to the FeyTerrah story. After jumping into the river on his way back to FeyTerrah, Dreamer Riverlord wants one more glance at his fiancée, so he looks back. Upon looking back, he cuts off the connection and is unable to return to his home in FeyTerrah. Because he is forced to stay on Earth, Dreamer finds ways to keep himself occupied with the new situation of Fey Watchers and the unreturned rings.
The Cirque has always been Sasha’s favorite place. With its circus-like performances, the Cirque always gave her a magical sense of wonder – a feeling that made her never want to leave its tents. But now that Sasha has reached 5th grade, she is being sent to school with the ordinary children who live on her island, and they just don’t understand. The bullying that Sasha receives at school just for being part of the Cirque is making her start to question everything. Is the Cirque even magical at all?
In the time of Rome, Guiamo Durmius Stolo - just another ordinary Roman boy - is abandoned by his uncle in Gaul. Now alone, Guiamo begins to wander aimlessly on the road, heading to a destination he does not know. After wandering for a while, he meets a fisherman who takes him in, teaching him the ways of fishing, and eventually recognizes the talent the boy possessed. After some time has passed, he sends Guiamo once more on the road, but this time to a friend who will teach Guimo even more than the fisherman could.
Having realized the importance of her newfound abilities, Chapel trains harder than ever alongside Zay and his team. However, all is not perfect between the lovebirds. While Zay is a member of Thanatos, Chapel was forced into pledging Bellum, putting the two on opposite sides of the battle for new GenExes. To add fuel to the fire, Zay’s ex-friend and Chapel’s attractive Bellum recruiter, Gabriel Luxe, is back in town, and he may want to be more than Chapel’s platonic friend. And boys aren’t Chapel’s only problem.
True Blue Forever is a satisfying end to Joyce Scarbrough's True Blue Trilogy. It's 1980 - their senior year of high school! Mickey and Wade have come to acceptable terms with each other and Jeana. Even Billy Joe finds a girl who can put up with him. Only days after life begins to be perfect for the foursome, tragedy strikes. Jeana's world is flipped upside down and she starts having to make the hardest decisions of her life. Will she make the right choice? Can Billy Joe keep the one girl who has put up with him better than Jeana? Find out in this book.
