Middle School Fiction

Experience is the best teacher. But if we can learn from others’ mistakes, all the better. The world is made more interesting because of the people who live in it. Coming across different beliefs, personalities, goals, and agendas all make for a richer, more profound life. Our differences will test us, break us apart, and even bring us closer together. Best of all, our differences can teach us that we can co-exist and that there is always room for improvement. After all, if we can learn a thing or two on how to act (or how NOT to act) from others, then why not? In “ Surprises From India...

For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player), Callum, tells Mila it's his birthday, and asks her for a "birthday hug." He's just being friendly, isn't he? And how can she say no? But Callum's hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels...weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn't she know what flirting looks like? But the boys don't leave Mila alone.

A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a White, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom.

Heidi is making new friends at Broomsfield Academy—in particular, a popular girl named Isabelle. But it turns out Isabelle has a big secret that Heidi discovers by accident! Heidi promises to keep the secret, but as more time goes by, it becomes more and more difficult…especially with nosy Melanie Maplethorpe snooping around. This secret is huge. Will Heidi be able to keep her promise?

It's not easy being Rafe Khatchadorian's sister. He's got quite a reputation around school, and Georgia's got it hard enough as is! With a super secret crush on her classmate Sam Marks, a Rube Goldberg machine challenge to dominate, and constant confrontations with vicious Missy Trillin and her evil Princess Patrol to look forward to, Georgia can't help but throw all her energy into the one thing that makes her happy: her kick-butt, all-girl rock band, We Stink!

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.

Six-year-old Apple Blossom Orchard runs through the Louisana swamps and makes her home in the grasses and trees she sees. Living in a make-believe world, Blossom finds an old railroad car and turns it into the castle she has always wanted. A princess who reigns, a little girl who is lost, neglected by the woman she believes is her mother. Her castle is where she stays and sleeps until waking one morning and finding her castle is moving. How? She is unsure? Why? She doesn't really know, but in her heart she knows that a great adventure awaits her. Momma won't miss her she says to her ...

Rafe Khatchadorian is days away from sweet, sweet summer freedom, until bad grades threaten to land him in...summer school.It's impossible to fail out of a summer job, right? Wrong. He strikes out at the zoo then grosses out at a billionaire's country club. Rafe is destined for the Failed Jobs Hall of Fame until an encounter with an endangered lion puts his wildlife knowledge to the test...and it's more than his grade on the line this time.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I've been waiting for ages to tell my story, and now it's finally happening! Being Rafe's dog isn't always easy, but it is always EXCITING! I've got so much to tell you about: How I protect the yard from birds, raccoons, squirrels, raccoons, mail carriers...and did I mention RACCOONS? These were all the most paw-some parts of my doggie life—until the evil Mrs. Stricker threatened to send me back to the pound if I didn't learn to behave. Now Rafe and I have to go to obedience school and win the trophy for Best Trained Dog...or else!

After scoring big on national TV in the semifinals contest, everyone back home is jumping on the Jamie Grimm bandwagon, and all the attention might be going to his head. Not only are his friendships starting to suffer, but the pressure of coming up with his best material ever for the ultimate standup act to snag the final win in Hollywood is pushing Jamie to the brink. Suddenly, life isn't looking very funny anymore. Can Jamie take the grand prize without pushing away his fans, friends, and family?

Toby is a beagle who doesn't seem to have a purpose. While all of his littermates are adopted right away, Toby is left behind because he's not as energetic as they are. But because he is so quiet, he is adopted by a girl named Mona and her mother, who works at a nursing home. As Toby comforts the residents of the home, he discovers that his purpose may be the most important of all!

Jacob is a perfectly ordinary boy, but he keeps getting into trouble, and it is never his fault. So when he discovers that he can control his teachers just by using the power of his mind, it is a recipe for mayhem! Jacob sets out to be the world's greatest super criminal, but things don't exactly go according to plan.

Jojo has everything planned out for the perfect first day of middle school, down to her outfit and hairstyle. But when Mom, distracted by her new live-in boyfriend, Paul, forgets to wake Jojo up, she oversleeps and has to make do with leggings, a t-shirt, and her brother’s hoodie. The day still goes okay until Jojo realizes that she has a hole in her leggings thanks to Purrito, the kitten Paul “gifted” her. Because Paul isn’t just Paul; he’s Mr. Meow, a mega-famous cat-fluencer.

Sharanjit Thind is sick of his drab, regular life, and cannot wait for school to end for the summer. Looking forward to some excitement at last, he is in for quite a surprise, for it is on the last day of school, right after a farewell party for their seniors, that Sharan comes face to face with terrifying events that will change his life forever... Within the next twenty-four hours, he will be visited by an alien, kidnapped by the creature, and his friends - Umang and Qamar - will be gravely endangered. Not only will their sanity be threatened, their beloved planet Earth will come ...

Rachel Brooks is excited for the new school year. She's finally earned a place as a forward on her soccer team. Her best friends make everything fun. And she really likes Tate, and she's pretty sure he likes her back. After one last appointment with her scoliosis doctor, this will be her best year yet. Then the doctor delivers some terrible news: The sideways curve in Rachel's spine has gotten worse, and she needs to wear a back brace 23 hours a day. The brace wraps her in hard plastic from shoulder blades to hips.

Kenny Wright is a kid with a secret identity. In his mind he's Stainlezz Steel, superpowered defender of the weak. In reality he's a chess club devotee known as a grandma's boy, a label that makes him an easy target for bullies. Kenny wants to bring a little more Steel to the real world, but the question is: Can he recognize his own true strength before peer pressure forces him to make the worst choice of his life?

Junior is loving his life with the Khatchadorian family. But his idyllic life soon turns to terror when a mysterious individual begins to make trouble in the neighborhood. It starts with a mysterious howling in the night. And when Junior's pooch pals realize their favorite toys are missing, things get serious. Junior thinks he knows what is happening. He's heard of a mysterious creature called the Howly Wiener that visits town once a year and fills the street with monsters.

The stakes have never been higher than in the final installment of Magisterium from the best-selling powerhouse authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

Things heat up at Hills Village Middle School when Rafe gets an invitation from Dr Daria Deerwin to join a research study on polar bears. How many times in life do you get a chance to come face-to-face with a real polar bear in the wild? Rafe is ready to find out! Alaska is pinkie-freezing, hair-freezing, snot-freezing cold, but Rafe might be headed for a meltdown. He's spending every waking moment with Penelope, who he definitely has a crush on, and a polar bear Dr Deerwin is tracking goes missing...with poachers on the tundra.

A ghost with a dream. A ballet student with a secret. Can they help each other before the curtain falls? For two centuries, Grace has drifted through the echoing halls of Amberwood, a lonely ghost longing for the warmth of applause and the joy of dance. Now, it's a ballet boarding school, and she's discovered her true passion: ballet! But she's trapped within Amberwood's ghostly realm. Her only companion is Rodney, a fellow ghost with a free-roaming spirit and a knack for getting into trouble. Twelve-year-old Lauren Mason arrives at Amberwood with dreams of her own, but she's also carrying ...