Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian, even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from giving Jamie a good pounding every once in awhile.

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding seventh grade unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere. But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers that there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned, and...

With Dr. Kevin Leman's expert guidance, you'll see how you can help your child not only survive but thrive during these turbulent years. --Publisher

"Nate Wright is born to be wild! And when Enslave the Mollusk is invited to play at the P.S. 38 annual open house, he and his bandmates are on the stairway to heaven. While the kids rock, the school year rolls on. Mrs. Godfrey is back in black, Gina thinks she's hot stuff, and Coach John is dazed and confused. The good news: Nate's finally reunited with Trudy, his summer crush. But when he finds out she's a--gulp--seventh grader, will Nate lose that...

Katya is a nervous middle schooler whose fertile imagination defaults to disaster. The voice in her head warns of poisoned Halloween candy, looming social ostracism, imminent acne, and rabid raccoons. In six short entries we cheer her on as she breaks free of her fears and banishes the voice.

The French have a name for the uniquely hellish years between elementary school and high school: "l'âge ingrat" or "The Ugly Age." Characterized by a perfect storm of developmental changes-physical, psychological, and social-the middle-school years area time of great distress for parents and children alike, marked by hurt, isolation, exclusion, competition, anxiety, and often outright cruelty. Some of this is inevitable; there are intrinsic challenges...

When thirteen-year-old Tammy Aiko sneaks off to the beach and comes face to face with three sharks, she is shocked to find out that the sharks are friendly and need her help.

Three middle-school-aged best friends, struggling with bullies and pressures at school, are dared by a gang of older kids to spend the night in an abandoned mansion. Lying to their parents about their whereabouts for the evening, they camp out together with plenty of gadgetry stake-out gear. If they make it through the night, they hope to win over the girls they have been crushing on. However, the night takes an interesting turn when they encounter...

Journalist Robbins explores the ways group identity theories play out among cliques--and the students they exclude. She reveals the new labels students stick onto each other today, the long-term effects of this marginalization, and the reasons students in these categories are often shunned. Then she celebrates them. The homogenization of the US education system has made outcasts more important than ever. In this conformist, creativity-stifling society,...