Storm clouds, friendship, the mystery of impossible things and a whole lot of heart collide in this extraordinary middle grade novel about a young girl navigating the foster care system in search of a real home, the one that fits just right.

In an endearing story about an autistic boy and his steadfast furry pal, Alex is convinced that winning a trophy at the dog show will help him make a real friend at last. Eleven-year-old Alex knows that starting middle school will be a big change, and for an autistic person, change can be terrifying. He is sure that having a friend by his side will help. But how can he make one? Alex devises a plan to impress the kids at school by winning a trophy at the PAWS Dog Show with his trusty sidekick, Kevin the cockapoo. This should be a walk in the park, right? If only. It turns out that finding a friend is harder than Alex thought--unless, maybe, friendship is about something more than popularity. This charming story, told through Alex's clear and honest voice, navigates relationships of all stripes between classmates, new neighbors, family, and, of course, a kid and his dog. After all, friendship isn't one-size-fits-all--maybe it's found in the small things where you least expect it.

Acclaimed author Eve Ainsworth tackles the increasing expense of football for working-class kids in this touching story of family, community and beating the odds.Lewis loves football more than anything else in the world but his mum doesn't want him to play. They don't have enough money for the kit and she can't forget what happened to Lewis's dad on the pitch. A touching story of loss, family and following your dreams from bestselling author Eve Ainsworth.

Tanya Guerrero's All You Knead Is Love is a contemporary middle grade coming-of-age novel about a twelve-year-old multiracial Filipino and Spanish girl who goes to live with her grandmother for the summer, gaining confidence through a newly discovered passion for baking, perfect for fans of Hello, Universe and Merci Suarez Changes Gears. Sometimes you find home where you least expect it. Twelve-year-old Alba doesn't want to live with her estranged grandmother in Barcelona. She wants to stay with her mom, even if that means enduring her dad's cutting comments to them both. But in her new home, Alba forms a close relationship with her grandmother, gains a supportive father figure and new friends, and even discovers a passion and talent for baking. And through getting to know the city her mother used to call home, Alba starts to understand her mother better—and may just be able to make their family whole again.

Sixth-grader Alley Katz must get an A on a science test, but rather than work with peer mentor Rex, a fourth-grader in a bunny suit, he decides to steal the answer key from the teachers' lounge.

Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Wayside School will love this first book in a new, off-the-wall middle grade series about two boys—one with the heart of a lion and the test scores of a baked potato, the other a shy boy genius in a bunny suit—finding their strengths and true friendship. Sixth-grader Alley Katz is innocently trying to help a bunch of kindergarteners when the burrito hits the fan. Literally. A burrito. A ceiling fan. A hail of beans. Now he has to get an A on his science test or he’ll be transferred to the dreaded Steggles Academy. An A seems impossible! Alley is kind, intrepid, and well-liked, but for some reason he doesn’t get graded on any of that. So the principal assigns a peer mentor to help: Rex, a fourth-grade genius who wears a bunny suit. Alley is totally in favor of both bunnies and fourth graders, but he doesn’t need Rex. He has his own foolproof plan to ace the test. Still, Rex is determined to fulfill his duty as Alley’s mentor—and he may need some help of his own. One boy needs to stay in school, the other needs to get through it. Can this odd couple save the day—and each other?

Alliana spends her days tending to her stepfamily's inn at the edge of the abyss, but when she rescues an orphaned nightdragon and later helps an apprentice witch, she seizes her chance to escape her stepmother's tyranny and find her own happily ever after.

FROM THE BESTSELLING WINNER OF THE PRIX SORCIÈRES From Europe to Africa to the Caribbean, this first installment in the Alma trilogy tells a gripping story of hope, perseverance, and love that readers will not soon forget. 1786. Isolated from the rest of the world, thirteen-year-old Alma lives with her family in a lush African valley. She spends her days exploring their blissful homeland. But everything changes when her little brother finds a secret way out of the valley. Alma sets out to find him, but she soon must face terrible dangers in a continent ravaged by the slave trade. The journey to bring her brother home becomes a harrowing adventure to save herself, her family, and the memory of her people. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, Joseph Mars, an orphan turned petty thief devises a great plan to land himself aboard a slave ship, The Sweet Amelie, on the ultimate quest--to find a pirate's treasure in the far reaches of the Caribbean. But as time passes, he learns he is not alone in his hunger for the treasure, which forces Joseph to rethink the true purpose of his presence aboard The Sweet Amelie. The destinies of a large cast of characters, including Alma and Joseph, become intertwined both on land and at sea in this unforgettable adventure of resilience and compassion as de Fombelle quietly elucidates the slave trade and the infamous Middle Passage for middle grade and YA readers.

FROM THE BESTSELLING WINNER OF THE PRIX SORCIÈRES From Europe to Africa to the Caribbean, this first installment in the Alma trilogy tells a gripping story of hope, perseverance, and love that readers will not soon forget. 1786. Isolated from the rest of the world, thirteen-year-old Alma lives with her family in a lush African valley. She spends her days exploring their blissful homeland. But everything changes when her little brother finds a secret way out of the valley. Alma sets out to find him, but she soon must face terrible dangers in a continent ravaged by the slave trade. The journey to bring her brother home becomes a harrowing adventure to save herself, her family, and the memory of her people. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, Joseph Mars, an orphan turned petty thief devises a great plan to land himself aboard a slave ship, The Sweet Amelie, on the ultimate quest--to find a pirate's treasure in the far reaches of the Caribbean. But as time passes, he learns he is not alone in his hunger for the treasure, which forces Joseph to rethink the true purpose of his presence aboard The Sweet Amelie. The destinies of a large cast of characters, including Alma and Joseph, become intertwined both on land and at sea in this unforgettable adventure of resilience and compassion as de Fombelle quietly elucidates the slave trade and the infamous Middle Passage for middle grade and YA readers.

It is the hot prairie summer of her twelfth year and Elsie is at a crossroads. Her beloved mother who is mentally ill has been hospitalized, and Elsie thinks that the breakdown is all her fault. Mental illness is simply not discussed in Elsie’s close-knit Mennonite community and she is rudderless. Nothing Elsie does seems to go right: there’s no pleasing her bossy older sister; she forgets to feed the cat, so her father gives it away; she’s supposed to watch out for her younger sister, but she lets her come home alone from the swimming pool (despite the lurking menace of a weird stranger around town); and she bargains with God to make her mother well again — to no evident avail. Elsie’s conversations with God, her struggle to overcome guilt, and her honest desire to prove herself are laced with a wicked wit and clarity of vision. Almost Eden is a beautiful portrait of a town, a family, and a young woman willing to challenge the things that don’t make sense to her, and to fix the things that don’t seem right.

Meet the next member of the Almost Epic Squad! If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? What about being able to turn yourself into what you draw? But what if drawing is not exactly what you're best at? Daisy Kildare is starting over at a new school. Sometimes she wishes she could be anywhere else. But when she uses a certain pencil, Daisy finds she becomes whatever she draws. She just needs to harness that power. If only her drawing skills were a little more accurate . . . Meanwhile, it turns out there are forces both good and evil who have had their eyes on Daisy and three other "special" kids since their exposure at birth to a mysterious element called reidium. When Daisy finds herself drawn into an epic battle on land, sea and sky, she must use all her wits and artistic "talents" to fight the evil mastermind The Boss and her conniving minion, Dr. Bafflegab. Readers will be riveted to this high-adventure, howlingly funny story that never misses a beat. The other books in this multi-author series are written by Kevin Sylvester (Mucus Mayhem), Ted Staunton (What Blows Up), and Richard Scrimger (Irresistible - available Fall 2019).

Meet the next member of the Almost Epic Squad! If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? What about becoming mesmerizingly persuasive in the blink of an eye? But what if you're the only one unaware of your charms? Archie O'Kaye mostly rubs people the wrong way. And he doesn't really care. But when he becomes utterly charming right before everyone's eyes at his thirteenth birthday party, his family and friends (there are only two, well one, really . . .) begin to suspect that something is up. Meanwhile, it turns out there are forces both good and evil who have had their eyes on Archie and three other "special" kids since their exposure at birth to a mysterious element called reidium. When the evil Boss and her number two, Clementine Clutterbucket, get wind of Archie's charm, they quickly set to scheming about how to use it in their bid for world domination. Readers will be riveted to this high-adventure, howlingly funny story that never misses a beat. This is the fourth release in a four-book series that can be read in any order. The other books are written by Lesley Livingston (Super Sketchy), Ted Staunton (What Blows Up), and Kevin Sylvester (Mucus Mayhem).

In this unabashedly queer middle grade debut, a week-long amusement park road trip becomes a true roller coaster of emotion when Dalia realizes she has more-than-friend feelings for her new bestie. Dalia's journey to self-discovery is refreshingly honest, and this entire cast of characters will steal your heart." - Maulik Pancholy, actor and Stonewall Honor-winning author of The Best At It Would-be amusement park aficionado Dalia only has two items on her summer bucket list: (1) finally ride a roller coaster and (2) figure out how to make a new best friend. But when her dad suddenly announces that he's engaged, Dalia's schemes come to a screeching halt. With Dalia's future stepsister Alexa heading back to college soon, the grown-ups want the girls to spend the last weeks of summer bonding--meaning Alexa has to cancel the amusement park road trip she's been planning for months. Luckily Dalia comes up with a new plan: If she joins Alexa on her trip and brings Rani, the new girl from her swim team, along maybe she can have the perfect summer after all. But what starts out as a week of funnel cakes and Lazy River rides goes off the rails when Dalia discovers that Alexa's girlfriend is joining the trip. And keeping Alexa's secret makes Dalia realize one of her own: She might have more-than-friend feelings for Rani.

If you thought Junie B. Jones was funny—catch more laughs from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Park with the hilarious sequel to Skinnybones—just right for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and I Funny!   And the award goes to…Alex Frankovitch! Roll out the red carpet! Alex “Skinnybones” Frankovitch is about to become a HUGE star—in his very own TV commercial! But Alex’s plans for stardom go HORRIBLY wrong. Forget fame and fortune—his friends think he’s a FLOP! And his fan club only has two members—a cat and a drooling toddler. Can Alex figure out another way to get his name in lights? Or is this star going to crash and burn?   “Skinnybones equals tickled funny bones.” —Booklist   “Young Alex ‘Skinnybones’ Frankovitch finally gets his chance to become a Big Celebrity…in this amusing follow-up to Skinnybones.” —Publishers Weekly   “Once again demonstrating her remarkable ear for dialogue, [Barbara Park] also shows a good sense of timing in this fast-paced outing.” —School Library Journal