Frank Carlson Library

"There shouldn't be a Citrus County. Teenage romance should be difficult, but not this difficult. Boys like Toby should cause trouble but not this much. The moon should glow gently over children safe in their beds. Uncles in their rockers should be kind. Teachers should guide and inspire. Manatees should laze and palm trees sway and snakes keep to their shady spots under the azalea thickets. The air shouldn't smell like a swamp. The stars should twinkle....

In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.

As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvacious Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend-- or more than friend-- Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?"

"The kids from Mr. Terupt's fifth- and sixth-grade classes are entering their first year of junior high school. There's a lot to be excited about, but there are new challenges, too. Everyone is missing Mr. Terupt. When a fight threatens to break up the group forever, they think their favorite teacher is the only one who can help them. But the kids soon find out that it's Mr. Terupt who needs saving"--

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life.

"The school play is in danger of closing before it even opens if Club CSI: can't figure out who's ruining rehearsals! Someone is trying to sabotage the school play, and it's up to Hannah, Ben, and Corey to make sure the show goes on. Club CSI: learns that the play was written by an eighth grader at Woodlands Junior High--- Is the culprit a jealous classmate? Or could a disgruntled actor be to blame? As more props go missing and the set is vandalized,...

Sixth-grader Charlie encounters a lot of drama when she auditions for the junior high school musical.

Junior high student Nina has a problem other girls can only dream about: two cute boys, Zero and Ichi, are madly in love with her! And they are both apprentice wizards to boot. When a wild magic spell goes terribly wrong, Nina has her first kiss! But who's the lucky boy?

"Twins Andie and Caitlin are best friends but they couldn't be more different. Andie loves sports and hanging out with her friends, Caitlin is passionate about music and loves learning at school. Now that junior high is starting, the girls will finally get a chance to pave their own way. They can't wait! But when Caitlin discovers she'll have to pass a fitness test or spend every day after school doing gym, she fears her year is ruined before it even...

It's 1982, and the Dicksons move to a southern town where all the girls long for Farrah Fawcett type curls. Pre-teen Aurelie begs her parents for a perm hoping for a life-changing curly waves but the bored student/beautician accidentally sets the timer for too long. Now Aurelie is left as a gawky yet endearing young teenager trying to navigate junior high.