Frank Carlson Library

Seventh-grader Zoey Albro focuses on caring for three younger siblings and avoiding rich classmates at school until her fascination with octopuses gets her on the debate team and she begins to speak out.

Both Nate Wright and school bully Randy Betancourt have crushes on the new girl Ruby, and altercations between the two boys result in peer counseling sessions that eventually lead to an unlikely friendship and their becoming teammates on the school's ultimate frisbee Mud Bowl team.

Told in their four voices, a diverse group of middle schoolers comes together to try to figure out the bus accident that gave each a bizarre, limited superpower.

Jamie Kelly writes in her diary about her social studies teacher, Mr. VanDoy, the budding relationship between her Aunt Carol and Assistant Principal Devon, and the real story behind Isabella's detention.

"Herc Beal knows who he's named after - a mythical hero - but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules's amazing feats in real life, he's skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod, and not a single Hydra in sight. Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn't working all the time, Herc...

Told in two voices, Jeff stands by his teammate, Andi, who fights to get on the sixth-grade soccer team and then must face opponents who target her for being a girl.

Every year, Rock Creek Stables hosts a barn dance, and the proceeds benefit hungry horses. It's such a worthy cause that Monica wants to get involved. But kids at Pine Tree Middle School won't go to a dance in Rock Creek. How can Monica prove that Pine Tree kids care too?

Before the school year even starts, the Benton Bluff Junior High band is back in room 217 for summer arts camp. Morgan Bryant wants to be a famous conductor someday, and leading the clarinets is perfect practice! But somehow, goofy Zac Wiles and his saxophone campers are stealing the show. How can she get her section in sync? Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards.

Abby Braverman strives to navigate seventh grade without her best friend, keep up her older brother's spirits while he undergoes cancer treatment, and figure out her surprising new feelings for the boy next door. Includes facts about testicular cancer. --

Eleven-year-old Nate Wright is living out loud and he wouldn't have it any other way! Even though his friends won't let him be the lead singer in their band, Nate continues to rock. This Big Nate collection features daily and Sunday strips that originally appeared in newspapers and on the Web at comics.com. - back cover.