"Eleven-year-old Rodney is starting sixth grade in a new school, in a new home in a new state...It's strange, because just a couple of months ago, Rodney was one of the most popular guys in his fifth-grade class. He lived in Las Vegas, with his mom, older sister and his dad, who was a successful professional poker player. Now his old life is over -- his mom even says they shouldn't tell anyone their real last name...His dad says it's all a big misunderstanding...Rodney...

"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 are a 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...

"The Laskarises' relocation to Wilford Island, Florida, is a big key change for Mimi...Then her science teacher, Ms. Miller, shows her class a TED Talk by Melati and Isabel Wijsen. At ages twelve and ten, they lobbied to ban single-use plastic bags on their home island of Bali--and won.Their story strikes a chord for Mimi. She's twelve. Could a kid like her make such a big change in a place that she's not yet sure feels like home?"--

"Ben Snyder is ready for middle school. But his super picky eating, which has never been a big deal before, is about to take him down. Suddenly everybody's on his case about what he's eating and what he's not--his old friends, his new friends, his weird lab partner, the girl he's crushing on, and a bully--and Ben finds himself in social free fall, sliding toward the bottom of the middle school food chain. Even worse, there's an upcoming three-day...

Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school (the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year) before she begins high school.

"Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn't seem to apply. Jennifer doesn't care about the laws of middle school...Then Jennifer goes missing. Using clues from Jennifer's journals, Mallory goes searching. But the closer she gets, the more Mallory has to confront why Jennifer might have run...and face the truth within...

Five characters from a mystical realm that like to engage in a role-playing game in which they portray average American eighth graders are magically transported into the game and must contend with the horrors of middle school.

"Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees--until she's stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she's forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help"--

"After an extended stay with her grandmother, Chloe is finally back home, ready to hang out with her best friend. Unfortunately, her best friend Fatoumata isn't around, her helicopter parent father is taking up all her time. Friendless and alone, our young heroine will be swept away in the preparations for the neighborhood carnival! Can a costume change and a visit from her wise Uncle Steve fix things or will Chloe left being the clown of the party?"--...