belonging

Eleven-year-old Peijing and her family are adapting to their new life in Australia, but when cracks in her family life start to appear, she must find a way to cope with the uncertainties of her own little world and figure out where she fits in.

On a quest to become someone's favorite Ali-O'Connor, ten-year-old middle child Marina enlists Boom, her new neighbor, to help make a documentary about her, but when things do not go according to plan, Marina begins to wonder if she will ever feel like she belongs.

A mischievous fairy born to a family of wrens sets out to find her "real" family.

On the shortest day of the year, communities come together to celebrate and savor every ray of light.

"When Coco joins the school basketball team, she's ready to rock. Joining the team means new friends--something she's desperate for--but it also means dealing with bossy teammates, confusing crushes, and less-than-flattering new nicknames. When the team's all-star player, Maddie, starts calling her "shrimp," Coco realizes it's not actually a joke and that she's going to need new moves if she wants to score both on and off the court. But her resilience is put to the ultimate test when a courtside catastrophe threatens to put an end to the new world she's worked so hard to be a part of"--Provided by publisher.

Bruce Wayne, the only kid in school without super powers, gets called to the principal because his career choice of vigilantism is deemed too ambitious, and he becomes even more determined to prove he belongs.

"Sunny is starting to understand the ins and outs of middle school... but she still feels more out than in. Most kids have a thing they do outside of class, like football or track or cheerleading. Sunny isn't quarterback material, and her cheer attempts are... not the best. So what can she do? When Sunny's friend Arun says he wants to start a debate club, she's not really sure what he means. Isn't debate just... arguing? Sunny's never had a problem with arguing. Some of the debates are fun ones: which is the best candy? Is peanut butter a force for evil or a force for good? But when the debate club starts to be a success and the topics get harder, Sunny realizes she won't just be able to talk her way into winning... she'll have to make her case!"--Provided by publisher.

Initially, super-snazzy Christmas tree ornament Otto thinks he should be placed at the top of tree to be admired, but then he realizes where he really wants to be.

"In this high-interest novel for middle readers, thirteen-year-old Mark adjusts to long rides on the school bus after moving to a small town to live with his grandmother"--Provided by publisher.

If you ask Delphinia Baker, she'd tell you she has all the family she needs. Sure, her mom passed away when she was young, her dad is often away on deployment, and she's had to move so much that she's never had close friends. But even though Del has never had anyone she can call her people, she has always had her grandmother--and for Del and Gramma, best friends since forever, that's enough. Besides, having no roots just makes it that much easier when you have to move again. All of that changes, though, when Gramma falls ill and Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother. Del has never even heard of Nana Rose, and she has no interest in spending the summer with a stranger on an unbearably hot island off the South Carolina coast. And when Nana Rose starts talking about the school she runs dedicated to their family's traditions--something called "conjure magic"--Del knows she's in for a weird, awkward summer. That is, until the magic turns out to be real. Soon, Del is surrounded by teachers who call themselves witches, kids with strange abilities, creatures and ghosts who can speak to her. She has a hundred questions, but one more than any other: Why didn't Gramma ever tell her about her family, the island, this magic? As Del sets out to find answers and to find her place in a world she never knew existed, she also discovers a shadowy presence on the island--and comes to believe that it all might be connected.