middle school students

Benny is slowly turning into a beast after getting bit by a snake and the group comes up with a plan to find a hopefully friendlier village, but they make a few startling discoveries along the way.

Ramar brings a swamp beast named Koroko out of hiding to eat Karla, Benny, and Bill, but the Harlans escape into the woods where they meet a friend and try to figure out how to cure Benny's beastly bite.

Karla and Benny accompany their uncle Bill on a scientific expedition of the island of Mala Suerte and soon discover something deadly living in the river swamp. When an abandoned village turns out to be a prison where Koroko stores his food, the group has to figure out how to free the prisoners and escape from the aptly nicknamed Beast Island.

"It's 2002. In the aftermath of the twin towers--and the death of her beloved grandmother--Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister. But there is an upside: her 'husband' is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school. Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props. There, she discovers an old violin in the corner--strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals. Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger"--Back cover.

Stand-up comedian and Hollywood box-office hit Kevin Hart keeps the laughs coming in an illustrated middle-grade novel about a boy who has big dreams of making a blockbuster superhero film.

Sixth-grader and self-proclaimed genius Nate Wright's sloppiness is getting out of hand and getting Francis in trouble.

"In the middle of art class, something Sakura says causes a giant flower to blossom forth from Akiho and trap Sakura inside! There, Momo reveals her true identity and uses Akiho's book, 'Alice in Clockland,' to lure Sakura deeper and deeper into this curious world"--Back cover.

"Sixth grade was so much easier for Danny. All her friends were in the same room and she knew exactly what to expect out of life. Now that she's in seventh grade, she's in a new middle school, her friends are in different classes and forming new cliques, and she is totally, completely lost. What Danny really needs is a new best friend! So when she inherits a magic sketchbook from her eccentric great-aunt in which anything she sketches in it comes to life, she draws Madison, the most amazing, perfect, and awesome best friend ever. The thing is, even when you create a best friend, there's no guarantee they'll always be your best friend. Especially when they discover they've been created with magic!"--OCLC.

"When Tokiko's parents break up, she and her father move from the bustling city to a sleepy coastal town to live with her grandmother. Starting sixth grade in a new school where everyone has known each other their whole lives isn't easy. Things start to look up when local boy Yosuke, another outsider, wants to be friends. But then strange memories start to surface. Swimming in the ocean... Drowning... Getting saved by...a merman? Yosuke denies the presence of merfolk, yet the townspeople hold a festival to honor them every year. Can Tokiko solve the mystery of what is real and what is fantasy...?"--Provided by publisher.

"After the accident that took his older brother, Lucas is pretty much alone, except for the motley group of kids he meets at his middle school's aftercare program"--OCLC.