maturation (psychology)

Four diverse seventh and eighth graders at southern California's San Paulo Junior High tell, from their unique perspectives, of a tumultuous year of changing friendships and romantic interests as they are learning to be themselves.

Sebastian Prendergast, having left the safety of the geodesic dome in which he lived after his grandmother had a stroke, meets sixteen-year-old Jared Whitcomb, and together the boys experience the angst of being teenagers while forming a punk rock band, but when Jared's grandma asks him to return to her home, he is faced with choosing between her dying wish and his newfound life.

Contains a collection of short stories by a number of different authors about being sixteen and addresses issues from getting a driver's license to dealing with teen pregnancy.

Fourth-grade best friends Raymond and Graham write Valentine poems, perform in a hoedown, and learn how to be men.

A fifteen-year-old Australian teenager named Amelia gets her first job at a supermarket and crushes on her unattainable older co-worker, Chris, as they both search for meaning in their lives.

When Max is sent to a family camp, he takes the opportunity to reinvent himself and dons the persona of Mad Max, a reckless individual who quickly gains popularity and notoriety. But can he keep up this facade, or will his true nature begin to slip through?.

When an unpopular teenager, Melanie, discovers her mother is missing, she travels to the Half World to save her from the nightmare creature Mr. Glueskin. While there, Melanie discovers her destiny is to reunite the two realms.

Sebastian Prendergast, having left the safety of the geodesic dome in which he lived after his grandmother had a stroke, meets sixteen-year-old Jared Whitcomb, and together the boys experience the angst of being teenagers while forming a punk rock band, but when Jared's grandma asks him to return to her home, he is faced with choosing between her dying wish and his newfound life.

The author examines why some children succeed in adulthood and other do not and suggests that schools should put less emphasis on college prep courses and concentrate more on what adolescents will need in order to make an effective transition into adulthood.