self-esteem

Lilly desperately wants to be one of the "cool girls" at Memorial Middle School, so she is thrilled to be invited to Tania's birthday party; but Tania is actually interested in Lilly's older brother, Hank, and when that does not work out she turns on Lilly, bullying her and making her life miserable--until a suggestion from her favorite teacher, and a campaign against bullying, provides Lilly with a connection to other victims in her school and an outlet for her emotions.

"Fourth grader Soraya misses her only friend. It's been months since she met a mermaid named Estelle and rescued her from Bayside Aquarium. Soraya is sure no one else will ever like her because she's too weird. When her class goes on a field trip to Balabrook Caverns, Soraya sneaks away down a secret tunnel. Soon she is pulled in to a new adventure filled with magic, danger...and friendship where she least expected to find it"--Provided by publisher.

Illustrations and rhyming text reveal all of the things girls love about themselves, from their nose, toes, and skin to their ability to spin, run, and cook.

"Zoe is the most popular girl at school and at The Club. She gets a lot of attention from boys and she is always asked to dances. Now, she has her eye on an older boy, Steve, the basketball coach at The Club, but it seems like no matter how hard she tries, Zoe can't get Steve to ask her out. When The Club throws a big dance, Zoe knows that it's her last chance. But can she learn to value herself beyond what boys think of her? "--Provided by publisher.

Sometimes in high school, all you want is to be invisible. Being invisible might be the biggest problem of all for Natalie. She has a disability that causes chaos to her body on the inside but leaves her unmarked on the outside. She's learned to hide her pain so well that you would never guess she's not the same Natalie as she was before she got sick. But after having surgery, Natalie must return to school in a wheelchair. Now, Natalie has to decide if the painful consequences of pretending to be healthy are worth keeping the last of her sick girl secrets.

"Being the new kid is hard, a child in the school playground tells us. I can think of better things to ask than if I'm a boy or a girl. Another child comes along and says she gets asked why she always has her nose in a book. Someone else gets asked where they come from. One after another, children share the questions they're tired of being asked again and again--as opposed to what they believe are the most important or interesting things about themselves. As they move around the playground, picking up new friends along the way, there is a feeling of understanding and acceptance among them. And in the end, the new kid comes up with the question they would definitely all like to hear: 'Hey kid, want to play?'"--From the publisher's web site.

Through text and illustrations of children reveling in nature, explores the various ways we as human beings are strong, creative, and connected to others.

Kids make promises to themselves, such as solving promises, helping others, and loving oneself.

Counselors are careful listeners! They use this skill to ask questions, set goals, and help people improve their lives. Introduces the important work of counselors both in schools.

"Maple Mehta-Cohen has been keeping a secret: she can't read all that well. She has an impressive vocabulary and loves dictating stories into her recorder--especially the adventures of a daring sleuth who's half Indian and half Jewish like Maple herself--but words on the page just don't seem to make sense to her. Despite all Maple's clever tricks to hide her troubles with reading, her teacher is on to her, and now Maple has to repeat fifth grade. Maple is devastated--what will her friends think? Will they forget about her? She uses her storytelling skills to convince her classmates that she's staying back as a special teacher's assistant (because of budget cuts, you know). But as Maple navigates the loss of old friendships, the possibility of new ones, and facing her reading challenges head-on, her deception becomes harder to keep up. Can Maple begin to recognize her own strengths, and to love herself--and her brain--just the way she is? Readers who have faced their own trials with school and friendships will enjoy this heartwarming story and its bright, creative heroine"--Provided by the publisher.