Act 2

Act 2

Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Childrens / Middle Grade / Realistic Fiction

A show-stopping series about life in the spotlight from Broadway actors and internet sensations Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead Shaker Heights Middle School is putting on Guys and Dolls and best friends Jack and Lou are hoping to get lead roles. But a mysterious new director soon arrives to town and threatens to meddle with their dreams. Is Shaker Heights big enough for two Broadway legends? Fans of Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever will rejoice to meet Jack & Lou—the newest MTN's (musical theater nerds) on the block.From the Hardcover edition.
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All the Right Stuff

All the Right Stuff

Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

A provocative new novel from the national ambassador for young people's literature and the New York Times bestselling author of MonsterWho's on top of the social food chain? How do you get ahead? Who makes the rules? Who needs to follow them?Paul DuPree is working at a soup kitchen in Harlem the summer his father dies, just trying to get by. But Elijah, the soup man, won't stop talking about the social contract and asking Paul questions about heavy-duty things. Paul has never thought about this stuff. He'd rather hang out with Keisha, an unwed teen mom whose basketball skills rival his own.Then Sly, a notorious Harlem big shot, shows up. Paul is both intrigued and intimidated by Sly and his conspiracy theories, and for once he starts contemplating how you really get ahead in life. As the talk of what-ifs turns into reality, Paul realizes his summer is about more than getting by—it's about taking charge of your life.
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Losers Take All

Losers Take All

David Klass

Young Adult / Fiction / Realistic Fiction

In this table-turning novel about the thrill of defeat and the agony of victory, the new rule at Jack Logan's sports-crazy New Jersey high school is that all kids must play on a team. So Jack and a ragtag group of anti-athletic friends decide to get even. They are going to start a rebel JV soccer team whose mission is to avoid victory at any cost, setting out to secretly undermine the jock culture of the school. But as the team's losing formula becomes increasingly successful at attracting fans and attention, Jack and his teammates are winning in ways they never expected-and don't know how to handle.
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A Very Crazy Christmas

A Very Crazy Christmas

Abby Klein

Fiction / Realistic Fiction / Childrens

Are you Ready for Freddy? Everyone's favorite first grader and shark lover is back!Merry Christmas, Freddy! Freddy's cousins, twin sisters Kasey and Kelly, are coming for the holidays. Things are always more fun when the twins are around — but they're also a lot more crazy! Freddy can't wait to find out what trouble the girls get into this time.Extra activities included: The word "fin" is hidden in every illustration, and readers can play the games in "Freddy's Fun Pages" at the end of the book.
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The Crossroads

The Crossroads

Alexandra Diaz

Childrens / Middle Grade / Realistic Fiction

"An incredibly heartfelt depiction of immigrants and refugees in a land full of uncertainty." —Kirkus Reviews "Diaz paints an insightful, realistic picture of a place that's filled with opportunity but simultaneously rife with discrimination, which is especially important reading for today's children." —Booklist Jaime and Ángela discover what it means to be living as undocumented immigrants in the United States in this timely sequel to the Pura Belpré Honor Book The Only Road. After crossing Mexico into the United States, Jaime Rivera thinks the worst is over. Starting a new school can't be that bad. Except it is, and not just because he can barely speak English. While his cousin Ángela fits in quickly, with new friends and after-school activities, Jaime struggles with even the idea of calling this strange place "home." His real home is with his parents, abuela, and the rest of the...
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The Candy Smash

The Candy Smash

Jacqueline Davies

Realistic Fiction / Fiction / Childrens

Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial, and even unmasked a bell thief. Now they are at opposite ends over the right to keep secrets. Evan believes some things (such as his poetry) are private. Jessie believes scandal makes good news. When anonymously sent candy hearts appear in Class 4-0, self-appointed ace reporter Jessie determines to get the scoop on class crushes.  
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Aleca Zamm Fools Them All

Aleca Zamm Fools Them All

Ginger Rue

Young Adult / Realistic Fiction

Aleca Zamm, an ordinary ten-year-old with an extraordinary talent, finds a new friend and has to rescue her Aunt Zephyr from a teleportation crisis in this hilarious third novel in the Aleca Zamm chapter book series.Aleca Zamm knows she's not the only Wonder at school with a magical ability. Third grader Ford Kimble is a Wonder as well. Ford is able to see people as they used to be in the past and as they will be in the future. He can time travel! Well, sort of! Aleca starts hanging out with Ford to discuss their magical abilities, which makes Aleca's best friend, Maria, jealous. Aleca even forgot the first meeting of the Secret Pals Club, Maria and Aleca's new idea for a club that performs secret good deeds for bullied kids! Worse, Maria is onto Aleca's secret of being a Wonder. She definitely suspects something, but Aleca has sworn to Aunt Zephyr that she won't tell anyone about her magical ability. Plus, Aunt Zephyr's ability to teleport is starting to...
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Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars

Green Algae and Bubble Gum Wars

Annie Bryant

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

Science isn't exactly Maeve's favorite subject, but she's still excited to be going to the Sally Ride Science Festival at MIT with her hunky tutor, Matt. Sure, the BSG and her annoyingly brilliant younger brother are going as well, but it's still almost kind of a date, isn't it?The festival gives the BSG a super idea -- an environmental science fair at Abigail Adams Junior High. But plans for a bubble gum factory nearby put Avery and Katani on opposite sides of an environmental issue -- and Avery finds herself in a bubble gum war with the Queens of Mean!
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The Less-Dead

The Less-Dead

April Lurie

Young Adult / Romance / Realistic Fiction

Noah Nordstrom has been dissing the religious beliefs of his father, who hosts a popular Christian radio show and whom Noah accuses of spreading hate. When two local gay teens are murdered, Noah's anti-evangelism intensifies--he's convinced that the killer is a caller on his dad's program.Then Noah meets Will Reed, a cool guy. But when he learns that Will is gay, Noah gets a little weirded out. Especially since Will seems really into him. Noah gives Will the brush-off. Meanwhile, the killer is still at large . . . and soon Noah finds the next victim. It's Will.Racked with guilt, Noah decides to investigate. He knows the serial killer is targeting gay teens, but only those who live in foster homes, whose deaths are not that important to society; they are the less-dead. Noah, however, is determined to prove that someone cares. With the help of Will's journal, which he pocketed at the scene of the crime and in which the killer has written clues, Noah closes in on...
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The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley

The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley

April Stevens

Childrens / Middle Grade / Realistic Fiction

Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Holm's The Fourteenth Goldfish and Holly Goldberg Sloan's Counting by 7s, this heartfelt, deeply moving middle-grade debut features an offbeat girl who learns that she can remain true to herself while also letting others in.Eleven-year-old Frances is an observer of both nature and people, just like her idol, the anthropologist Margaret Mead. She spends most of her time up on the rocks behind her house in her "rock world," as Alvin, her kindhearted and well-read school bus driver, calls it. It's the one place where Frances can truly be herself, and where she doesn't have to think about her older sister, Christinia, who is growing up and changing in ways that Frances can't understand. But when the unimaginable happens, Frances slowly discovers that perhaps the world outside her rugged, hidden paradise isn't so bad after all, and that maybe—just maybe—she can find connection and camaraderie with the people who...
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How I Got a Life and a Dog

How I Got a Life and a Dog

Art Corriveau

Realistic Fiction / Animals / Dogs

Nicky Flynn's life just got a whole lot harder. His parents are going through a messy divorce, and as a result he's starting a new life, in a new city, in a new school. Now his mom has brought home Reggie, a German shepherd from the animal shelter. At first Nicky isn't sure about Reggie, but soon he discovers that Reggie—who used to be a seeing-eye dog—is a true friend he can rely on. But when Nick tries to reconnect with his dad, he puts everything on the line, including the life of his new best friend.Art Corriveau is a brilliant voice in middle-grade fiction, and How I Got a Life and a Dog is a heartfelt and honest look at the effects of divorce and the wonders of friendship.
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Anxiety

Anxiety

Daniel Freeman

Childrens / Realistic Fiction / Fiction

Are we born with our fears or do we learn them? Why do our fears persist? What purpose does anxiety serve? How common are anxiety disorders, and which treatments are most effective? What's happening in our brain when we feel fear? This Very Short Introductiondraws on the best scientific research to offer a highly accessible explanation of what anxiety is, why it is such a normal and vital part of our emotional life, and the key factors that cause it. Insights are drawn from psychology, neuroscience, genetics, epidemiology and clinical trials. Providing a fascinating illustration of the discussion are two interviews conducted specifically for the book, with the actor, writer and director Michael Palin and former England football manager Graham Taylor.
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