For Merci Sur̀ez, eighth grade means a new haircut, nighttime football games, and an out-of-town overnight field trip. At home, it means more chores and keeping an eye on Lolo as his health worsens. It's a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. Merci has always been fine with not being one of the popular kids like Avery Sanders, who will probably be the soccer captain and is always...

Greg records his sixth -grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive. But when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Hired with the Cupcake Club to serve a huge order at a neighbor's outdoor party, Alex, knowing that her crush will be in attendance, struggles to find just the right outfit when she discovers that she has reached an in-between size.

Russell is determined to get his name and his friends' names removed from Principal Krunchensnap's bad behavior list, and faces bullying and adversity after he promises to find the Principal's wrestling trophy and set up a rematch for her.

Lacey, a misfit, is forced to assume fairy godmother duties for popular girl Paige, a responsibility that tests her best friendship with Sunny and her ability to survive middle school.

"Steven (Slim) Pickings is on the edge of a breakdown--but then, it always feels like Slim is teetering on the edge of something. The difference this time is that something's caused Slim's worries to come alive! He's set loose a bunch of annoying, pesky, outrageously contagious creatures--and they're infecting everyone they meet and massing to take over the town! Now Slim and the rest of the town are trailed by the things that annoy them most. Noisy...

"Zoey's aunt lets Zoey in on a very big secret: She and her fiancé are throwing a surprise wedding! She asks Zoey to make the wedding dress and be a junior bridesmaid. Zoey is so excited about the wedding she could burst--but can't say a word to anyone except her dad and Marcus. At school, Zoey has some new sewing competition: A boy in her new Home Economics unit is sewing circles around her, and is a strong competitor for a class sewing contest....

It's the spring semester, and Airi Sano is on top of the world! Her grades are up, she has real friends at her side, and she's joined the school play. She's even keeping out of trouble and toning down the pranks! But when the play falls victim to some truly awful pranks, everyone immediately suspects that Airi is behind them. As suspicion mounts, it's up to her to solve the mystery and clear her own name before the imposter strikes again. Sounds like...

Big Nate Wright is president of P.S. 38, the after school cartooning club. When he doodles his observations in his cartoon notebook: "Mighty Jefferson Middle School always wins," Nate decides it's time to go from zeroes to heroes! Will Nate crack under the pressure of the "Ultimate Snowdown"? Or lead P.S. 38 to its biggest victory ever? "Nate no soporta que la escuela Jefferson SIEMPRE les gane. Ya está bien de ser un cero a la izquierda, ¡hay...

Emily Murphy is about to enter middle school. She's sort of excited...though not nearly as much as her best friend Hazel, who is ready for everything to be new. Emily wishes she and Hazel could just continue on as they always have, being the biggest fans ever of the Unicorn Chronicles, making up dance moves, and getting their regular order at The Slice. But things are changing. At home, Emily and her mom are learning to move on after her parents'...