“Both relatable and inspiring…an entertaining and heartfelt read.” —Janae Marks, New York Times bestselling author of On Air with Zoe WashingtonFrom critically acclaimed author Barbara Dee comes a middle grade novel that’s “this generation’s Dear Mr. Henshaw” (Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor–winning author of Hattie Big Sky) about a girl whose struggles with anxiety and writer’s block set off unexpected twists and turns, both...

A complete guide to what clergy wear, including the various cloths, a brief history, and theology of each liturgical garment.Vestments—the robes, stoles or other items worn by clergy, or cloths used at the altar—not only add beauty to a worship service, but are visual clues to the liturgical season and to the tone of a particular service. The most beautiful and meaningful vestments are often those made for a particular priest, serving in a specific sanctuary. But m...

This practical handbook for homes and church communities helps to enrich the Christian celebration of Advent through the creation and use of an Advent calendar. Written for people of all skill levels, Baumgarten provides instructions for a calendar made of paper or junk mail, a no-sew felt version, and a fabric version for more advanced sewers.Teach Us To Number Our Days, however, is more than a simple crafts' book. Baumgarten provides readers with a brief history of the developmen...

After an online incident forces a student to leave their school, four students team up and start posting fake rumors as an experiment to show everyone the dangers of online gossip in this high stakes and heart-felt story from highly acclaimed author Barbara Dee.How far is too far?Between her best friend ditching her and her parents taking away her phone, Winnie’s year is off to a rough start. But eighth grade gets even more...

Twelve-year-old Mattie wrestles with her crush on Gemma as they participate in their school production of Romeo and Juliet in what School Library Journal calls “a fine choice for middle school libraries in need of accessible LGBTQ stories.”Twelve-year-old Mattie is thrilled when she learns the eighth grade play will be Romeo and Juliet. In particular, she can’t wait to share the stage with Gemma Braithwaite, who has been cast as Juliet. G...

A few white lies during a simple game of truth or dare spin out of control and make life very complicated for Lia in this “entertaining bibliotherapy” (Kirkus Reviews) from Barbara Dee.When Lia returns after a summer with her eccentric aunt, it feels like everything has changed within her group of five friends. Everyone just seems more…dramatic. And after playing a game of Truth or Dare, Lia discovers how those divides are growing wider, and tells a few wh...

From the author of the acclaimed My Life in the Fish Tank and Maybe He Just Likes You comes a moving and relatable middle grade novel about secrets, family, and the power of forgiveness.Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup—special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose par...

2019 The Washington Post Best Children’s Book of the Year (Erin Entrada Kelly Pick)A 2020 ALA Notable Children’s Book**“**The novel’s all-too-familiar scenario offers a springboard for discussion among middle schoolers…Easily grasped scenarios and short chapters help make this timely #MeToo story accessible to a wide audience.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Realistic and heartb...

“A lovely, heartbreaking, warm, funny, and ultimately hopeful map of the way back home.” —Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls and Dangerous PieA cancer survivor must readjust to “normal” middle school life in this “powerful story about surviving and thriving” (School Library Journal, starred review) from the author of Star-Crossed and Truth or Dare.Norah Levy has just completed two years of treatme...

Zoe Bennett feels lost at her fancy private school.She's not the star drama queen like her sister, or a brainiac math genius like her brother. Luckily her best friend, Dara, is just as content as Zoe is to stay in the shadows -- or is she? When Dara gets a part in the school musical, Zoe feels abandoned. What's worse, Zoe's practically being stalked by the weird new kid, Lucas. Then Lucas accidentally drops his notebook and Zoe finds it's written in symbols and num...

In This Is Me From Now On, Evie’s new friend Francesca thinks life is dull unless you go after and say whatever you want. Evie can’t always tell if she’s horrified or fascinated by everything Francesca convinces her to do, but she ultimately comes to understand friendship on a whole new level.

In Finley’s middle school, kissing frogs might lead to princes—if there were any frogs! Categorizing classmates leads to a battle of the sexes in this M!X novel from the author of Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life.According to Finley and her BFF, Maya, middle school boys can be put into three separate categories: tadpoles, croakers, and frogs. Per their official Life Cycle of Amphibian Boys, while tadpoles are totally not developed yet (read: boys ...