Jerry Spinelli
2) Stargirl
Author
Series
Lexile measure
590L
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
"In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever"--T.p. verso.
3) Loser
Author
Lexile measure
710L
Language
English
Description
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
6) Wringer
Author
Lexile measure
690L
Language
English
Description
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.
Author
Lexile measure
510L
Language
English
Description
He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham-- He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. When the trains come to empty the Jews...
8) Crash
Author
Lexile measure
560L
Language
English
Description
Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
9) Eggs
Author
Lexile measure
540L
Language
English
Description
Mourning the loss of his mother, nine-year-old David forms an unlikely friendship with independent, quirky thirteen-year-old Primrose, as the two help each other deal with what is missing in their lives.
10) Jake and Lily
Author
Lexile measure
480L
Language
English
Description
"Jake and Lily are twins and have always felt the same--like two halves of one person--but the year they turn eleven and Jake begins hanging out with Bump Stubbins, everything changes"--Publisher.
11) Hokey Pokey
Author
Lexile measure
HL 600L
Language
English
Description
Ever since they were Snotsippers, Jack and the girl have fought, until one day she steals his bike and as he and the Amigos try to recover it, Jack realizes that he is growing up and must eventually leave the "goodlands and badlands of Hokey Pokey."
12) Maniac Magee
Author
Lexile measure
820L
Language
English
Description
After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.
14) Dead Wednesday
Author
Lexile measure
HL 550L
Language
English
Description
When the school assigns each eighth-grader the name of a teenager who died in the past year as a lesson in mortality, Worm Tarnauer, who thrives on being invisible, doesn't count on Becca Finch, the seventeen-year-old car crash victim who changes everything.
Author
Pub. Date
2009
Language
English
Formats
Description
Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli has penned his early autobiography with all the warmth, humor, and drama of his best-selling fiction. And don't miss the author's highly anticipated new novel, Dead Wednesday!
"A master of those embarrassing, gloppy, painful, and suddenly wonderful things that happen on the razor's edge between childhood and full-fledged adolescence" —The Washington Post
From first memories through high...
"A master of those embarrassing, gloppy, painful, and suddenly wonderful things that happen on the razor's edge between childhood and full-fledged adolescence" —The Washington Post
From first memories through high...
Author
Series
Pub. Date
2013
Language
English
Formats
Description
A charming rural romp chapter book from Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli. And don't miss the author's highly anticipated new middle grade novel, Dead Wednesday!
The Pepperday family is moving to Aunt Sally’s farm. Mr. Pepperday, Mrs. Pepperday, and Chuckie Pepperday are happy as hogs in slop. But Tooter Pepperday is not. There’s no cable TV, no playground, and she’s gone three days without pizza! What does a...
The Pepperday family is moving to Aunt Sally’s farm. Mr. Pepperday, Mrs. Pepperday, and Chuckie Pepperday are happy as hogs in slop. But Tooter Pepperday is not. There’s no cable TV, no playground, and she’s gone three days without pizza! What does a...
Author
Series
Pub. Date
2013
Language
English
Formats
Description
Ever since her family moved to Aunt Sally's farm, Tooter's known that farm life is definitely not for her. There's no pizzeria for miles, her nearest neighbor is a dumb boy, and even her own pet chicken hates her! So Tooter decides to show everyone what she's made of by winning the blue ribbon at the County Fair's goat show. Now all she has to do is keep her little brother—and his paint brush—away from her prize goat!
19) Smiles to go
Author
Lexile measure
HL 490L
Language
English
Description
Will Tuppence's life has always been ruled by science and common sense but in ninth grade, shaken up by the discovery that protons decay, he begins to see the entire world differently and gains new perspective on his relationships with his little sister and two closest friends.