| GROWING PAINS | DATING GAMES | FAMILY MATTERS | SCHOOL RULES |
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GROWING
PAINS
Parents don't want it to happen and friends just tell you how to do it, just ask "Malcolm in the Middle." Growing up comes with lots of hilarious situations, especially for these memorable characters.
Dogbreath Victorious - Chad
Henry
Holiday House, 2000: 192 p.
Tim's alternative grunge rock band, named Dogbreath, enters a major
battle of the bands contest, facing stiff competition from his mother's
group - The Angry Housewives.
How I Survived My Summer
Vacation and Lived To Write the Story – Robin Friedman
Front Street/Cricket Books, 2000: 173 p.
Determined to write a novel before starting high school in the fall,
13-year old Jackie struggles to finally finish anything while
constantly hearing advice from well-meaning friends.
The Princess Diaries – Meg
Cabot
Harper Avon, 2000: 238 p.
Mia Thermopolis is your average 9th grader until she learns she’s the
only heir to Genovia’s throne. See how she copes with princess lessons,
media exposure, and sudden attention from a dreamy senior.
Teen Angst? Naaah!: A
Quasi-Autiobiography – Ned Vizzini
Free Spirit Publications, 2000: 232 p.
The not-too-cool author (aged 15 – 17 years) writes a collection of
essays about his impressions of everything from high school to friends
and other teenage stuff.
Twenty Pageants Later -
Caroline B. Cooney
Bantam, 1993: 186 p.
The plain, younger sister of a teen beauty queen has mixed feelings
about beauty competitions until she finds herself a reluctant
contestant in her school's Princess Pageant.
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DATING GAMES
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Everyone experiences the highs and lows of dating
life, but some are funnier than others.
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of
Georgia Nicolson – Louise Rennison
HarperCollins Publishers, 2000: 247 p.
A year in the life of 14-year old Georgia who honestly writes in her
diary about reducing the size of her nose, stopping her mad cat from
terrorizing the neighborhood, and winning handsome Robbie’s love.
How I Created My Perfect Prom Date – Todd Strasser
Pocket Books, 1998: 224 p.
Nicole wants to go to senior prom. But when the guy she’s after invites
someone else, she transforms her grungy neighbor Chase into a dream
date.
Squashed – Joan Bauer
Delacorte Press, 1992: 194 p.
Sixteen-year old Ellie Morgan has two main goals in life – growing
Iowa’s biggest pumpkin and losing 20 pounds to attract the new boy in
school. Will she succeed in either area?
The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman – Louise Plummer
Bantam Books, 1997: 192 p.
Disgusted by melodramatic romance novels, 17-year old Kate experiences
her own personal romance with her older brother’s friend Richard and is
prompted to write her own novel.
What My Mother Doesn't Know - Sonya Sones
Simon & Schuster, 2001: 259 p.
Sophie poetically describes her relationships with a series of boys
during her constant search for Mr. Right.
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FAMILY MATTERS
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Family -- you can't live
with or without them. So, sometimes, you just have to put up with them,
just like "Reba."
The Amazon Papers
– Beverly Keller
Harcourt & Brace Co., 1996: 150 p.
Follow 15-year old Iris into hilarious trouble when her mother goes on
vacation and leaves her alone.
Confess-O-Rama
– Ron Koertge
Orchard Books, 1996: 165 p.
While Tony’s mother grieves over her fourth husband, Tony vents his
feelings to the Confess-O-Rama hotline, never realizing that a pushy,
black-garbed classmate he knows is the voice on the other end.
Losing
Joe's Place - Gordon Korman
Scholastic, 1990: 233 p.
Sixteen-year old Jason and two buddies sublet his brother's posh
apartment, which is surrounded by attractive girls and filled with
expensive stereo equipment, for one fun and memorable summer.
Oh,
Those Harper Girls - Kathleen Karr
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1992: 181 p.
In 1869's West Texas, six sisters participate in various misguided
schemes, from making moonshine to cattle-rustling and even stagecoach
robbing, in order to save their father's ranch.
Sloppy
Firsts: A Novel – Megan McCafferty
Crown Publisher, 2001: 280 p.
Sixteen-year old Jessica Darling embarks upon yet another teenage
torment – the school’s new kid. How should she deal with boy and
shopping crazied girls, a wedding-freaked mother and a dad’s track-meet
obsession?
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SCHOOL RULES
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"Maybe It's Me" isn't just a
TV show title -- it's the classic expression for teenagers experiencing
the highs and lows of every day life, with a little more humor than
most.
Anything Can Happen in High School: (And It
Usually Does) - William D. McCants
Harcourt, 1993: 256 p.
After being dumped by his girlfriend, 15-year old T. J. Durant starts a
service club that attracts school outsiders, provides community
involvement, and may even win back his girlfriend.
Bel Air Bambi and the Mall Rats– Richard
Peck
Delacorte Press, 1993: 183 p.
Cool siblings Bambi, Buffie, and Brick move from L. A. to a small town
called Hickory Fork and are forced to deal with a terrorizing high
school gang.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama
Queen – Dyan Sheldon
Candlewick Press, 1999: 272 p.
New York newcomer “Lola” sets her sights on the lead role in the annual
drama production, but faces stiff competition from the most popular
girl in school.
The Education of Robert Nifkin
– Daniel Pinkwater
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1998: 167 p.
In 1950’s Chicago, Robert writes a college application essay that
retells his highly unusual high school experiences from his extremely
individualistic viewpoint.
The Schernoff Discoveries –
Gary Paulsen
Delacorte Press, 1997: 103 p.
Fourteen-year old Harold and his best friend, self-confessed geeks and
social misfits, experience a series of adventures while surviving
football team attacks and other jr. high dangers.
