Daphna Whispers is insanely gifted. At age two and a half, she composed her first sonata. At age eight, she completed an opera. And now, at eleven and three-quarters, she is orchestrating a piano rhapsody. With a résumé like that, it's no wonder she is a student at the prestigious Blatt School for the Insanely Gifted. But as sixth grade draws to a close, Daphna's mind is far from the upcoming "Insanity Cup" competition. She's preoccupied by her mother's disappearance two months ago. When a mysterious man breaks into Daphna's small New York apartment, Daphna discovers that her mother's disappearance wasn't a random accident. Her mother knew something—and now somebody is after Daphna. What starts out as a simple fact-finding trip to the basement with her friends spirals into an international expedition. And while Daphna hopes to uncover the secret of her mother's disappearance on her global trek, the last thing she expects to uncover is an outrageous secret about the Blatt School. And one insanely shocking secret about herself.

It's time to unleash your genius From infancy we are taught to edit ourselves, trimming out the darker, weirder, less acceptable parts in order to please others. But this addiction to approval is holding us back. What if we dare to be our real selves, honestly and fully? Insanely Gifted is full of techniques and games to transform our thinking and turn our inner demons into allies. Jamie Catto, creative force behind Faithless and 1 Giant Leap, and leader of personal development workshops for more than a decade, teaches us to better know our deepest instincts - and unlock our true power.

Twelve-year-old Cassie has a lot to cope with when her father moves "out of the picture." Her mom's constantly working overtime, her teenage sister's going AWOL, and her little brother seriously needs attention. It's up to Cassie to prevent total chaos at home -- or so she thinks. She can't control everything, though. At school Cassie's two "best" friends are turning nasty, and a cute boy is sending mixed signals. And then there's Mr. Mullaney -- the weirdest, hardest English teacher in the seventh grade -- who hates everything she does. Since Mr. Mullaney isn't even reading her brilliant work, Cassie starts submitting journal entries like "A Virtual Tour of My Insanely Messy Desk." But her sassy humor isn't winning her any friends or helping her ailing grades. What's a girl to do when life gets totally insane? Barbara Dee has created a witty, poignant portrait of an intense, honest, feisty girl who is ferociously funny and only too human.

Donovan, whose real gift is getting into trouble, finds himself at an academy for gifted students! Donovan is definitely skilled . . . at getting into trouble. And when one of his thoughtless pranks accidentally destroys the school gym during the Big Game, with the superintendent watching, he knows he's in for it. Suspension at best, maybe expulsion. Either way, a lawsuit and paying for damages. But through a strange chain of events, his name gets put on the list for the local school for gifted students: the Academy for Scholastic Distinction. Donovan knows he's not a genius, but he can't miss this chance to escape. Now, he has to figure out a way to stay at ASD -- and fit in with the kids there. And who knows, maybe his real gift will come to light . . . A new story from the master of middle-grade and YA humour Gordon Korman, Ungifted is a funny exploration of the special (and often surprising) talents that make each of us gifted in our own way.

For eleven years in a row, John Applefeller has entered his highly original apple desserts in The Worldwide Dessert Contest. And every year hes watched his delectable treats turn into disasters while the evil Sylvester Sweet wins first prize. But this year, when Johns greatest creation, the worlds largest pancake, flops, he and his sidekicks decide to seek help from the king of dessert chefs, the magical Captain B. Rollie Ragoon.

Joyce Randall is having a rough day. Her teenage daughter failed her driver’s test again, extending Joyce’s chauffeur contract for at least another month; a horde of supercharged mean girls are bullying her middle child; her youngest was sent home from school for asking his teacher if her boobs were real; and her husband is gallivanting across the skies on another super-secret Air Force mission. And, oh yeah, a misty entity that crossed over from the dark side is threatening to ravage the town she promised her dead mother she’d protect. For the record, Joyce has no idea how to protect anything—she’s terrified of blood, guns, and snakes. But mist demons stalking kids with the intent to possess? That crosses too many lines. Joyce wants to curl up with a good book and a box of her bestie’s homemade cannabis treats, but if the ancient magic in her veins has anything to say about it, this reluctant Bloodwitch will soon be forced to confront the invader with the power of her pedigree. Fingers crossed she can do it without barfing at the sight of her own blood.

Thirteen-year-old Matt is so envious of his best friend Keith that he wishes things would go badly for him, and when Keith's fortune changes while at the same time Matt finds his first true girlfriend, Matt is overcome with guilt.