After the party, and for the rest of the summer, I couldn’t stop thinking about girls and baseball. I was beginning to think Ralph was right about the connection between the two. Both look pretty simple from the outside: there’s a ball, you hit it, you run; there’s a girl, you like her, you take her out. But in the end, they both end up being way more complicated. Life is changing for Darcy Spillman. Being the quiet, baseball-crazy kid was fine in primary school when you had two best friends to hang with, but the rulebook is different in junior high. Ralph’s defected to the in-crowd. Nerdy Dwight finds a new friend who’s even nerdier. But Danalda Chase, the impossibly pretty, totally cool girl, is suddenly very interested in Darcy, and he’s not sure what to do. He can’t ask his grandpa, who’s been acting very strange lately—and the only thing Darcy knows is baseball. Maybe the rules of the game will work for his social life? In a funny, often poignant and always intelligent story, Matt Beam mines the classic connections between baseball, love and life. With its combination of sensitive hero and baseball lore, Getting to First Base with Danalda Chase will resonate with both boys and girls.

This volume recommends some 500 positive, heart-warming stories for young readers—stories of the human spirit and what it can accomplish; stories of loving families surviving crises in positive ways; historical tales full of quick-witted people (especially girls); fairy tales with strong women; true stories of survival; and more. These gentle and uplifting reads span every genre—from science fiction and fantasy, to mysteries, realistic fiction, biographies, and nonfiction. They are Accelerated Reader titles, Reading Counts titles, and Junior Library Guild selections. Primarily intended for grades 5 to 9, this is a list of reading suggestions for the young adult who wants a great read but does not want to be offended. Grades 5-9.

Between dull assemblies, tyrant teachers, and a handbook full of rules, life at Laverton Middle School can be summed up in one word: B-O-R-I-N-G. In this dramatic novel, five fed-up students borrow from the pages of history books and, seeking inspiration from revolutionary leaders, get a twisty lesson in the excitement and perils of repeating history.

Darcy Spillman wonders why they call kissing a girl ?getting to first base.? He knows everything about baseball and he thinks he likes Danalda Chase, a pretty girl in his class, but he knows nothing about dating. This has got to change. With help from his baseball-statistics-obsessed best friends; the new girl, Kamna; and former minor-leaguer Grandpa Spillman, Darcy looks for the connection between his favorite sport and his new love interest. With a kiss from Danalda Chase as the goal, he steps up to bat and swings for the fences. This sweet and funny story is perfect for every romantically challenged preteen boy.