Fourteen-year-old Mike Swarbrick's life couldn't get any worse... His pervy best friend gets him embroiled in a scandal, and he's just come home from school to discover his parents are secret nudists... and they're ready to go public! A chain of events beyond his control are set to RUIN HIS LIFE. When Mike's teachers think that he's having trouble 'dealing with his feelings', he's forced to meet with the school counsellor. And so begin Mike's 'Chats with Chas', which really are as humiliating and cringe-worthy as they sound...

1996 Notable Book for Children, Smithsonian Magazine Pick of the Lists, American Bookseller In the segregated south, a young girl thinks that she can drink from a fountain marked "Whites Only" because she is wearing her white socks. When Grandma was a little girl in Mississippi, she sneaked into town one day. It was a hot day—the kind of hot where a firecracker might light up by itself. But when this little girl saw the "Whites Only" sign on the water fountain, she had no idea what she would spark when she took off her shoes and—wearing her clean white socks—stepped up to drink. Bravery, defiance, and a touch of magic win out over hatred in this acclaimed story by Elevelyn Coleman. Tyrone Geter's paintings richly evoke its heat, mood, and legendary spirit.

In the midst of an innocent lakeside campout, five modern-day children are transported back into the time of George Washington. Humorous, historical fiction that middle graders will enjoy.

How far would you go to say goodbye? Martin and Charlie are journeying 421 miles across England to find out, but are they prepared for what they find when they get there? Thirteen-year-old Martin and his younger brother Charlie are on a very special journey. They're traveling 421 miles all the way from Preston in northern England to the very tip of Cornwall in the southwest. By train, bus, and taxi, they are determined to get there to catch a glimpse of the dolphin that regularly visits the harbor and made last year's family vacation so special. But is that the only reason they are going? Mom stays in bed all day and Dad is always at work. Martin is doing his best to be a good big brother, but Martin must come to terms with why he and Charlie are making the journey to Cornwall in the first place. Charlie and Me is an unforgettable novel that is funny, adventurous, and heartbreaking.

A jam-fuelled week of disaster is set in motion by a single doughnut! Roman Garstang is obsessed with food - particularly Squidgy Splodge raspberry-jam doughnuts - but he is about to learn that things are not always as sugar-coated as they might seem. Because of his Monday-morning jam doughnut, Roman's week takes a very sticky turn . . . By Friday Roman has been banned from eating for 24hrs, narrowly avoided a faceful of warm toddler-wee, accidentally shoplifted, been given a lift in a getaway van, styled his teacher's guinea pig with a blue mohawk, started an OAP riot . . . and still barely managed to scoff a crumb - or lick - of a single doughnut. Who knew jam could be so deadly?

Xavier Moon is stepping out of the shadows when his great-uncle gives him some outlandish socks and some even stranger requests. A story about heart, confidence, and standing on your own two feet that is perfect for fans of The Season of Styx Malone and The Parker Inheritance. "An excellent read-alike to Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me or Janae Marks’ From the Desk of Zoe Washington.” –Booklist, Starred Review "A warm but authentic picture of a middle schooler figuring out who he is and who he wants to be." –The Bulletin Xavier Moon is not one to steal the show. He’s perfectly content to play video games and sit at his bedroom window watching the neighborhood talk outside. But for Xavier’s twelfth birthday, he receives a pair of funky socks and a challenge from his great-uncle, Frankie Bell, saying it’s time to swag out and speak up. First on the list: get into the legendary Scepter League. Xavier’s grandfather, great-uncle, and father were all invited to join the elite boys’ after-school club that admits only the most suave and confident young men. Xavier has never had the courage to apply before, but his wild socks are getting him some big attention, so maybe it’s time to come out of the shadows and follow in his family's footsteps. Or maybe Xavier will march down a new path altogether.

An ox gets himself into ridiculous situations made worse when he listens to the advice of his friend the fox.