In Needs a New Name, Stella decides to change her name after a boy from her class keeps calling her "Smella." How hard can it be to pick a new name? It's not as easy as it sounds.

In "Who's in Charge" Stella gets a lesson in responsibility when she volunteers to watch her best friend’s dog, Bella, for a few days. The only problem with this plan is that Stella didn’t ask her mother for permission. With new baby Marco at home, Stella’s mom already has her hands full. But Grandma agrees it’s good for Stella to have some responsibility as she’s getting older. It looks as though Stella has things under control. It’s only for a few days—what could go wrong? When Bella gets loose and runs away, Stella is heartbroken. Will Stella find Bella before Evie gets back? And where does she even start to look? It’s just another day in the life of Stella Batts! In this early chapter book series, the ups and downs of Stella’s life are charmingly chronicled.

What's the best day of the year? A birthday, of course! Stella Batts is turning nine, and she has big plans. Her family will be going to Pennsylvania to celebrate. That's where Stella's best friend Willa moved to, and Stella hasn't seen Willa for months. It's hard not to see your best friend for that long, so this is an important trip. But before Stella can get on the plane--DISASTER STRIKES! Now instead of a birthday weekend sleepover with Willa in Pennsylvania, Stella is stuck in a hospital room in her hometown of Somers, California, with a broken leg, doctors, nurses, and a roommate who is a stranger. What's the worst day of the year? You guessed it. Stella's birthday.

Seventeen-year-old Nova Abbott grew up dancing barefoot in the backyard with her aunt Ivy, whose dreams of becoming a professional ballerina were cut short by cystic fibrosis. Nova is invited to attend a prestigious ballet school's summer intensive program. She is a bit overwhelmed by New York City: the bustle of people, the talent of the other dancers, the demands of the instructors and being separated from her beloved aunt, whose health is deteriorating rapidly. With a coveted apprenticeship up for grabs, Nova isn't sure she'll make it in the big leagues, and now she's not even sure she wants to.

Stella is in third grade, she wants to be a writer, and her parents own a wonderful candy shop. Life should be pretty good, right?

Every time Chance turns around, he gets in trouble. In school, he can't sit still. Reading is hard and math is harder, but anything to do with science fascinates him. When his class starts raising butterflies from caterpillars, Chance is hooked. School is suddenly fun again, but when he decides to take his caterpillar home, he learns that loving something often means letting it go.

Addison Addley hates math. He hates public speaking too. Actually, he hates anything that involves work, but he only has a couple of weeks to write and memorize his grade five speech. The problem is, he can't think of a single topic. When he finally comes up with an excellent idea for a speech, it almost writes itself, but it's his poor math skills that make speech day unforgettable.