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Similar to others by this author/illustrator duo, rhymes and digitally created illustrations encourage an understanding of math concepts and critical thinking. And as in others, answers and explanations are provided.

Readers can count or they group things to solve the engaging math riddles. Digital illustrations make a complete and appealing way to solve math problems while gaining an understanding of underlying concepts.

Rhyming riddles pose problems that require critical thinking, grouping, and problem solving skills. These intriguing problems are enhanced by computer generated illustrations and conclude with a logical presentation of the answers.

A dozen famous paintings are used to launch problem solving by grouping. Poems focus on items in the image and pose a problem to solve. Answers as well as an art explanation are provided at the end.

In Meg Medina’s follow-up to her Newbery Medal–winning novel, Merci takes on seventh grade, with all its travails of friendship, family, love — and finding your rhythm. Seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. And she’s tangling again with classmate Edna Santos, who is bossier and more obnoxious than ever now that she is in charge of the annual Heart Ball.

One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suárez can’t dance — not at the Heart Ball or anywhere else. She used to talk about everything with her grandfather, Lolo, but with his Alzheimer’s getting worse each day, whom can she trust to help her make sense of all the new things happening in her life? The Suárez family is back in a touching, funny story about growing up and discovering love’s many forms, including how we learn to love and believe in ourselves.

Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family. Winner 2019 Newbery Medal.

Danny’s a great baseball player but he’s not even on the school team — he’s consumed with feeling like his private-school classmates only see him as a Mexican who doesn’t belong and that his Mexican relatives see him as an “almost albino.” Can Danny find the help he needs before it’s too late?

Twelve-year-old Mikey Pruitt is a budding entrepreneur. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas — from a roadside general store to croquet lessons — haven’t taken off. It isn’t until kid drag queen Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem (aka eighth grader Julian Vasquez) walks into his office (aka his family’s storage/laundry room) looking for a talent agent that Mikey thinks he’s finally found a business that will put him on the map. As newly out Mikey prepares Julian for the gig of a lifetime, he realizes there’s no rulebook for being gay—and if Julian can be openly gay at school, maybe Mikey can, too, and tell his crush, the dreamy Colton Sanford, how he feels. Full of laughs, sass, and hijinks, this hilarious, heartfelt story shows that with a little effort and a lot of love, anything is possible. 

Meet Miles Morales, a half black, half Puerto Rican high school junior in Brooklyn, New York. Only his father and his best friend, Ganke, know the truth: Miles is Spider-Man. When his spidey-sense keeps going off during school, it may be time to suit up and take care of business.

Matilda’s Pacific Island village has been torn apart by civil war. Against this harsh backdrop, Mr. Watts, a lonely British expatriate, maintains calm by reading Dicken’s Great Expectations aloud to the village children, transforming their lives.

A class takes a field trip to a museum that houses facsimiles of monsters like Count Dracula, Bigfoot, poltergeists, Medusa, mummies, zombies, werewolves, and The Blob. As their tour continues, one does wonder if the creatures are really replicas or are in fact quite real. Black-lined illustrations add detail, a bit of monster background and comedy.

Bobby Byington has always had to navigate his father’s alcoholism and anger, but things are looking up. His father has stopped drinking, his mother is back home, and his basketball team is winning games. But two new problems surface when his -smart- girlfriend is bullied by a resentful schoolmate and a fellow team member is bullied by an abusive father.
This is the second novel in the No Name series.

Vivian Carter is tired…tired of disrespect, bump and grabs, and a principal who turns a blind eye to football players who treat girls inappropriately. When Vivvy finds an old shoebox full of evidence from her mom’s feminist exploits as a teen, she is inspired to start her own Moxie girl rebellion.

“Luke’s Iñupiaq experience of leaving his home near the Arctic Circle in 1960 to journey with his two younger brothers to the Catholic sponsored Sacred Heart School is based in large part on Edwardson’s husband’s memories of boarding school…Nothing is familiar to Luke and his fellow students; the terrain, the food, the language are strange, and their struggle with feelings of homesickness and alienation is heart-wrenching. Edwardson’s skillful use of dialogue and her descriptions of rural Alaska as well as boarding-school life invoke a strong sense of empathy and compassion in readers as they experience Luke’s emotions along with him.” — School Library Journal

Only special students are chosen to attend Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school tucked away in the English countryside. The chilling truth of their special nature slowly unfolds as we follow the stories of three former students.

Black seventh grader Jordan Banks learns to navigate the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School while keeping his neighborhood friends and working to staying true to himself.

One night, in a noisy punk rock club, Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend, so that he can avoid his old girlfriend. Thus begins a night-long adventure that’s part New York mini-road trip, part foul-mouthed romance. Though the movie adaptation was PG-13, the original novel is closer to R-rated for its frank language.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton wakes up one day, loads his backpack with four guns, walks into the school cafeteria, and kills nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. Why?

Phillip Malloy likes to hum as the national anthem is played over the school’s intercom system each morning, despite his teacher’s pleas to stop. Through a series of journal entries, notes, and memos, Avi documents Phillip’s rise to fame, and the consequences he endures along the way.

Sixteen-year-old November has just lost her boyfriend Josh in an unfortunate accident. She also found out that she is pregnant with his baby. While she deals with the drama in her own life, Josh’s cousin and best friend, Jericho, is also reeling from the unexpected death. Will Jericho be able to support November through the worst time in both of their lives?

Obie knew his transition would have ripple effects. He has to leave his swim coach, his pool, and his best friends. But it’s time for Obie to find where he truly belongs. As Obie dives into a new team, though, things are strange. Obie always felt at home in the water, but now he can’t get his old coach out of his head. Even worse are the bullies that wait in the locker room and on the pool deck. Luckily, Obie has family behind him. And maybe some new friends too, including Charlie, his first crush. Obie is ready to prove he can be one of the fastest boys in the water — to his coach, his critics, and his biggest competition: himself.

Back home, nine-year-old Anaïs was the best English student in her class, but here in Crazy America it feels like she doesn’t know English at all. Nothing makes sense (chicken fingers?), and the kids at school have some very strange ideas about Africa. Anaïs misses home and the family left behind. So she writes letters to her grandmother and tells her all about the weird things Crazy Americans do, and how she just might be turning into a Crazy American herself. Inspired by the author’s work with students learning English, this sweet, often funny middle-grade novel explores differences and common ground across cultures.

Five students enter detention, but only four come out. One is dead, and one is lying…but who?

What happens to a city kid who spends the summer in the country? Sheila Tubman (aka as Peter Hatcher’s nemesis) finds out as she confronts her fears ranging from dogs to swimming. Snappy dialog and recognizable characters come to life through Sheila’s narration.