Lists and Suggestions for Kids
List: Novels for fans of Smile, Sisters, or Drama
Reel Life Starring Us
Greenwald, Lisa.
Dina is used to being popular but starting a new school in eighth grade is difficult, especially whe... More
Dina is used to being popular but starting a new school in eighth grade is difficult, especially where cliques rule, and although working with "queen bee" Chelsea on a video project should help, Chelsea is hiding huge family problems that could mean trouble for both girls. Less
Talia Talk
Deriso, Christine Hurley, 1961-
Trying to fit in despite having a loud, embarrassing best friend, eleven-year-old Talia becomes a co... More
Trying to fit in despite having a loud, embarrassing best friend, eleven-year-old Talia becomes a commentator on her middle school's closed-circuit television program and turns the tables on her mother, a talk show host who has been revealing Talia's most humiliating experiences for years. Less
Better Nate than Ever
Federle, Tim.
An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New Y... More
An eighth-grader who dreams of performing in a Broadway musical concocts a plan to run away to New York and audition for the role of Elliot in the musical version of "E.T." Less
The Fourteenth Goldfish
Holm, Jennifer L., author.
Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turne... More
Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter. Less
Half a Chance
Lord, Cynthia, author.
Lucy, with her mother and her photographer father, has just moved to a small rural community in New ... More
Lucy, with her mother and her photographer father, has just moved to a small rural community in New Hampshire, and with her new friend Nate she plans to spend the summer taking photos for a contest, but pictures sometimes reveal more than people are willing to see. Less
Ten Rules for Living With My Sister
Martin, Ann M., 1955-
Nine-year-old Pearl and her popular, thirteen-year-old sister, Lexie, do not get along very well, bu... More
Nine-year-old Pearl and her popular, thirteen-year-old sister, Lexie, do not get along very well, but when their grandfather moves in and the girls have to share a room, they must find common ground. Less
Ungifted
Korman, Gordon.
Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Di... More
Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school. Less
Blackbird Fly
Kelly, Erin Entrada, author.
Bullied at school, eighth-grader Apple, a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles, deci... More
Bullied at school, eighth-grader Apple, a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles, decides to change her life by learning how to play the guitar. Less
Dream on, Amber
Shevah, Emma, author.
Amber's Japanese father left when she was little, and her sister Bella was just a baby, so now ... More
Amber's Japanese father left when she was little, and her sister Bella was just a baby, so now she fills in the frustrating gap in her life with imagined conversations, and writes letters to Bella that seem to come from their father. Less
Fish in a Tree
Hunt, Lynda Mullaly, author.
"Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is b... More
"Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read"-- Less
Goodbye Stranger
Stead, Rebecca, author.
As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best frie... More
As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvacious Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend--or more than friend--Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?" Less
Little Blog on the Prairie
Bell, Cathleen Davitt.
Thirteen-year-old Genevieve's summer at a frontier family history camp in Laramie, Wyoming, wit... More
Thirteen-year-old Genevieve's summer at a frontier family history camp in Laramie, Wyoming, with her parents and brother is filled with surprises, which she reports to friends back home on the cell phone she sneaked in, and which they turn into a blog. Less
The Popularity Papers: Research for the social improvement and general betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang
Ignatow, Amy.
Two best friends embark on a project to study the behavior and taste of the popular girls at their e... More
Two best friends embark on a project to study the behavior and taste of the popular girls at their elementary school so that by the time they get to middle school they too will be in the right crowd. Novel appears in the form of a scrapbook. Less