Claudia Mills

Seventh-grade honor student Sierra Shepard faces expulsion after accidentally bringing a paring knife to school, violating the school's zero-tolerance policy.

Zero Tolerance

Lizzie, who has always been considered a nerd by the other kids, begins the seventh grade determined to change her image so that she can blend in better with the popular crowd.

Lizzie Mcguire At Last

The Lost Language

Twelve-year-old Autumn loves to write, and she can't wait to grow up and be a published author. She finds inspiration all around her, but especially in Cameron, the dreamy boy in her journalism class who she has a major crush on. When her older brother Hunter makes fun of one of her most personal poems—about Cameron—Autumn decides to prove that she is talented enough to become a published author. But when her essay about Hunter wins a contest, and her dream of being published is finally within reach, Autumn has to decide whether being a real writer is worth the cost of sharing her family's secrets and hurting people she loves. This touching story is sure to resonate with readers, and prove that the heart is mightier than the pen. A Margaret Ferguson Book

Write This Down

"Science-obsessed fourth grader Nora wants to be like her scientist family and publish a professional research paper on her favorite subject: her ant farm!"--

The trouble with ants

Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.

How Oliver Olson Changed the World

Lizzie Archer struggles to overcome her nerd reputation in her 7th grade class.

Lizzie at Last

Twelve-year-old Julius has his hands full over the summer when his mother attempts to improve his grades and teach him responsibility by signing him up for a French class and getting him a job babysitting.

You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman

Chelsea learns she is perfectly human If Chelsea Garing likes anything better than school, it's church, especially when she gets the chance to shine. Unfortunately, Chelsea can't perform perfectly every time. One day, when she's serving as acolyte, her candlelighter unexpectedly goes out. Another day, when she's acting a role from the Good Samaritan story in Sunday school, annoying Danny Repetti plows into her. Why her friend Naomi Goldberg doesn't find Danny unbearable is beyond Chelsea. During fourth-grade gym, Danny makes a remark about Hanukkah that Chelsea is sure has offended Naomi -- yet it hasn't! A much more serious matter perplexes Chelsea: how can God let people die? Chelsea Garing may not always be at her best for God or man, but she learns to accept everyone's shortcomings -- including her own -- in this thoughtful, funny portrait of a child who loves her life at church. Warm, lively drawings by Jacqueline Rogers complement the story.

Perfectly Chelsea

Rob Shepperson

Kelsey is the best reader in her third grade class, and she is determined to lead her class to victory in the alll-school reading contest.

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen

All the Living

Todd and Amy Davidson may be twins, but they're complete opposites – Todd is organized and is the family "engineer," while Amy is outgoing and has been dubbed the "poet." So it would seem that for a fifth-grade economics project, Todd would come up with a master invention, and Amy would have a blast with her best friends as partners. To their surprise, Todd can't think of a single idea, and Amy gets stuck working with the class crybaby. Then Todd begins writing poetry . . . But this is nothing compared to the switch their parents have made. Their father has been unemployed for months and their mother has started to work at a crafts store. Now there's never enough food in the house, everybody is always on edge, and when Amy's friends come over after school, they find Mr. Davidson, uncombed and unshaven, in his ratty old bathrobe. Will life ever return to normal? With chapters that alternate between Todd's and Amy's points of view, this novel is a realistic and sometimes funny portrayal of a family adapting to changing roles. Trading Places is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Trading Places

G. Brian Karas

It's not just 7 x 9 but multiplication in general that is trouble for third-grader Wilson WIlliams . . . Mills' sympathetic and detailed treatment of Wilson's travails makes this both a suspenseful and satisfying beginning chapter book. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

7 X 9 = Trouble!

Heidi tries a succession of ways to make her fifth-grade teacher less mean.

After Fifth Grade, the World!

Science-obsessed fourth grader Nora has ants all figured out—now she just has to try to understand her fellow humans! The trouble with ants is . . . . . . people think they’re boring. . . . they are not cuddly. . . . who would ever want them for a pet? Nora Alpers is using her new notebook to record the behavior of ants. Why? Because they are fascinating! Unfortunately, no one agrees with her. Her mom is not happy about them being in the house, and when Nora brings her ant farm to school for show and tell, her classmates are not very impressed. They are more interested in cat videos, basketball practice, or trying to set a Guinness World Record (although Nora wouldn’t mind that). Mostly they are distracted by the assignment their teacher Coach Joe has given them—to write a persuasive speech and change people’s minds about something. Will Nora convince her friends that ants are as interesting as she thinks they are? Or will everyone still think of ants as nothing but trouble? With real science facts, a classroom backdrop, an emphasis on friendship, and appealing black-and-white interior illustrations from artist Katie Kath, The Nora Notebooks is perfect for newly independent readers—especially budding scientists like Nora!—and adults who want to encourage awareness of STEM subjects in young readers.

The Nora Notebooks, Book 1: The Trouble with Ants

Izzy Barr is the star athlete of the third grade: she hits homeruns on her softball team and is one of the fastest runners in her class. But at home, her half-brother, Dustin, seems to be her father's favorite athlete—why else would her dad go to all of his games and miss so many of hers? Izzy pretends that she doesn't care, but as she, her friends Annika Riz and Kelsey Green, and the rest of their class are gearing up for class field day, she can't help but hope her dad will be there to cheer her on in the big race against her rival, Skipper Tipton. Dad doesn't make it to field day, but when he realizes how important it is to Izzy, he and all of her friends and family are there to watch her participate in the citywide 10K run.

Izzy Barr, Running Star

The students in Miss Molina's third grade class are abuzz with excitement about the upcoming spelling bee, where they will be competing against the two other classes in third grade. Simon Ellis, who just happens to be good at a lot of other things, is also very good at spelling. But Simon's best friend, Jackson, tells him that it's getting boring losing to Simon all the time. Simon is stuck in an impossible situation: Jackson will be mad whether he spells all the words correctly for their team or if he makes a mistake on purpose and causes his team to miss out on the all-you-can-eat pie buffet. Simon's competitive spirit takes over until he realizes that sometimes the best way to win is to take a chance and let other people shine.

Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ

While trying to decide on a science fair project, third-grader Wilson struggles with with fractions and, much to his embarrassment, his parents sign him up to work with a math tutor.

Fractions = Trouble!

Riley O'Rourke is writing his report on President Teddy Roosevelt in preparation for the fourth-grade biography tea, but he has a far more important goal: to get a saxophone so he can take instrumental music. His mother can't afford to rent him a sax, and he's sure he'll never save up enough money to buy one. But as Riley learns more about Roosevelt's "bully" spirit, he realizes that there just might be a way to solve his problem after all. Claudia Mills' sparkling story about the influence of important historical figures is enhanced by tender, insightful illustrations. Being Teddy Roosevelt is a 2008 Bank Street—Best Children's Book of the Year.

A Boy, a President and a Plan

Being Teddy Roosevelt

The sequel to Losers, Inc. and You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman As seventh grade begins, Lizzie Archer knows she can't endure another year of being derided as the class nerd. Maybe she can't stop being smart -- does she want to? -- but at least she doesn't have to look so different. Out of her Emily Dickinson dresses and into Gap jeans she goes, and the effect is amazing. The girls talk to her; the boys tease her. But her braininess remains an obstacle to her popularity, and Lizzie wants so to be liked, especially by Ethan Winfield. To her teacher's amazement, Lizzie begins to make mistakes in math. Ethan is horrified -- he's her math partner -- but no one is more unhappy, or confused, than Lizzie. Will she ever find herself? Through her sparkling Lizzie Archer, Claudia Mills extends a hand to girls, gently encouraging them to be all that they can and to feel confident that like will befriend like.

Claudia Mills

About

Books

Join the club