Kristen Tracy

What would you do... ...if your best friend were plotting the annihilation of a small, furry neighborhood poodle? Or if your parents up and moved to an Outward Bound-type survival camp in the middle of the desert? How about if your grandmother bought you new bras and underwear -- and you actually thought they were a teensy bit, umm, sexy? Most people would not react well. Tess Whistle's junior year of high school is off to a fairly bizarre start. One might even say her life is spiraling out of control. But with her sense of humor firmly intact and her first real boyfriend on her arm, Tess is dealing with the ridiculous twists quite well, thankyouverymuch. Just wait until her shoes explode.

Lost It

When a wrong number blossoms into a phone friendship for Lucy and James, two Vermont high school students, James wants to meet in person, but Lucy is strangely resistant. Told in the form of telephone calls and voice mail messages.

Hung Up

When Wick, fifteen-year-old Enid’s boyfriend, suddenly announces that he wants “to take a break,” her carefully constructed life in Vermont begins to crumble. As Wick abandons Enid for a trip to Ocean City with their friends from twin studies, she lets her wildest fears take over. Five hundred and forty miles later, Enid realizes she’s acting desperate as she spies on Wick, his twin, her twin, and the rest of the boys from twin studies. That doesn’t stop her from following them aboard a yacht and hiding in the bathroom. But then the boys take the yacht out into a storm—a storm which leaves everyone adrift in the ocean without food or water—and Enid discovers a new definition of desperate. With sharks circling and no help in sight, Enid and the twins must find a way to trust each other in order to survive—and face the fact that they might not make it home. Critically-acclaimed author Kristen Tracy delivers a riveting high-stakes story of romance and survival that is by turns hilarious and harrowing. Readers will be on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

Sharks & Boys

When seventeen-year-old high school students Veronica and Dessy go to Prague to attend a summer writer's program for college students, they experience romance, conflicts, and, ultimately, the strengthening of their friendship.

A field guide for heartbreakers

Crimes of the Sarahs

Sixth-graders Perry and Venice, photographers for their middle-school yearbook, are frustrated to learn that only pictures of popular students are welcome, but when Venice gets involved with a boy Perry doesn't like, Perry puts their friendship at risk by siding with Anya, the editor-in-chief.

Project (un)popular

Ten-year-old Camille McPhee relates the ups and downs of her fourth-grade year at her Idaho elementary school as she tries to adjust to the absence of her best friend, maintain control of her low-blood sugar, cope with the intensifying conflict between her parents, and understand the importance of honesty and fairness.

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus--

At sixteen, Molly is a girl who’s just started living—at last she’s popular. But for a girl who has everything, Molly feels like she never has enough. So she steals. At least there’s plenty of time to fix this last little problem. Except Fate has other plans for Molly. Like death. Suddenly dead and in denial, how can Molly move on when life was just looking up? Can she abandon her earthly ties or will she jeopardize her soul to stay close to her loved ones? From critically acclaimed author Kristen Tracy, Death of a Kleptomaniac is the heartfelt story of one girl’s search for redemption, a family’s encounter with grief, and love’s power to rise above even the most final of boundaries.

Death of a Kleptomaniac

WHAT IF YOU SWITCHED PLACES WITH YOUR CAT? Mean Girls meets Freaky Friday in this laugh-out-loud story about self-acceptance, learning who your friends are, and coming of age . . . as a cat. Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She's a follower, and she's totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she's okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends' bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy—and it comes true in a very unexpected way: She wakes up in the body of her cat, Mitten Man. Mayhem ensues as Poppy-the-girl attempts to navigate the wilds of the wilderness as a cat . . . and her free-thinking, groundbreaking kitty has had it with his owner's timidity. He's out to put the purr in perfectionist and take over middle school—as Poppy. Hilarious and unexpected, Don't Trust the Cat is a coming-of-age adventure that will keep readers cringing, cracking up, and reconsidering what it means to be a good person. HILARIOUS: Guaranteed, this will be many kids' favorite book of the year. EMPATHY READ: This book is a sneaky way to talk about empathy with kids. Both cat and human learn a lot about each other and change over the course of the book. Each becomes a better being because of their unusual experience. DEEPLY FELT: This book has a funny premise and is packed with hysterical scenes, but it's also grounded and emotional. Readers will sympathize with all characters and leave the book feeling like they made friends while reading. CAT SHENANIGANS: When Poppy's cat takes on Poppy's body, she wants to transform Poppy's life, turning her from a timid kid into someone who believes in herself. Like most cats she has good intentions, but things don't always go according to plan. LEARNING NEW WAYS OF COMMUNICATING: For anyone who has ever wanted to communicate with their pets, this novel might make you think twice! Poppy and her cat come to meet in the middle, but they have to learn a lot about communication along the way. EMPOWERING: Friendships are often messy, but this book shows that it's important to never lose sense of yourself within a friendship, and that sometimes it is necessary to stand up for yourself even to your best friends. Perfect for: A smart, funny book for girls and boys of all ages! Cat owners and cat lovers Parents of tweens, teachers, and librarians looking for chapter books for 5th graders or reluctant readers Gift or self-purchase for kids seeking self-empowering books with humor Fans of Frindle, the Mr. Terupt series, the Wayside School series, Katherine Applegate, and R.J. Palacio books

Don't Trust the Cat

Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill

Marilyn Arnold

Women poets from around the world are gathered here to raise their voices together, to speak out against violence and its calamitous effect upon the human soul. Yet there is also a thread of resilience here, an undercurrent of hope that points to the human ability to move on, to build a new life out of a shattered past. Each poem addresses difficult issues concerning conflict and the lives of women. Some are spirited statements that demonstrate courage even in brutal circumstances; others rage at the perpetrators of war or simply mourn their losses. Together, these works reveal a deep consciousness of both the effects of violence and the human ability to move forward. The women whose poems appear in this collection stand for peace. Many of them have seen war and strife on fronts both national and domestic; and they write graphically and poignantly, and sometimes ironically, about conflicts external and internal that tear up their lives and the lives of their families and neighbors. They write about the victims of war and oppression: bewildered and brutalized children, bereft wives and mothers, raped and mutilated women, tormented prisoners and soldiers. And they write about victims of a seemingly failed society and victims of struggling or failed human relationships. At the same time, these writers are also crying for peace, searching for peace, and occasionally finding peace. In their search, they point the way for the rest of us.

A Global Anthology of Poetry by Women

A Chorus for Peace

Two middle school BFFs experience the highs and lows of friendship, boys, sixth-grade politics, sister drama, and popularity in this funny and smart sequel to Project (Un)Popular! Perry can’t figure out what she’s doing wrong. Her best friend, Venice, has a boyfriend, making her feel totally left out—especially when Venice doesn’t seem to have time for Perry or her problems. Yearbook has gotten a little bit better, but Anya is still out to get her, and instead of getting to work on something fun, Perry’s stuck covering the “What’s Hot” section. Even her attempt to help the geeks is backfiring. And when her older sister takes one of the biggest dorks at school under her wing, Perry feels completely betrayed. Now Hayes, a boy she barely knows, is hanging around and giving her stuff, and Perry panics. She doesn’t want a boy to be crushing on her—especially Hayes. And social media makes everything more complicated. Is it even possible for Perry to turn things around and make sixth grade awesome? "The drama of crushes, frenemies, and hovering parents is spot-on."--Kirkus Reviews

Project (Un)Popular Book #2: Totally Crushed

When Lane's nonconformist cousin Mint disrupts Lane's orderly life by coming to stay for an extended visit, Lane feels torn by her best friend's mean-spirited plan to ruin Mint's popularity. By the author of The Reinvention of Bessica Lefter.

Too Cool for This School

Alison Farell

Alison Farrell's The Hike meets Richard Scarry's I Am a Bunny in this delightful board book that combines sweetness and science. I am a fox. Do you see me? Timeless and nostalgic, quirky and fresh, lightly educational and wholly heartfelt, this autobiography of a fox kit will delight all cuddlers and snugglers. See the world through a fox kit's eyes in a charming book about finding your place in the world. Over the course of four seasons, Kit comes of age in the forest. In spring, she gambols. In autumn, she races. In summer, she sneaks and slinks. But with her mama, she will always be a little kit. This is the second in a series of board books that pairs Kristen Tracy's enchanting, playful text with Alison Farrell's sweet, endearing art for an adorable treatment of everyone's favorite topic: baby animals! PERFECT FOR BEDTIME KISSES: The story goes through a day in the life of a baby fox kit and ends tucked into her den with her mama fox. It's the perfect book to take families through their own day, complete with a cozy goodnight moment! ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO IMAGINE OTHER PERSPECTIVES: This book is told in the first person: "I am a fox." The unusual narrator will get the youngest readers thinking about what it's really like to be a little fox kit! TEACHES COMPARISONS: The idea of seeing through the animal's eyes using comparisons to familiar ideas (Kit is slower than a hummingbird but faster than a turtle) is a perfect introduction to comparative logic. TEACHES SEASONS: Readers will delight in following Kit through all four seasons of the year, learning what she does differently in spring than she does in summer, what she does for the first time in autumn, and how she experiences winter. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ILLUSTRATOR: Alison Farrell is the author-illustrator of the fan favorite The Hike, along with Cycle City, Bicycle Bash, and A Cub Story, the first book in this series. Here she brings her love of science and sweet animals to a brand-new series about forest critters! BABY ANIMALS! There's one thing all babies love: baby animals! There are all kinds of animals to look at and learn about in these pages filled with wildlife and with love. Careful eyes will spot animals hidden everywhere in the detail-rich, evocative scenes. A BOOK TO BOND OVER: This is the perfect cuddly read between baby and parent, since it's focused on baby animals and their families. Perfect for: • Parents • Grandparents • Friends searching for the perfect baby shower gift • Animal lovers

A Kit Story

The pressure is on for middle-schooler Bessica to be the funniest, wildest bear mascot for her school, or risk being humiliated by a rival tiger mascot.

Bessica Lefter Bites Back

Half-Hazard is the Winner of the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation for a debut by an American poet over forty. Half-Hazard is a book of near misses, would-be tragedies, and luck. As Kristen Tracy writes in the title poem, “Dangers here. Perils there. It’ll go how it goes.” The collection follows her wide curiosity, from growing up in a small Mormon farming community to her exodus into the forbidden world, where she finds snakes, car accidents, adulterers, meteors, and death-marked mice. These wry, observant narratives are accompanied by a ringing lyricism, and Tracy’s knack for noticing what’s so funny about trouble and her natural impulse to want to put all the broken things back together. Full of wrong turns, false loves, quashed beliefs, and a menagerie of animals, Half-Hazard introduces a vibrant new voice in American poetry, one of resilience, faith, and joy.

Poems

Half-Hazard

Alison Farrell

Alison Farrell's The Hike meets Richard Scarry's I Am a Bunny in this delightful board book that combines sweetness and science. Timeless and nostalgic, quirky and fresh, lightly educational and wholly heartfelt, this autobiography of a bear cub will delight all cuddlers and snugglers. See the world through a bear cub's eyes in this charming book about finding your place in the world. Little cub measures himself up to the other animals in the forest. Compared to a rabbit, he is big. Compared to a chipmunk, he is HUGE. Compared to his mother, he is still a little cub. The first in a series of board books pairs Kristen Tracy's timeless and nostalgic text with Alison Farrell's sweet, endearing art for an adorable treatment of everyone's favorite topic: baby animals! PERFECT FOR BEDTIME KISSES: The book goes through a day in the life of a baby bear cub and ends tucked into his den with mama bear. The perfect book to take families through their own day, ending with a cozy goodnight moment! ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO IMAGINE OTHER PERSPECTIVES: This book is told in the first person: "I am a cub." This unusual narrator will get the youngest readers thinking about what it's really like to be a little bear cub! TEACHES COMPARISONS: The idea of seeing through the animal's eyes by comparing themselves to familiar ideas (cub is bigger than rabbit but smaller than mama bear) is a perfect introduction to comparative logic. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ILLUSTRATOR: Alison Farrell is the author/illustrator of the fan favorite The Hike, along with Cycle City and Bicycle Bash. Here she brings her love of science and sweet animals a brand-new series based on forest animals! BABY ANIMALS!: There's one thing all babies love: baby animals! There are all kinds of animals to look at and learn about in these pages, rich with wildlife and filled with love. A BOOK TO BOND OVER: This is the perfect cuddly read between baby and parent, since it's focused on baby animals and their families. Perfect for: •Parents • Grandparents • Friends searching for the perfect baby shower gift • Animal lovers

A Cub Story

A terrific novel about middle school friendship, family, fitting in, and finding out who you are when no one's looking. Lane Cisco loves, loves, loves her life at Rio Chama Middle School—until her offbeat cousin comes for an extended visit and turns everything upside down. With her individual sense of style and nonconformist attitude, Angelina "Mint" Taraval is everything Lane isn't. And instead of branding her a loser the way Lane and her friends expect, people actually want to hang out with her. Including the boys Lane and her best friend, Ava, like. When Ava comes up with a plan to ruin Mint, Lane feels stuck. She doesn't want to be mean . . . but she doesn't really want to stick up for her weird cousin either. Why can't things go back to the way they were before Mint arrived? And don't miss Kristen's other cool books: PROJECT (UN)POPULAR PROJECT (UN)POPULAR: TOTALLY CRUSHED CAMILLE MCPHEE FELL UNDER THE BUS THE REINVENTION OF BESSICA LEFTER BESSICA LEFTER BITES BACK “Believable and drily funny . . . an empathetic and entertaining read.” —Publishers Weekly “High drama so compelling middle school readers won't realize they're being exposed to a lesson in ethics.” —Kirkus Reviews “Snappy, intelligent prose . . . an excellent title.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Kristen Tracy reminds us of our best and worst moments in middle school, handling both the triumphs and the mortifying moments with just the right mix of surprise and worry.” —readergirlz.com

Kristen Tracy

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