School

Almost Alice

Is it possible to be too good a friend -- too understanding, too always there, too much like a doormat? Alice has always been a good friend to Pamela and Liz, a best friend to Pamela and Liz. But she's starting to wonder where that leaves her: What am I? An ear for listening? An arm around the shoulder? And then there's Patrick -- after ending their relationship two years ago, he's suddenly calling again, and wants to take her to his senior prom. What does that mean? As Alice tries to figure out who she is in relation to her friends, she learns one thing -- sometimes friends need you more than they let on...especially when the unthinkable happens.

Always honest, brave, and true, the Alice series never flinches from big issues, and never discounts the small ones.

My Weird School #1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy! (My Weird School)

Never before has school been this mixed up – or this much fun!

Miss Daisy, who teaches second grade, doesn't know how to add or subtract. Not only that, she doesn't know how to read or write, either. She is the dumbest teacher in the history of the world!

Ages 7+

Dicey's Song (The Tillerman Series #2)

The four Tillerman children finally have a home at their grandmother's rundown farm on the Maryland shore. It's what Dicey has dreamed of for her three younger siblings, but after watching over the others for so long, it's hard to let go. Who is Dicey, if she's no longer the caretaker for her family?

Dicey finds herself in new friends, in a growing relationship with her grandmother, and in the satisfaction of refinishing the old boat she found in the barn. Then, as Dicey experiences the trials and pleasures of making a new life, the past comes back with devastating force, and Dicey learns just how necessary -- and painful -- letting go can be.

At the beginning of summer, Momma had abandoned them and them later been traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing. So Dicey Tillerman, her brothers James and Sammy, and her sister Maybeth had spent the summer on their own on a long and difficult journey to find a home with the grandmother they'd never met before. Now that they'd moved in with Gram, their troubles, Dicey hoped, would be over. Dicey had watched over the younger kids and brought them through--now she wanted to be just a little bit selfish, to refinish the old sailboat she'd found in Gram's barn, to earn a little spending money, to adjust to Gram and to her new life in the Chesapeake Bay country that had once been her momma's childhood home. Yet even with the building of new ties and a new life, old problems and sorrows did not go away by themselves. None of the Tillermans, and especially not Dicey, could forget about Momma. Nor could Dicey easily relinquish her need to watch and worry over the three younger children. Though she felt a growing bond with feisty, seemingly eccentric Gram, who talked of reaching out...and letting go, it took a crisis to help Dicey understand what such things might mean. This story is a sequel to "Homecoming."

My Weird School #2: Mr. Klutz Is Nuts! (My Weird School)

Never before has school been this mixed up – or this much fun!

Principal Klutz was hanging upside down from the school flagpole! He kissed a pig on the lips and painted his bald head orange! And now he wants to bungee jump off the roof of the school dressed as Santa Claus!

Ages 7+

My Weird School Daze #1: Mrs. Dole Is Out of Control! (My Weird School Daze)

A.J. and the gang are graduating! But the out-of-control PTA president is turning the whole thing into a huge ceremony complete with fireworks, a petting zoo, and a flyover by the Blue Angels! Is moving up to third grade such a big deal? And what could possibly go wrong?

My Weird School #21: Ms. Krup Cracks Me Up! (My Weird School)

A.J. thinks that nothing can possibly be as boring as a sleepover in the natural history museum. But anything can happen when Ms. Krup is in charge. The tour guide says that dinosaur skeletons come to life in the middle of the night. Is she right?

My Weird School #5: Miss Small Is off the Wall! (My Weird School)

Miss Small, the gym teacher, is teaching A.J., Andrea, and the gang to juggle scarves, balance feathers, and do the Chicken Dance! Is this any way to stay in shape? Whatever happened to good old dodgeball?

In fact, all the grown-ups at A.J.'s school seem to have something wrong with them. What's going on here? What are A.J. and the kids in his class going to do? They've got to convince Miss Small to act her age before the end of the year! Never before has school been this mixed up -- or this much fun. Popular author Dan Gutman pulls out all the stops for this right-on second-grade hilarity.

Be sure to read all the zany stories in this series: Miss Daisy is Crazy!, Mr. Klutz in Nuts!, Mrs. Roopy is Loopy!, and Ms. Hannah is Bananas!

My Weird School #4: Ms. Hannah Is Bananas! (My Weird School)

Ms. Hannah wears dresses made out of potholders and collects garbage instead of throwing it out. Plus she's making A.J. be partners with smelly Andrea. This is the worst art class ever!

My Weird School #19: Dr. Carbles Is Losing His Marbles! (My Weird School)

It's Thanksgiving, but the kids at Ella Mentry School aren't feeling very thankful. That's because Dr. Carbles is grumpier than ever, and he wants to fire Mr. Klutz! Will A.J. and his friends be able to save their principal's job?

My Weird School #13: Mrs. Patty Is Batty! (My Weird School)

Mrs. Patty, the secretary, gives out the best Halloween candy in the history of the world! But her house is haunted! People say she's a witch and her husband is a ghost. Is it worth A.J. risking his life for the best candy ever?