New Releases by Todd Strasser

In this convincing, crisply written novel, Strasser tackles head-on a very real middle-school predicament--the price one can be tempted to pay for popularity. Referring to herself throughout in the second person, narrator Lauren immediately draws readers into her life as she explains that she andher best friend Tara are eating lunch in that part of the cafeteria she dubs "the realm of the socially inferior," while the popular girls sit at the "Don''t-You-Wish-You-Were-Me table." Though she longs to be part of the in-crowd, Lauren lacks the confidence to even attempt to belong; she refuses to wear makeup, for example, because she fears that her classmates would "snigger and say you were trying to be an A-list girl. It''s safer not to try." The author carefully tracks the girl''s growing self-confidence after Celeste, an outgoing new girl who instantly becomes a member of the elite group, befriends Laurenand convinces her to run with her for co-treasurer in their class elections. Unlike Lauren, basking in the glow of her new popularity, readers will pick up on the numerous clues that the manipulative, plotting Celeste is hardly trustworthy. Strasser caps his story with a believable denouement, in which Laurenlearns a painful lesson about the value of genuine friendship and of confidence that comes from within.

Kennin is determined to go legit despite the popularity he has gained with racing, but when his sister''s boyfriend starts causing trouble, Kennin decides he must put his family first and accept the risks involved.

When their friend Daisy brings her neighbor''s smelly dog to school and one of the students makes a big fuss, Leyton and Wade Tardy have to find a way to keep the dog hidden so that Daisy does not get in trouble.

During the Spanish colonization of Mexico, a young girl invents a diving bell to save her brother and her people.

Two books in one, the story starts with a boy named Jake seemingly doomed to repeat the first day of school over and over. In the second book Jake experiences the same phenomena at summer camp!

Riding the hottest summer trend around, the bestselling author "shoots the tub" with a new action-packed series for the "bros" featuring buff guys, hot girls, and fast surfboards. Original.

Tired of being hungry, cold, and dirty from living on the streets of New York City with a tribe of other homeless teenagers who are dying, one by one, a girl named Maybe ponders her future and longs for someone to care about her.

Food fights in the cafeteria are raging out of control. So Principal Chump hires some psycho lunch monitors to bust up the trouble. Armed with dishrags, hairnets, and a hidden camera, Kyle and his friends are about to strike back.

The first installment in a hilarious new series follows a trio of wickedly wily boys who cause an abundance of trouble with their amusing antics, but who never get caught! Original.

BUS-TED! WILSON: invents stuff -- and trouble DUSTY: can talk his way out of anything KYLE: the nice guy no one ever suspects Together they bend every rule in school -- but they never get caught! Now there''s a new driver on the bus route. Sarge used to work at a prison, and he treats all kids like they''re criminals. But Wilson, Dusty, and Kyle can''t take it. They''ll show Sarge who''s in charge!

The Rands are a popular and well-liked family in the village of Soundview Manor. But when Kit''s best friend accidentally uncovers "the terrible truth" regarding the history of the Litebody clan, public pressure builds for the Rands to get rid of their magical nanny. Faced with the prospect of becoming outcasts, Kit''s parents are tempted to fire Heavenly. Can Kit stop them?

J''ai neuf ans. Je suis esclave sur la planète Tatooine. Je suis la propriété d''une créature nommée Watoo. Je n''ai aucun moyen de m''échapper. Un jour, un Jedi a débarqué sur ma planète. Il a dit qu''il sentait la Force en moi. Peut-être deviendrai-je un Jedi. Mais je devrai d''abord faire mes preuves. Avant tout, je dois survivre. Mon nom est Anakin Skywalker. Voici mon histoire.

All eleven-year-old Ian and his friends want to do is play baseball on the dusty old field behind the high school. But that''s not so easy anymore. Jenny, who''s always been a good sport, has started picking fights and missing games. And the rock-throwing high school bullies won''t leave Ian and his friends alone. Ian''s friends want him to fix things. But how? In the section of town where they live, there''s only one field. How can he convince the bullies to let them play? How can he help Jenny with her problems at home? Why do things have to be so complicated? Why can''t they just play ball?

When her intended prom date asks someone else, Nicole is faced with the challenge of turning her grungy next door neighbor into a suitable Prom King candidate. Ties in with the movie starring Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier.

Twelve-year-old Steven and his younger brother Benjy make a desperate attempt to force their extremely busy parents to spend more time together with them.

When Heavenly Litebody, the Rand family''s magical nanny, tries to solve 14-year-old Kit''s romantic problems by attending the school dance, she turns everything topsy-turvy instead.

The author of the "Against the Odds" series introduces a four-title miniseries featuring a tattooed, pierced, and magical nanny--a Mary Poppins for the new millennium. Heavenly Litebody comes to the rescue of the Rand family and helps the teenagers cruise through trials and tribulations.

Henry Tompkins and his companions get lost in a desolate desert where they struggle to survive.

When Jake, Josh, and Andy switch bodies with three very different lunch ladies, students get in line for big laughs. School lunch will never be the same!

When Tyler Duvall arrives in Alaska for his dream vacation, He finds that his Uncle Jake is seriously ill and that he has to share Jake''s cabin with two other kids. Jake goes fishing when he disturbs a rogue grizzly bear, who follows him back to his uncle''s cabin.

Three teenagers find themselves adrift in the shark-infested waters off the Gulf of Mexico.

Ever since Dad died, Kelly and her sister, Sasha, have wished they could have him back again. One day, to their amazement, he does return--as a ghost! He does Kelly''s homework, gets the new boy at school to sit next to her, and even helps in her soccer games. Kelly knows she should do these things for herself, but what''s a girl to do when her dad''s a ghost?

A bully is beating up students in Jake Sherman''s eighth grade class and it looks as if no one can stop him, until Jake causes his buddy Josh to switch bodies with the principal.

Jake Sherman and his friends go to Camp Grimley, and find that their back-to-nature counselor is not what he seems.

Find out how to "dis" the gang and slam back witty comebacks-- and tickle their funny bones at the same time

Nicole wants to stop global warming or find a cure for cancer--but all that can wait until after Brad invites her to the prom. When Brad invites Dulcie instead, Nuicole recruits grunge king Chase, her next-door neighbor and sandbox partner. She does a complete makeover on his image, transforming him into a stud muffin, and he gets his first taste of the P word--popularity. Young Adult.