February 2021 list by L. Buehler
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The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell
by Jordan Sonnenblick
In a typical school year, every kid has one or two things go wrong. But for Jordan, there's a lot going wrong all the time. Take this year. Here are some of the thing going wrong: His teacher hates him. Like, really hates him. Like, is totally out to get him even when he's trying to be good, and is willing to fail him on the simplest things, like show and tell. There are bullies ready to stomp him when all he has to defend himself with is a lunchbox. And all this doesn't even include the freak swing set accident, the fears inside his head, or the funniest class presentation ever. By keeping his cool, banging on the drums, and keepin his sense of humor, Jordan's going to try to make it through the year, and grow up too!
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Bump
by Matt Wallace
MJ knows what it means to hurt. Bruises from gymnastics heal, but big hurts, like her dad not being around anymore, don't go away. Now her mom needs to work two jobs, and MJ doesn't have friends at school to lean on. There is only one thing MJ loves: the world of professional wrestling. She especially idolizes the luchadores and the stories they tell in the ring. When MJ learns that her neighbor, Mr. Arellano, runs a wrestling school, she has a new mission in life: join the school, train hard, and become a wrestler. But trouble lies ahead. After wrestling in a showcase event, MJ attracts the attention of Mr. Arellano's enemy at the State Athletic Commission. There are threats to shut the school down, putting MJ's new home and the community that welcomed her at risk. What can MJ do to save her new family?
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Clues to the Universe
by Christina Li
The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together. Benjamin Burns doesn't like science, but he can't get enough of Spacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he's thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him. Though Ro and Benji were only supposed to be science class partners, the pair become unlikely friends: Benji helps Ro finish her rocket, and Ro figures out a way to reunite Benji and his dad. But Benji hesitates, which infuriates Ro. Doesn't he realize how much Ro wishes she could be in his place? As the two face bullying, grief, and their own differences, Benji and Ro must try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe.
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Field Trip Fiasco
by James Patterson
Accepting an all-expenses-paid art field trip to California after a long spate of good behavior, troublemaker Rafe arrives in a desert “cultural campout” that is complicated by forged cave paintings and a diamond smuggling plot.
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The Ickabog
by J. K. Rowling
Two best friends from the fantastical culinary kingdom of Cornucopia embark on an adventure to uncover the truth about a mystical Marshland monster that is believed to be responsible for the disappearances of livestock and children.
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The Last Bear
by Hannah Gold
Accompanying her father to an Arctic outpost on Bear Island, where she is informed no polar bears remain, April spots a hungry and lonely polar bear that she resolves to help return home.
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Midnight Train
by Angie Sage
A conclusion to the duology that began with Twilight Hauntings finds Alex fleeing a band of monstrous Enchantments while investigating the mystery of her banishment amid shocking revelations about her identity.
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Ms. Jo-Jo Is a Yo-Yo!
by Dan Gutman
Nervously preparing for the upcoming Fundamental Arithmetic Reading Test, a stressed-out A.J. and his friends skeptically participate in relaxation classes with a wellness expert who counsels students using weird yoga exercises and crystal salt lamps.
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Never Grow Up
by Karen Kingsbury
The Baxter sisters’ agreement to hold onto their childhoods as long as possible is challenged by Kari’s career-themed essay assignment and Ashley’s casting as Wendy in a school production of Peter Pan.
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The Sea in Winter
by Christine Day
After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
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Unplugged
by Gordon Korman
Relates, in multiple voices, the adventures of a group of youngsters at an electronics-free wellness camp where wealthy, spoiled Jett, leads other campers in trying to stop a criminal.
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