While Ellie tries to get her potentially prize-winning pumpkin to put on two hundred more pounds, she struggles with her own weight, using her sense of humor to get through the struggles of life....

SomethingÂ’s rotten in the heart of apple country!

Hildy Biddle dreams of being a journalist. A reporter for her high school newspaper, The Core, she’s just waiting for a chance to prove herself. Not content to just cover school issues, Hildy’s drawn to the town’s big story—the haunted old Ludlow house. On the surface, Banesville, USA, seems like such a happy place, but lately, eerie happenings and ghostly sightings are making Hildy take a deeper look.

Her efforts to find out who is really haunting Banesville isnÂ’t making her popular, and she starts wondering if sheÂ’s cut out to be a journalist after all. But she refuses to give up, because, hopefully, the truth will set a few ghosts free.

Peeled is classic Joan Bauer, featuring a strong heroine, and filled with her trademark witty dialogue, and problems and people worth standing up to.

...

Tree is twelve years old and too tall&150six feet, three and a half inches and growing. He's never really been able to fit in at school or on the basketball team, and since his parents' divorce he isn't even comfortable in his own home. Tree copes by helping people like his grandpa, a Vietnam vet who's just had part of a leg amputated, and Sophie, a new girl at school who is being teased by the popular kids. In helping his grandpa learn to walk again, and in listening to Sophie's advice that he be himself, Tree begins to heal, to stand tall. But when a flood threatens his town and his home, Tree's newfound confidence is put to the test....

Hildy Biddle wants something monumental to happen so she can finally prove herself to be more than a high school journalist. The problem? Her town’s biggest story stars a ghost, which is not an easy interview. But while the local paper is playing up people’s fears with shocking headlines of creepy happenings, Hildy is determined to discover what’s really going on. Unfortunately, her desire to uncover the truth is starting to cause a stir. With rumors swirling and tensions high, can Hildy push past all the hype and find out the real truth?...

A Cupid named Jonathan has offered help in the romance department to teenager Allison Jean McCreary, and hilarious fun results when Allison cannot resist the idea of having local hunk Peter Tarris fall for her....

In this sequel to the beloved Rules of the Road, Jenna Boller is dripping with newfound maturity after her life-altering summer on the road. She has a job she loves at Gladstone Shoes, a best friend who makes her laugh, and a dysfunctional family she’s learning how to handle. Jenna feels ready for anything—until Tanner Cobb, a guy with a past, a police record, and dangerously good looks, walks into her life. Suddenly Jenna’s surrounded by crises, including a shoe empire on the verge of crumbling. Tanner’s street smarts seem to be what Jenna needs, but can she trust him enough when the going gets tough?...

Jenna Boller is back from her life-altering trip to Texas, dripping with instant maturity. She’s got a new job as assistant to Madeline Gladstone, Director of Quality Control for Gladstone Shoes, and a handsome protégé named Tanner Cobb.

But balancing all these responsibilities with the angst of junior year and her needy family isn’t easy, especially when she’s uncovering nefarious dealings at a mysterious shoe factory called Plant 453 and her protégé happens to be a shoplifter. Jenna finds it difficult to trust Tanner, although his street smarts might be just what she needs when the going gets tough—filling so many shoes is a tall order! But Jenna’s sense of humor keeps her grounded and helps her understand maturity is a work-in-progress.

Once again, Joan Bauer has written a sure-footed, funny, and poignant novel about honesty, self- esteem, the demands of loyalty, and the redemptive power of sole....

There's only one thing in the world Mickey Vernon really wants, and it's hanging in the window of his family's pool hall. It's an awesome shirt that says Vernon's Pool Hall Youth Tournament Champion, Cruckston New Jersey, and the winner of the tento thirteen-year-olds' nine-ball tournament will have the honor of wearing it. For a ten-year-old, Mickey is one fantastic pool player. But to win the shirt, he's going to have to beat Buck Pender. Buck is three years older, is probably part gorilla, and has been pushing Mickey and his friends around since forever. Even with coaching from Arlen Pepper, math brain and loyal best friend, Mickey figures he's doomed.

But then a bearded stranger in a cowboy hat rolls into town in a Peterbilt truck -- the ultimate. Joseph Alvarez is an ace with a pool cue. Even more important, he knew Mickey's pool champion father, who died when Mickey was a baby. But he's also a man with a past -- and Mickey's mother doesn't want Joseph spending time with her son. Mickey has absolutely got to talk his mother into letting this man teach him his dad's pool secrets.

Amazing triple bank shots, fifth-grade heroics, and desperate measures to deal with unreasonable mothers add up to a hilarious novel about pool, parents, and trying to be the best....

Ivy Breedlove's family is driving her crazy. Generations of Breedloves have been prominent lawyers and her relatives expect her to follow suit. "We'll make her a lawyer yet!" they pronounce at a family reunion. Well, not if Ivy has her say. But how do you have your say when the voices surrounding you are so loud? Ivy's passion for the past provides an answer. As she works on completing a history of her illustrious family, she discovers other Breedlove women who broke the mold, including her father's sister Josephine. No one will talk about the reclusive Aunt Jo, so when Ivy hires a wilderness guide to find her, her family is less than thrilled. Armed with her thirst for knowledge, Ivy undertakes a dramatic journey up an icy mountain and into the backwater to try to find someone, perhaps, like herself....

You think your family’s bad? What if your dad was a preacher at the mall? What if your sister made you dress like Little Lord Fauntleroy for her wedding? What if your grandfather was wanted by the law in three states? You’d be hard pressed to be in more embarrassing, tougher situations than these kids.

Ten hilarious, poignant, thoughtful stories about how our families drive us crazy, and how we love them anyway. Featuring some of today’s most talented authors:

Joan Bauer Jack Gantos Mel Glenn Gordon Korman David Lubar Walter Dean Myers Dian Curtis Regan John H. Ritter Nancy Springer Sharon Dennis Wyeth

This is the perfect gift for that special someone who drives you crazy!...