Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of "Stargirl, Stargirl." She captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal.

In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

Maleeka Madison is a strong student who has had enough of being teased about her "too black" skin and handmade clothes. So when she starts seventh grade, she decides to adopt a sassier attitude and a tougher circle of friends. The last thing she expects is to get "messed up" with another "freak," but that's exactly what happens.

After a new teacher, whose face is disfigured from a skin disease, enters her life, will Maleeka be able to learn to love the skin she's in?

Winner of the 1999 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for new authors.

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: school.


Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own. Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.


Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common, but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

Ever since a deeply unfortunate incident earlier this year, Reggie's been known as "Pukey" McKnight at his high-intensity Brooklyn middle school. He wants to turn his image around, but he has other things on his mind as well: his father, who's out of a job; his best friends, Ruthie and Joe C.; his former best friend Donovan, who's now become a jerk; and of course, the beautiful Mialonie. The elections for school president are coming up, but with his notorious nickname and "nothing" social status, Reggie wouldn't stand a chance, if he even had the courage to run.
Then Reggie gets involved with a local homeless shelter. Haunted by two of the clients there — George, a once-proud man who shares his interest in comic books, and Charlie, a six-year-old kid — he begins to think about making a difference, both in the world and at school. Pukey for President? It can happen...if he starts believing.

Out of My Mind is a novel by Sharon M. Draper. In this novel, Melody Brooks is an eleven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Melody's body is stiff and uncooperative, forcing her to use a wheelchair. Her mind works well, but she cannot speak. Melody hates her boring special education classes and the fact that she cannot make her thoughts and opinions known, even to her parents. Hence Melody has to fight to get what she wants. Eventually, Melody is given a computer that helps her speak and communicate in a regular fifth grade class. Melody even gets the opportunity to participate in a trivia competition. Unfortunately, even great success cannot change opinions of those who cannot see beyond the physical. This is a fact Melody is forced to face despite everything she accomplishes. Out of My Mind is a brilliant novel that takes the reader into the world of an amazing eleven year old girl who eventually realizes she is no different from the kids around her despite her body's disabilities.

Melody Brooks was born with cerebral palsy. Her parents have done all they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often frustrating for Melody because she cannot speak or communicate her wishes. In fact, Melody was even diagnosed as profoundly retarded when she was five. Despite this, Melody's mother enrolled her in public school to give her the opportunities she needed to succeed.

Mrs. V., Melody's neighbor, is a kind, but tough woman, who pushes Melody to do the best she can. Mrs. V. was not content to allow three year old Melody to rely on her parents for everything. For this reason, Mrs. V. forced Melody to learn how to roll over and how to crawl. Mrs. V. even taught Melody how to catch herself whenever she fell from her wheelchair. This things helped Melody become more self-sufficient. However, Melody continues to be reliant on her parents to feed her, to help her go to the bathroom, and she would never learn to speak.

When Melody is eight, her mother becomes pregnant. Melody can overhear them talking about the new baby and their fears that she will suffer the same disabilities as Melody. Melody feels guilty and ashamed when she overhears these conversations. However, even Melody is happy when the baby, Penny, is born perfectly normal.

As Penny grows and matures, Melody feels a little jealous that a baby is doing all the things she will never be able to do. However, Melody adores her little sister and is pleased with the pleasure the baby brings her parents.

When Melody begins fifth grade, the new teacher brings a great deal of change, including an inclusion program that allows the special education children to join normal classes. Melody even gets an aide to help her with the classes. Melody enjoys the classes, but she dislikes the way the other students assume that she is stupid. Even the teacher assumes Melody cannot participate and is surprised when she not only participates, but passes the test exam of a trivia competition with a perfect score.

Melody participates in the qualifying exam to be part of the trivia competition and once again surprises everyone when she makes the team. Melody then helps the team win the qualifying competition to win a trip to Washington, D.C. for the national competition. However, on the day the group is to fly to Washington, Melody learns her flight has been canceled due to weather, but the rest of the team has made an earlier flight without her.

The following day, Melody insists on going to school. It is raining and Melody's mother is tired, sick, and frustrated. Therefore, when Melody kicks, hits, and screams to warn her mother that Penny has slipped out of the house and is in the path of the car, her mother fails to understand. Penny is hit by the car and injured. Melody feels bad for not being able to warn her mother even though everyone, especially Mrs. V. assures her it is not her fault. In the end, Melody learns that Penny is going to be fine. Her class also apologizes for their lack of consideration toward her.

Can a young baseball star maintain his love of the game after the loss of his brother? Find out in this start to the Home Team series about a small town with high hopes, from New York Times bestselling author and sportswriting legend Mike Lupica.

Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and seventh grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits.

Jack’s best friend Gus can’t understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It’s a year of change. Jack’s brother has passed away, and though his family and friends and the whole town of Walton thinks baseball is just the thing he needs to move on, Jack feels it’s anything but.

In comes Cassie Bennett, star softball player, and the only person who seems to think Jack shouldn’t play if he doesn’t want to. As Jack and Cassie’s friendship deepens, their circle expands to include Teddy, a guy who’s been bullied because of his weight.

Time spent with these new friends unlocks something within Jack, and with their help and the support of his family and his old friends, Jack discovers sometimes it’s more than just the love of the game that keeps us moving forward—and he might just be able to find his way back to The Only Game, after all.

A brilliant, emotionally charged novel about two boys. One is a slow learner, too large for his age, and the other is a tiny, disabled genius. The two pair up to create one formidable human force known as "Freak the Mighty". MAX. FREAK. BEST FRIENDS. FOREVER. I never had a brain until Freak came along. . .That's what Max thought. All his life he'd been called stupid. Dumb. Slow. It didn't help that his body seemed to be growing faster than his mind. It didn't help that people were afraid of him. So Max learned how to be alone. At least until Freak came along. Freak was weird, too. He had a little body, and a really big brain. Together Max and Freak were unstoppable. Together, they were Freak the Mighty.
“A wonderful story of triumph over imperfection, shame, and loss.” 

A girl is teased after giving a boring report on whales to her fifth-grade class.

August Pullman is not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. Sure, he's a huge Star Wars fan, he loves his dog, and he's got a pretty good sense of humor. But August was born with a craniofacial abnormality, a genetic defect that caused his facial features to be severely deformed. His life has never been "normal."

Despite his differences, August and his parents decide to transition him from home school to private school now that he's entering fifth grade. It's the start of middle school, they reason, so everyone will be new. But August has to deal with so much more than just being new. Will he make friends? Will he decide to stay at the school? And can the people around him learn to see past his appearance?

This brilliant, sensitive story, narrated not only by August, but also by his older sister, his classmates, and other kids in his life, takes an insightful look at how one person's differences can affect the lives of so many others.