Thanks a Lot, Universe

by Chad Lucas

Author	: Chad Lucas
Publisher	: Abrams
Total Pages	: 288
Release	: 2021-05-11
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 164700134X

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Now in paperback, a moving contemporary middle-grade novel for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t belong Brian has always been anxious, whether at home, or in class, or on the basketball court. His dad tries to get him to stand up for himself and his mom helps as much as she can. But after he and his brother are placed in foster care, Brian starts having panic attacks. And he doesn’t quite know if there's something wrong with him . . . Ezra’s always been popular. He’s friends with most of the kids on his basketball team—even Brian, who doesn’t talk to many people. But now, some of his friends have been acting differently, and Brian seems to be pulling away. Ezra wants to help, but he worries if he’s too nice to Brian, his friends will realize that he has a crush on him . . . But when Brian and his brother run away, Ezra has no choice but to take the leap and reach out to Brian. And Brian realizes that he could really use a friend right now. As the two get closer, they’ll have to decide if they’re willing to risk being vulnerable with each other and share parts of themselves they’d rather hide from the world. But if they can be brave, they might just find the best in themselves—and each other. With a lively voice and moving story, Thanks a Lot, Universe is about finding your community and learning to trust your heart.

Let the Monster Out

by Chad Lucas

Author	: Chad Lucas
Publisher	: Abrams
Total Pages	: 288
Release	: 2022-05-17
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 1647005426

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An equal parts heart-pounding and heartfelt middle-grade mystery about facing––and accepting––your fears, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and The Parker Inheritance Bones Malone feels like he can’t do anything right in his new small town: He almost punched the son of the woman who babysits him and his brothers, he’s one of the only Black kids in Langille, and now his baseball team (the one place where he really feels like he shines) just lost their first game. To make matters worse, things in town are getting weird. His mom isn’t acting like herself at all—she’s totally spaced out, almost like a zombie. And then he and his brothers have the same dream—one where they’re running from some of their deepest fears, like a bear and an eerie cracked mirror that Bones would rather soon forget. Kyle Specks feels like he can never say the right thing at the right time. He thinks he might be neurodivergent, but he hasn’t gotten an official diagnosis yet. His parents worry that the world might be too hard for him and try to protect him, but Kyle knows they can’t do that forever. Even though he’s scared, he can’t just stand by and do nothing while things in this town get stranger and stranger, especially not after he and Bones find a mysterious scientist’s journal that might hold answers about what’s going on. But when faced with seemingly impossible situations, a shady corporation, and their own worst nightmares, will Kyle and Bones be brave enough to admit they're scared? Or will the fear totally consume and control them?

Our Own Private Universe

by Robin Talley

Author	: Robin Talley
Publisher	: Harlequin
Total Pages	: 248
Release	: 2017-01-31
Genre	: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN	: 1488015279

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Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex. No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual—even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too. Actually, Aki's theory is that she's got only one shot at living an interesting life—and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something. Or at least try. So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa—slightly older, far more experienced—it seems her theory is prime for the testing. But it's not going to be easy. For one thing, how exactly do two girls have sex, anyway? And more important, how can you tell if you're in love? It's going to be a summer of testing theories—and the result may just be love.

You're Welcome, Universe

by Whitney Gardner

Author	: Whitney Gardner
Publisher	: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Total Pages	: 306
Release	: 2017-03-07
Genre	: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN	: 0399551433

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A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award! When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural. Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up. Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war. Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way. "[A] spectacular debut...a moving, beautifully written contemporary novel full of quirky art and complicated friendships...this book is a gift to be thankful for."—BookRiot

Notes from the Universe

by Mike Dooley

Author	: Mike Dooley
Publisher	: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages	: 242
Release	: 2007-09-18
Genre	: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN	: 1416558446

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What if the Universe were to send you frequent reminders of the absolute power you have over your life? Author Mike Dooley, an interpreter for the Universe, has done exactly that in Notes from the Universe—a collection of empowering, invaluable truths that can be read front to back or opened at random. This first book in the Notes from the Universe trilogy teaches its readers to live a life far richer than they had previously thought imaginable. The Universe is here to remind us that we are in control. To have the life you desire, all you have to do is ask. The secret to manifesting change is not focusing on the how but instead, the end result of what you’re after—the kind of life you want. Then, once you are truly focused, the Universe will conspire on your behalf. Author Mike Dooley has turned over every stone, knocked on every door, and followed every impulse. He has immersed himself in the truths he needed to hear most; these were the kind of lessons he wrote about in his weekly emails. What started in 1998 as a little poem sent out once a week to 38 email addresses has evolved into an inspiring anecdote delivered to over 300,000 subscribers from 169 countries, each receiving a new note from the Universe five days a week. Mike Dooley serves as an interpreter for the Universe. Notes from the Universe begins a three-volume set that is brimful with powerful affirmations that will have you thinking positively, feeling confident, and walking the path to personal success. When readers discover the truths the Universe is unveiling in Notes from the Universe,they will begin living happier, more fulfilling lives.

Clues to the Universe

by Christina Li

Author	: Christina Li
Publisher	: HarperCollins
Total Pages	: 242
Release	: 2021-01-12
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0063008904

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This stellar debut about losing and finding family, forging unlikely friendships, and searching for answers to big questions will resonate with fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Rebecca Stead. 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, and Ro even 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 try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe. A Washington Post KidsPost Summer Book Club selection * A Junior Library Guild Selection * A Bank Street Best Book of the Year

The Center of the Universe

by Anita Liberty

Author	: Anita Liberty
Publisher	: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages	: 154
Release	: 2008-07
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 1416957898

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An angst-ridden fictional memoir of Anita Liberty's last two years in high school is presented through diary entries, poems, sarcastic advice, scorecards of parental infractions, and definitions of SAT vocabulary words.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

by Douglas Adams

Author	: Douglas Adams
Publisher	: Del Rey
Total Pages	: 206
Release	: 2008-12-30
Genre	: Fiction
ISBN	: 0307497909

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Now celebrating the 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, soon to be a Hulu original series! “A madcap adventure . . . Adams’s writing teeters on the fringe of inspired lunacy.”—United Press International Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth’s dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on. God only knows what it all means. Fortunately, He left behind a Final Message of explanation. But since it’s light-years away from Earth, on a star surrounded by souvenir booths, finding out what it is will mean hitching a ride to the far reaches of space aboard a UFO with a giant robot. What else is new? “The most ridiculously exaggerated situation comedy known to created beings . . . Adams is irresistible.”—The Boston Globe

Criss Cross

by Lynne Rae Perkins

Author	: Lynne Rae Perkins
Publisher	: Harper Collins
Total Pages	: 375
Release	: 2010-11-16
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0062062905

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Winner of the Newbery Medal • New York Times Bestseller • An ALA Notable Book • An ALA Best Book for Young Adults • School Library Journal Best Book • Booklist Editors’ Choice • Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice • Horn Book Fanfare Book • New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age In this acclaimed, award-winning, and timeless national bestseller, Newbery Medalist Lynne Rae Perkins explores the crisscrossing lives of four teenagers on the verge of adulthood. The unique format incorporates short vignettes, haiku, Q&As, and illustrations by the author. Written with love and humor, Criss Cross is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and growing up. “It’s hard to write a book this good. Lynne Rae Perkins makes it seem easy.”—Kevin Henkes, New York Times–bestselling author of the Newbery Honor Books Olive’s Ocean and The Year of Billy Miller “Brilliantly captures the adolescent-level Zen that thoughtful kids bring to their assessment of the world.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Best of all are the understated moments, often private and piercing in their authenticity, that capture intelligent, likable teens searching for signs of who they are, and who they’ll become.”—ALA Booklist (starred review) “Written with humor and modest bits of philosophy, the writing sparkles with inventive, often dazzling metaphors.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Like a lazy summer day, the novel induces that exhilarating feeling that one has all the time in the world.”—The Horn Book (starred review) “A gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate.”—School Library Journal (starred review)