We Are All Made of Molecules

by Susin Nielsen
We Are All Made of Molecules
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Ember
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-05-10
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0553496891
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*"This savvy, insightful take on the modern family makes for nearly nonstop laughs."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Stewart, 13: Socially clueless genius. Ashley, 14: Popular with everyone but her teachers Ashley's and Stewart's worlds collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. The Brady Bunch it isn't. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it--he's always wanted a sister. But Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder. They're complete opposites, but they have one thing in common: they—like everyone else—are made of molecules. In this hilarious and deeply moving story, award-winning author Susin Nielsen has created two narrators who will steal your heart and make you laugh out loud. Praise NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Nominated for the George Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominated to the Pacific Northwest Young Reader’s Choice Award Texas Lone Star Reading List "A laugh-out-loud story of two teens learning to adjust to unusual family life that neither expected...Everyone from teenagers to adults will enjoy this story of ups and downs, laughter and tears, and the healing power of love."--VOYA *"Drama, humour, poignancy, and suspense are rarely found in such perfect proportions..some truly funny writing...stellar, top notch stuff."—Quill & Quire, Starred What Other Authors Are Saying “Susin Nielsen is one of the best writers working today. In We Are All Made of Molecules, her astonishing ability to combine insight, tenderness, poignancy, and uproarious humor is in full flower. Susin Nielsen is a genius, and kids and adults alike will adore this book.” —Susan Juby, author of The Truth Commission “What a skilled, gifted writer Susin is!…There’s so much to love about this story . . . but what grabbed me the most is the humor.” —Christopher Paul Curtis, Newbery Medal–winning author of Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963

Dear George Clooney

by Susin Nielsen
Dear George Clooney
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Tundra Books
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2012-04-10
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 177049295X
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Violet's TV-director dad has traded a job in Vancouver for one in Los Angeles, their run-down house for a sleek ranch-style home complete with a pool, and, worst of all, Violet's mother for a trophy wife, a blonde actress named Jennica. Violet's younger sister reacts by bed-wetting, and her mother ping-pongs from one loser to another, searching for love. As for Violet, she gets angry in ways that are by turns infuriating, shocking, and hilarious. When her mother takes up with the unfortunately named Dudley Wiener, Violet and her friend Phoebe decide that they need to take control. If Violet's mom can't pick a decent man herself, they will help her snag George Clooney. In Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, Susin Nielsen has created a truly original protagonist in Violet and a brilliant new novel that will delight readers into rooting for her, even when she's at her worst.

No Fixed Address

by Susin Nielsen
No Fixed Address
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2018-09-11
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1524768367
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For fans of Wendelin van Draanen and Cynthia Lord, a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship, and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness. Twelve-and-three-quarter-year-old Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is Who What Where When; he even named his gerbil after the host. Felix's mom, Astrid, is loving but can't seem to hold on to a job. So when they get evicted from their latest shabby apartment, they have to move into a van. Astrid swears him to secrecy; he can't tell anyone about their living arrangement, not even Dylan and Winnie, his best friends at his new school. If he does, she warns him, he'll be taken away from her and put in foster care. As their circumstances go from bad to worse, Felix gets a chance to audition for a junior edition of Who What Where When, and he's determined to earn a spot on the show. Winning the cash prize could make everything okay again. But things don't turn out the way he expects. . . . Susin Nielsen deftly combines humor, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

Word Nerd

by Susin Nielsen
Word Nerd
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2016-10-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1448188547
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Ambrose Bukowski is a twelve-year-old with a talent for mismatching his clothes, for saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, and for words. In short, he’s a self-described nerd. Making friends is especially hard because he and his overprotective mother, Irene, have had to move so often. And when bullies at his latest school almost kill him by deliberately slipping a peanut into his sandwich to set off his allergy, it's his mother who has the extreme reaction. From now on, Ambrose has to be home-schooled. Then Ambrose strikes up an unlikely friendship with the landlord's son, Cosmo, an ex-con who's been in prison. They have nothing in common except for Scrabble. But a small deception grows out of control when Ambrose convinces a reluctant Cosmo to take him to a Scrabble club. Could this spell disaster for Ambrose?

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen

by Susin Nielsen
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Tundra Books
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2014-04-22
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1770496548
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Thirteen-year-old Henry's happy, ordinary life comes to an abrupt halt when his older brother, Jesse, picks up their father's hunting rifle and leaves the house one morning. What follows shatters Henry's family, who are forced to resume their lives in a new city, where no one knows their past. When Henry's therapist suggests he keeps a journal, at first he is resistant. But soon he confides in it at all hours of the day and night.

Optimists Die First

by Susin Nielsen
Optimists Die First
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2017-02-21
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0553496921
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Award-winning author Susin Nielsen has written a laugh-out-loud and heartrending novel for fans of Robyn Schneider’s Extraordinary Means and Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will. Beware: Life ahead. Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is anything but wild. A former crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula shut herself off from the world after a family tragedy. She sees danger in all the ordinary things, like crossing the street, a bug bite, or a germy handshake. She knows: life is out to get you. The worst part of her week is her comically lame mandatory art therapy class with a small group of fellow misfits. Then a new boy, Jacob, appears at school and in her therapy group. He seems so normal and confident, though he has a prosthetic arm; and soon he teams up with Petula on a hilarious project, gradually inspiring her to let go of some of her fears. But as the two grow closer, a hidden truth behind why he’s in the group threatens to derail them, unless Petula takes a huge risk. . . Praise: Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year “Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humor.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers in familiar environments.” —School Library Journal, Starred “[An] empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred “A poignant exploration into the nuances of healing.” —Quill and Quire, Starred

Just Under the Clouds

by Melissa Sarno
Just Under the Clouds
Author: Melissa Sarno
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1524720089
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Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find something lasting when everything feels so fleeting. Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know to climb the trees of Brooklyn. But now Cora is a middle schooler, a big sister, and homeless. Her mother is trying to hold the family together after her father's death, and Cora must look after her sister, Adare, who's just different, their mother insists. Quick to smile, Adare hates wearing shoes, rarely speaks, and appears untroubled by the question Cora can't help but ask: How will she find a place to call home? After their room at the shelter is ransacked, Cora's mother looks to an old friend for help, and Cora finally finds what she has been looking for: Ailanthus altissima, the "tree of heaven," which can grow in even the worst conditions. It sets her on a path to discover a deeper truth about where she really belongs. Just Under the Clouds will take root in your heart and blossom long after you've turned the last page. "[A] heartbreaking yet hopeful story of a family searching for a place to belong." --Publishers Weekly "[A] thought provoking debut about the meaning of home and the importance of family."--Horn Book Magazine

The Truth Commission

by Susan Juby
The Truth Commission
Author: Susan Juby
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017-05-02
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0143189166
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A quirky, darkly funny novel from an acclaimed author--great for fans of Libba Bray and E. Lockhart. Normandy Pale and her friends are The Truth Commission. They have no fear; they're committed to exposing the things that no one else is brave enough or tactless enough to ask about at their high school for artists. But then, one of their truth targets says to Normandy: "If you want to know about the truth, you might want to look a little closer to home." Written as "narrative nonfiction" by Normandy herself, this unique--and uniquely compelling--story features footnotes, illustrations and a combination of mystery/love story that will capture readers from the first page.

The Deviants

by C.J. Skuse
The Deviants
Author: C.J. Skuse
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2016-09-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1474050956
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‘A tale of revenge, righteousness and recovery with a heart-stopping twist – The Guardian Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves