Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth explores Greg Heffley’s struggles with growing up as he faces new responsibilities, awkward social changes and the realization that adulthood isn’t as great as it seems. When Greg and Rowley have a falling-out, he’s left to navigate middle school without his best friend, making everything from family drama to school pressures even harder.
Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid introduces readers to the hilarious and relatable world of Greg Heffley, a middle schooler navigating the ups and downs of school, family and friendships. Written in a diary format with witty illustrations, the book captures Greg’s often self-centered yet amusing perspective as he deals with bullies, embarrassing moments and his best friend Rowley’s unexpected rise in popularity.
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is a deeply emotional realistic fiction novel that follows the life of Charlie Davis, a 17-year-old girl struggling to rebuild her life after experiencing severe trauma and loss. I have read this book over and over again, wishing I could experience the emotional roller coaster of reading it for the first time.
All American Boys - One night. One incident. Two teenage lives forever changed. Rashad, a black teenager, gets brutally beaten by a cop for a crime he never committed. Quinn, a white teenager, watched it all unfold. Now, they’re both stuck in a mental fight. Rashad seeks justice, while Quinn battles his morals and emotions. With the world watching, they must make decisions that no teenager should have to make. Will they stand up, or just be another person lost in the crowd?
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is an adult contemporary fiction novel centered around the Riva siblings who live in Malibu in 1983. The Rivas may be celebrities among the public, but they each have their own struggles hidden beneath the surface. When Nina, the oldest of the Riva siblings, throws her signature party, each of their issues are gradually unraveled throughout the night. Through flashbacks of the past and snippets of the present, tensions are gradually built and relationships are put to the test.
Lady Bird is an incredible film about a teenage girl named Christine, who goes by Lady Bird. She lives in Sacramento, California, with her parents and brother. Lady Bird hopes to escape her small town and become something big. She believes her only chance of doing this is to go to college on the east coast, so she can leave her family and be successful. Lady Bird has a complicated relationship with almost everyone in her life, the main one being her mother.
The Penderwicks is a heartwarming story about friendship, sisterhood and loyalty by Jeanne Birdsall. It depicts the family's vacation to Arundel in the Berkshire mountains. Along the way, the sisters meet a boy named Jeffrey as he struggles to find his place among his ill-natured mother and her cruel boyfriend. The sisters form lifelong friendships, make countless memories, share adventures and of course find themselves in plenty of mishaps during what they thought would be an ordinary family vacation.
The Hate U Give is a realistic fiction young adult novel that follows the young woman, Starr, through a difficult time of hate and racism in her life. Her childhood friend, Khalil, is shot by a police officer even though Khalil did nothing wrong. As Starr goes through grieving, her neighborhood falls into chaos as the news keeps portraying Khalil as the enemy.
This book is about a girl named Sarah, who lost her mom six months before the start of the book. Since her death, she has been put with the duties of caring for her younger brother and now her dad, who has fallen apart because of the death of his wife. Sarah has to do it all from the bills, school, food and everything else a parent normally does. She meets a boy she likes, but she is too busy with everything else to have another person in her life. But, one art project changes her perspective on everything.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney is the fourteenth book in the series, and it takes Greg Heffley on a journey through the chaos of home renovations. The story begins when Greg’s family receives an unexpected inheritance, which they decide to use to make some much-needed improvements to their house. However, what starts as a simple renovation quickly spirals out of control as the Heffleys encounter one disaster after another, from faulty construction to unexpected expenses.
