New Releases by Carol Gorman

At his new school, Jerry Flack is determined to stop being a dork and start being a cool guy—but does this science nerd really have what it takes to be popular? Jerry Flack is starting middle school in a new town where no one knows him and he can be anybody he wants. Jerry has a plan: He is finally going to be cool. But that turns out to be easier said than done. As his lies begin to pile up, Jerry knows he’s going to slip up soon, and everyone will see him for who he really is. Can Jerry keep the act going? Or is it possible that a dork can actually be . . . well, cool?

An International Reading Association Children’s Choice: When high school student Holly Baldwin is murdered, her friends decide to consult a Ouija board—with disastrous consequences When her classmates throw a party soon after the brutal murder of their friend Holly, Jessica can’t believe they could be so insensitive. But the festivities turn dark when several girls sitting at a Ouija board receive a frightening message about Holly’s death—and a warning. Nothing can prepare Jessica for the horror that follows.

Can geeky Jerry Flack win the election for class president, running against the most popular boy around? For the first time in his life, Jerry Flack is OK with being a dork. He has fun new friends, he’s on the school science team, and he even has a girlfriend. Everything is going great—until his friends convince him to run for class president against Gabe Marshall, the most popular guy in school. How can Jerry compete, especially when Gabe is doing all he can to embarrass him and show the whole school what a dork Jerry really is? He is determined to ignore Gabe’s pranks and focus on the upcoming election. But as Gabe’s tricks get more dangerous—and more humiliating—Jerry has a choice to make: He can get even with Gabe, or he can prove to the school that being a dork doesn’t mean he isn’t cool.

An International Reading Association Young Adult Choice: When a night in a graveyard with her friends turns fatal, Kelly knows it’s up to her to find the killer—before the killer finds her New to town, Kelly reluctantly agrees when her friends challenge her to spend the night in a graveyard with them. But she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching them through the mist. Her friends laugh off her suspicions—until she stumbles on a body covered in blood. As she begins to piece together the puzzle, Kelly realizes that the murderer may have killed before. Can Kelly and her new friend Miles solve the case before the killer strikes again?

When his uncle invents a time machine that can summon people from the past, T.J. has his hands full with a seventeenth-century pirate T.J. O’Brien witnesses a break-in behind the library. But when he sees the burglar—a real, live pirate—he realizes he can’t go to the police. They’d never believe him! He decides to talk it over with his eccentric uncle Ainsley. But when he arrives at Ainsley’s house, he finds the pirate sitting on the floor, eating a chicken leg and watching TV. His uncle’s new invention, a time machine, brought Captain Billy here from his life on the high seas. Billy has been getting into terrible trouble, picking pockets and burglarizing businesses, and the police are sure to catch up with him eventually. T.J. and Uncle Ainsley can’t send the captain back to 1690 because the time machine is broken. And their biggest problem? Captain Billy has discovered game shows and Big Macs—he doesn’t want to go home!

In her first year of middle school, tomboy Lizard Flanagan feels left out—her friends are growing up, but all Lizard wants is to stay the same Twelve-year-old Lizard Flanagan can’t believe it when her best friend, Mary Ann, wears a skirt on their first day of middle school. What happened to shorts and dirty sneakers? Suddenly Mary Ann is starting to look and talk like those girly girls she and Lizard always made fun of in elementary school. What’s worse, all the sixth-grade girls are acting like they’ve caught some kind of terrible disease that makes them blush and giggle whenever a boy is around—and the boys are just as bad. All Lizard wants to do is throw around a football and hang out with her buddies, but something terrible has happened: They’ve all started “the Change,” and they’ve left her behind! Lizard finds herself lost in a strange new world of tights, makeup, and middle school dances. Does maturity mean totally changing who she is? How can she grow up and still be herself?

When the boy Amy is babysitting swears he witnessed a kidnapping, Amy isn’t sure whether she should believe his crazy story Thirteen-year-old Amy Whipple is forced to babysit the son of her dad’s most important client, and she is prepared for a boring weekend with a boring eight-year-old. On a trip to the park, Malcolm runs ahead, and when Amy catches up with him, he swears he has just seen the kidnapping of Jennifer Smith from his class. Malcolm is famous for making up stories, and Amy doesn’t believe him . . . until they find the ransom note. In this wild, hilarious adventure, it’s up to Amy and Malcolm to rescue Jennifer—even though she’s a total jerk!

Lizard Flanagan is stunned when she is chosen as a model for the local fashion show—this tomboy in a dress has her work cut out for her When Lizard Flanagan finds out about a trip to Wrigley Field to see the Chicago Cubs play—for only fifty dollars—she is thrilled. It’s her big chance to see her favorite team in action! But how is she supposed to come up with fifty dollars before the trip? Lizard couldn’t care less about the local teen fashion show at the mall, and when she is unexpectedly chosen to be one of the models, she’s horrified. Parading around in a dress in front of other people is just not something she’s willing to do. Lizard is determined to quit the fashion show . . . until she learns that the winner will receive a prize of one hundred dollars, which would be more than enough to go see the Cubs. In this fun sequel to The Miraculous Makeover of Lizard Flanagan, Lizard has to face her fears and show the fashion world that a tomboy can rock the catwalk too.

Twelve-year-old Charlie Nebraska wants two things he can't get: to make the local baseball team and to have life to return to the way it was before his father died two years earlier in the Korean War. When Charlie meets Luther Peale, a stranger who quietly and mysteriously arrives in Charlie's small Iowa town, and sets up camp near the river, the two strike up a friendship. Luther is a former Negro Baseball League player, and he agrees to coach Charlie's fledgling neighborhood baseball team. But many of the town's white residents are suspicious of Luther because of his skin color. And when Charlie inadvertently reveals a secret of Luther's, violence erupts in the town and both Luther and Charlie are drawn into serious danger. Authors Carol Gorman and Ron J. Findley have created two highly memorable, emotionally complex characters in this dramatic story set in the days of the Negro Leagues that illustrates the meanings of friendship, prejudice, and heroism.

Mick Sullivan likes reading thrillers, daydreaming about Tabitha Slater, and teasing his archenemy, Boot Quinn. Boot Quinn likes playing his guitar, daydreaming about Tabitha Slater, and punching his adversary, Mick Sullivan. The two eighth graders are rivals in every way, and with two fights in the first week of school, they've set the stage for a yearlong showdown. That is, until a new principal arrives on the scene and forces Mick and Boot to spend an hour and a half each day playing games together. Two enemies, one small room, and no adult supervision—battle lines are bound to be crossed. As the wins and losses are tallied, the boys find themselves fighting for their classmates' attention, a cute girl's affection, and their own fathers' respect. But how far are they willing to go to win? And who are they really fighting? There's only one way to find out. Game on.

The coolest geek around is back in this third "Dork" novel, which provides a humorous introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan times.

Hindered by a fight with her friend Dub and a series of mysterious fires, 11-year-old Allie investigates a fire that happened 17 years earlier.

When Janet runs a lawn mower over the Bugman's tombstone by accident, insects start to attack her wherever she goes. Perhaps the Bugman is getting revenge from the grave.

When some of Julia's friends set fire to an old log cabin, its occupant, who supposedly died in the fire, seeks revenge.

When Adam's mom wins the lottery, Adam and his friend Ross discover they must forgive those who are jealous of them, just as Jesus forgave the people who hurt him.

Samantha and Abby start a "good" rumor and discover that they need Jesus' forgiveness when the rumor becomes very damaging.

Justin has a hard time following in the footsteps of his athletic, smart, handsome brother, until an accident helps Justin and his family understand that each individual is precious in God's eyes.

The Tree House Kids are devastated to hear that their friend Kara has leukemia, and they become angry with God.

When Tess and Ben fail in their attempts to get even with school bully Brad, Mrs. Pilkington suggests praying for him.

After witnessing a murder that took place under the bleachers during the Lincoln High School basketball game, wheelchair-bound Chelsey begins to suspect that the killer is Jack, a green-haired boy. Reprint.