Most Popular Books by Laurie Friedman

When it comes to birthdays, no one knows how to party like Percy! Just follow his simple rules—like #2 "Happy times call for happy measures" and #9 "Be careful what you wish for"—to make the most of your celebration. Even when the cake has been consumed and the presents put away, Percy still has a trick up his sleeve to make a birthday extra special! Through clever rhymes and bright, humorous illustrations from the creators of Thanksgiving Rules and Back-to-School Rules, Percy shows how to make the most of a birthday celebration.

Mallory has a new diary, and big news to write in it: a cute fifth-grade boy LIKES her! The only problem: Mallory''s friends are more excited about it than she is. Mallory''s not sure what to do, what to say on the phone, or even how she feels. Her best friend, Mary Ann, however, issure about what Mallory should feel and do. But when Mallory follows Mary Ann''s advice, she winds up hurting another friend-and gets in BIG trouble. Can Mallory make things right and learn to follow her own heart?

It''s New Year''s Eve and Mallory can''t wait to celebrate! Her camp friends are coming to Fern Falls and she and Mary Ann have planned out every last detail for a perfect winter reunion and New Year''s Eve party. But what Mallory hadn''t planned on is getting sick. Poor Mallory has to ring in the New Year in the hospital instead of at home with her friends and family. Mallory thinks she''s missing out on all the fun. Is this the beginning of the worst year ever, or is Mallory in for a big New Year''s surprise?

Bon Voyage! Mallory and her family and friends are setting sail on a cruise. But poor Mallory feels like she''s sunk and she hasn''t even set sail yet. Her two best friends'' parents are getting married and even though Mallory is trying her best to be happy for Mary Ann and Joey, she can''t help feeling left out. Can Mallory find a way to be happy for her friends and not feel like a third wheel?

After moving, eight-year-old Mallory struggles with being new at school, especially because her mother is now the music teacher and director of the third grade play.

It''s a new school year for Mallory and everything''s perfect! She has a new computer, a pair of just-right back-to-school shoes, and her best friend, Mary Ann, is in her class. But somehow things go from perfectly good to perfectly bad. Mallory''s first crush is the same boy Mary Ann likes—and Mary Ann gets all his attention. And even though she has the right shoes, Mallory somehow gets off on the wrong foot with her teacher, Mr. Knight. Can Mallory find a way to turn things around and put her best foot forward?

Spunky, eight-year-old Mallory McDonald is very unhappy when her parents decide to get her older brother Max a dog. Why would her parents agree to such a thing? Dogs are smelly and bark and chew on things. Plus, they already have a perfectly good cat, Cheeseburger. When they finally get the puppy, it''s worse than Mallory imagined. Everyone loves Champ and he and Max are getting all of the attention. Poor Mallory—now everyone''s mad at her. What should she do?

It''s summertime and the Wish Pond Road gang is getting ready to go to Camp Blue Lake. Mallory''s not so sure she wants to go. What if she gets homesick or none of the other kids like her? Her best friends, Mary Ann and Joey, convince her how fun it will be to go swimming, boating, and roast marshmallows over a campfire. But when Mallory arrives at camp, nothing goes as planned. Will Mallory ever find a way to be a happy camper?

"Mallory is excited about the six-week arts electives program at Fern Falls Elementary--until she gets stuck in her last-choice elective, band. To make matters worse, she is assigned to the tuba, and when she plays, it sound more like passing gas than music. She dreads the showcase at the end of the program. But with some good guidance from her mom and her band teacher, Mallory learns the meaning of "practice makes perfect," and that, in fact, making music can be lots of fun"--

Mallory can''t wait to play in her town''s new girls'' basketball league! What could be more fun than trying something new and being on a team? But Mallory''s basketball career gets off to a rocky start. None of her friends are on her team. And no matter how much she tries, she can''t make a basket. Mallory works as hard as she can to improve. But as her team heads to the playoffs, she still feels like the weakest player. Will she let her teammates down? Or is there more to being part of a team than just winning the game?

Mallory''s new neighbors, the Goldmans, have twin five-year-old boys who need babysitters. Mrs. Goldman hires Mallory and her friend Chloe Jennifer to watch the boys while she works from home. Mallory can''t wait! The boys are adorable, so this job will be tons of fun . . . right? Actually, the boys turn out to be a handful. Plus, Mallory has trouble balancing her babysitting duties with her schoolwork, friends, and preparation for an upcoming school poetry slam. Will she figure out how to prioritize the things that matter the most before her new career ruins her life?

Mallory McDonald is turning nine! And she is ready to celebrate getting the past year over—one troubled with moving, starting a new school, making new friends, and sibling rivalry. Mallory wants her ninth birthday to be extra special. So instead of celebrating just one day, she plans an entire "birth month" celebration. But soon, things aren''t going according to plan, and Mallory fears that being nine may be just as difficult as being eight.

Mallory McDonald has her eye on the perfect purse, but it''s too expensive and Mallory''s mom is not buying! So Mallory comes up with the perfect plan to get the perfect purse. She''ll just start a business! Yet starting a business isn''t as easy as it seems. Mallory finally earns enough to buy what she wants. But if her business is such as success, why does Mallory feel like such a failure?

April Sinclair just wants what any normal thirteen-year-old would want: to disown her parents and obnoxious little sisters; to escape to summer camp ASAP with her two best friends, Billy and Brynn; and to make a good impression on Matt Parker, the hot new boy next door. Unfortunately, Matt witnesses April''s utter humiliation at her birthday party. Then Billy kisses her. Just as April is trying to figure things out, her parents cancel her camp plans in lieu of a family RV trip. A summer of babysitting her sisters and "re-bonding" with her family isn''t how she imagined life as a teenager. And it certainly won’t help her straighten out her feelings about Billy or Matt. Is there any silver lining to a road trip in The Clunker with her family of misfits?

A few months into freshman year, April thought her rocky friendship with her childhood BFF, Brynn, was improving. But then Brynn blames April for the breakup with her boyfriend, Billy, and soon other girls on the dance team do too. Meanwhile, April''s cousin Sophie seems to like Billy—and vice versa—putting April awkwardly in the middle. On top of it all, April can''t figure out what to make of being maybe-friends-maybe-more with sixteen-year-old genius Leo, now that he''s leaving for college a few hours away. As a new calendar year kicks off, April just wants a clean start—but high school is messy business.

"It''s Christmas! Ms. Green, Spots, and Stripes are at home opening presents. But when Spots and Stripes both give Ms. Green the same gift, they think Christmas is ruined. Will this dog and cat duo find a way to have a very merry holiday together?"--

Deep in the heart of Heartland lives Ruby Valentine and her trusty parrot Lovebird. Ruby''s favorite day of the year is Valentine''s Day—she loves to say "I love you" and make cards and treats to deliver to everyone in her town. But Ruby is so exhausted that she sleeps right through the holiday. Although Ruby is worried that she''ll have to wait a whole year to tell everyone that she loves them, Lovebird convinces her to deliver her treats and messages of love even though they''re a day late. To Ruby''s surprise, no one minds.

At first, high school is off to a surprisingly good start for April. She and Brynn are on the dance team. April''s almost-cousin Sophie has moved to Faraway. Running into Matt hasn''t been as weird as April thought it might be. And then there''s her new friendship with cute, quirky Leo. But just as April settles in, her life begins to unravel. Brynn doesn''t want anything to do with Sophie. April''s mom is busy opening a boutique, and she and Dad are constantly fighting. When events at a party catch April off guard, she feels like life has hit a new low. Is it possible that things can turn around when you least expect it?

School''s in session! When it comes to surviving school, Percy''s at the head of the class. If you can follow his ten simple rules, making the grade will be a piece of cake (and school will be a lot of fun). But there''s more to school than showing up on time and staying awake in class. If you have any doubts, Percy also shows exactly what not to do. No spitballs! No running in the halls! No bouncing off the ceiling! No crazy scheming! See what other trouble—and tips—Percy has in mind!