"If thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number...you would think a civilized society could come up with a way for us to skip it." -- from"What's the Worst That Could Happen?"by Bruce Coville No one will want to skip any of the twelve short stories and one poem that make up this collection by some of the most celebrated contemporary writers of teen fiction. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers a kid has to have. By turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant, the moments large and small described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.
Author:James Howe (Editor)

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously happy. Illustrations.
Author: Lemony Snicket

AR Level:3.90
ERSKINE K

HOWE J

NAYLOR P

DORST D

Paul DuPree is working at a soup kitchen in Harlem the summer his father dies, just trying to get by. But Elijah, the soup man, won't stop talking about the social contract and asking Paul questions about heavy-duty things. Paul has never thought about this stuff. He'd rather hang out with Keisha, an unwed teen mom whose basketball skills rival his own.
AUTHOR: Walter Dean Myers

AR LEVEL: 4.8
MOSS M

AR Level:4.50
TARSHIS L

AR Level:4.50
BRUEL N