Ava desperately wants a pet for her eleventh birthday—but gets way more than she bargained for when she adopts T-A-C-O-C-A-T.When Ava Wren hears about an injured yellow tabby with mismatched ears, she becomes obsessed and wants to rescue him. She even picks out a perfect palindromic name: T-A-C-O-C-A-T. But when Taco joins the family, he doesn't snuggle or purr—all he does is hide. Worse, Ava's best friend starts hanging out with Zara, a new girl in fifth grade. Ava feels alone and writes an acclaimed story, "The Cat Who Wouldn't Purr." What begins as exciting news turns into a disaster. How can Ava make things right? And what about sweet, scared little Taco?The New York Times called Ava and Pip "a love letter to language." With this second diary, Girls' Life advice columnist Carol Weston hits another home run.

Written by the advice columnist of Girls' Life magazine, this hilarious companion to The Diary of Melanie Martin finds Melanie off to Holland--with her best friend!Dear Diary, You will never ever believe this! It is too good to be true!! Guess who is going with us to Amster Amster Dam Dam Dam? Cecily!Since Cecily's mom is having surgery, Melanie's parents invite Cecily on their family trip to Holland. Melanie thinks having her best friend along will be terrific. But things don't go exactly as expected. First Melanie loses her luggage, and soon it looks like she'll lose Cecily's friendship.But Holland isn't a total disaster. Along the way, Melanie learns to look through the eyes of van Gogh, Vermeer, and Anne Frank. Soon she discovers that being a good friend means seeing the world through your best friend's eyes, too.From the Hardcover edition.

Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on.Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.SPEED OF LIFE is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of a girl who thinks her life is over when really it's just beginning. It's a novel about love, family, grief, and growing up."A wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter." —Richard Peck, author of The Best Man and Newbery Gold Medalist A Year Down Yonder"You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and...

For once, Mel is spending her vacation on her home turf--Manhattan! But she's not alone. Miguel, the cute boy she met in Spain, is visiting New York, and this time Mel gets to be his tour guide. From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, from the Central Park Zoo to the Brooklyn Bridge, Mel and Miguel are off on their own adventures. But--uh-oh!--Mel also meets a boy in math class. And while she is learning lots about the Big Apple, she is also learning it's harder than you think to like two guys at one time.

Meet outgoing Ava Wren, a fun fifth grader who tries not to lose patience with her shy big sister. When Pip's 13th birthday party turns into a disaster, Ava gets a story idea for a library contest.But uh-oh, Ava should never have written "Sting of the Queen Bee." Can Ava and her new friend help Pip come out of her shell? And can Ava get out of the mess she has made?"A big W-O-W for Ava and Pip!" —Julie Sternberg, Like Pickle Juice On a Cookie