Eric, better known as "Moby", and Sarah share a case of the "terminal uglies", a wicked taste for revenge on those who mock them, and a great friendship. When Eric's new passion for swimming begins to erase his weight problem, their friendship is threatened. After all, Sarah's scars are permanent, aren't they?

Spud has a pretty good life - he does reasonably well in school, has a girlfriend, Connie Pan, and a job at Beethoven's Chips. Then he is kicked out of school, loses his job, and discovers that Connie's mom can't stand him. The future is looking black! To top it all off, someone is dumping grease in the Ottawa River, ruining Spud's favourite beach. Join Spud, Dink the Thinker, the E.S.L. Volleyball team and a wonderfully bizarre cast of characters for a wild ride through everyday life in Ottawa. Catch up with Spud again in Spud in Winter.

When the 4-C class of "sads and bads" is asked to choose a science project, the options are dismal. Dreaming of a spectacular disaster involving a few thousand pounds of flour, Simon Martin convinces his classmates to choose "child development" and care for "flour babies" as though they were real children. Simon's journey toward unexpected insight into parental responsibility and the realities of his own family life is at once touching and outrageously funny.

On his sixteenth birthday, David Bruce Schumaker officially changes his name to Blue Avenger, the super hero in a comic strip he writes himself. Shortly afterwards, he becomes a national hero. Destiny, free will, synchronicity and the ultimate lemon meringue pie: these and other earth-shattering issues are pondered here.

Elvin Bishop is caught in a nightmare. Set to attend a prestigious secondary school in the fall, he is sent to a summer camp to be "slotted". Which sport will he excel in? Will he die before he finds out? Will he lose the two great friends of his childhood in the attempt? Elvin's incredibly funny trials and tribulations continue in Extreme Elvin.

Drunk, lost, and struggling to come to terms with the death of his sister five years before, Jonny meets Sophie, an eighty-six year old with Alzheimer's. He is gradually drawn into her confused existence, changing both of their lives. A book filled with quirky humour and a deep understanding of human relationships.

Freak is a tiny genius who cannot grow; Max is a giant "without a brain". Together they are Freak the Mighty, in search of dragons to slay, damsels to rescue, and the truth, "the unvanquished truth". A story of unlikely friendship, secret fears, and great courage. Don't miss the sequel, Max the Mighty.

Stanley Yelnats is found guilty of stealing a pair of shoes from a thrift store. He insists that the shoes simply fell out of the sky and into his arms and that this is all part of the curse brought down on his family by his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather". Stanley finds himself in a juvenile work camp, endlessly digging holes, and filling them in, under the blazing sun - but this is just the beginning. A wise and witty tale of poetic justice played out over generations - winner of the 1999 Newbery award for fiction.

Harper Winslow is at odds with the world, distanced from his family and doing badly in school. Found guilty of setting fire to his highschool, Harper is ordered to write an essay telling how he'll change his life. He ends up in an off-beat writing class called the Tuesday Café, and learns a lot more than how to write an essay. Harper's story continues in A Fly Named Alfred and A Beautiful Place on Yonge Street.

Video-game ace RanVan comes to believe that he is a modern-day knight, capable of superhuman feats of strength, courage and honour. Is he crazy? Could he be right? Follow Ran into further battles with the powers of evil, both fantastic and everyday, in RanVan: A Worthy Opponent, and RanVan: Magic Nation.