On the cusp of having everything slip from his grasp, a young boy has to find a way to rebuild his sense of self. An ordinary boy in an ordinary world. With no words, only illustrations, 'Small Things' tells the story of a boy who feels alone with his worries, but who learns that help is always close by. A universal story, told simply and with breathtaking beauty, about dealing with sadness, anxiety, depression, heartache or loss, and finding your way in the world.
Bradley Chalkers is a bad lot! He lies, he gets into fights, no one wants to be his friend and he is all alone. Until, that is, he meets the delightful new school counsellor, Carla, and she persuades Bradley that he can change.
Frank doesn't know how to feel when Nick Underbridge rescues her from bullies one afternoon. No one likes Nick. He's big, he's weird and he smells - or so everyone in Frank's class thinks. And yet, there's something nice about Nick's house. There's strange music playing there, and it feels light and good and makes Frank feel happy for the first time in forever. But there's more to Nick, and to his house, than meets the eye, and soon Frank realises she isn't the only one keeping secrets. Or the only one who needs help.
Matilda's parents have called her some terrible things. The truth is, she's a genius and they're the stupid ones. Find out how she gets the better of them and her spiteful headmistress, as well as discovering that she has a very special power.
Introducing Max Crumbly, the new Dork on the block. Max is about to face the scariest place he's ever been - South Ridge Middle School! He has been home-schooled by his grandmother until now, and he's begged his parents to finally let him start attending a real school. He's starting to question that choice, though, with the Doug aka Thug Thurston Problem. As in, Thug keeps stuffing Max in his locker. If only Max could be like the hero in all the comics he likes to read - or the ones he draws - and magically escape the locker and defeat Thug. Unfortunately, Max's uncanny, almost superhuman ability to smell pizza from a block away won't exactly save any lives or foil bad guys. But that doesn't mean Max won't do his best to be the hero his school needs!
My parents decided it would be a good idea to move house AND move me to a new school at the same time. As if I didn't have a hard enough time staying out of trouble at home, now I've also got to try and make new friends. What's worse, the class bully seems to think I'm the perfect target.
Rafaella finds it hard to make friends when she starts at a new school. Her name sounds strange, her ears stick out, she feels different from the others. And Lucy is the first to tease, the first to call her Earwig. But then a secret friendship begins.
Lily has a stammer. The signal between her brain and her mouth is all messed up - and it's getting worse. When a video of her practicing her class presentation is uploaded onto YouTube - head thrust forward, eyelids fluttering, lips stretched wide - Lily's nightmare begins. Cyberbullying, kids at school whispering, even best friend Mia laughing behind her back. Lily's confidence takes a nose-dive and she can only see one way out: run away to Dad in Scotland and start all over again. But Lily quickly realises that running away isn't the answer - that her stammer will follow her wherever she goes.
Sam doesn't want to be friends with Davey - in fact, he thinks he's a moron. But one day Davey saves Sam's life and an extraordinary friendship is formed, only to end in tragedy. This story is told in verse.
James loves dancing, poetry, and Mariah Carey (not in that order, though, because Mariah would obviously be first!). His teacher, Mr Hamilton, is getting married to his boyfriend and it seems that James will be part of a surprise choir performance at the wedding. But James's father seems uncomfortable about the plan, and a lot of other things - like any mention of Mr Hamilton, and James's dancing, and how James talks about his new friend Joel. Meanwhile, a different boy has been harassing James at school and calling him gay, and it's getting worse every day.
Alternating between the point of view of The Bullied (Alex) and The Bully (Dan). Alex has really severe OCD and Dan has various home problems, but you find yourself rooting for both boys from the beginning.
