I have read the titles in bold.
I highly recommend the titles in italics.

( Newbery Winners )

( Newbery Honor Books )

Amy Goldman Koss often writes about survival - not in the (wo)man-versus-nature sense, but more in the day-to-day: surviving a medical ordeal (Side Effects), surviving a school-related scandal (The Cheat, Poison Ivy), surviving the dissolution of friendships (The Girls). For years now, whenever middle school students or their parents ask me for a book about a clique, I immediately tell them about The Girls. Amy recently got in touch with me, and we talked about determination, dedication, and do-gooders.

Growing up, were you ever part of a clique?

I think we careen in and out of countless cliques between the cradle to grave, and the stings and squirms that go with social life and relationships are a life long phenomenon. Grown women can feel just as snubbed by other PTA moms as their daughters can by snotty classmates. Equally, adults look for ways around inviting dull neighbors or creepy co-workers to join them for drinks after work. No? Someone recently told me that their 88-year-old aunt approached a table of ladies in her new rest home and was told that all the seats at that table were taken. We adults pretend that all that stuff is behind us, but there you go -- we're never too old to pretend!

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Visit the author at http://www.AmyGoldmanKoss.net