John David Anderson. HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-213314-4
In this engaging middle-grade adventure, Anderson (Standard Hero Behavior) again examines the idea of heroism, this time through the lives of superpowered sidekicks. Thirteen-year-old Andrew “The Sensationalist” Bean is part of the H.E.R.O. program...
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John David Anderson. HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-06-233814-3
In a delightful deconstruction of role-playing clichés, Anderson (Minion) gives D&D-style dungeon-delving the Harry Potter approach, creating a school where promising young heroes are taught the finer tricks of the traditional fantasy smash and grab.
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John David Anderson. HarperCollins/Walden Pond, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-233817-4
Three sixth-grade boys embark on a tragicomic quest to do something special for their beloved teacher, who has announced that she won’t be able to finish out the year following her cancer diagnosis. Upon learning that Ms. Bixby is in the hospital...
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John David Anderson. Aladdin, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4814-4704-1
In this clever deconstruction of video game tropes, an eighth-grader’s everyday routine is inexplicably turned into a game. Now Bryan Biggins’s clothes grant stats (a holographic label identifies his shoes as “Boots of Average Walking Speed. Fire...
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-233820-4
Addressing bullying and true friendship, Anderson’s pitch-perfect story follows four friends and the “Sticky Note War” that upends the status quo at their school. Frost, a budding poet, is part of a tight-knit group of friends that provides a refuge
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-264386-5
In a delightful fantasy about grappling with unforeseen challenges, a fairy embarks on a mission to grant her first wish. For an ambitious, type-A fairy like Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets, the task should be simple: find the coin her target wished on...
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-264389-6
Rion has always felt that his family is strange, but even he is shocked when news of his grandfather’s death is delivered via a clown with a singing telegram. This is the first of many surprises for Rion and his food scientist father (who engineers...
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-264392-6
Malcolm Greeley, 12, feels bad about disliking the sports that his father adores. So when he shows some flair for miniature golf and his dad jumps on it, finding Malcolm a coach and enrolling him in a league complete with tournaments, Malcolm goes...
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-298594-1
In this episodic spacefaring adventure, the first in a duology, Anderson (One Last Shot) spins a fast-paced tale of piracy among the stars. Life aboard scientific research vessel the Beagle is just fine for asthmatic 12-year-old Leo Fender, who...
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-062985-97-2
White seventh grader Riley Flynn is still smarting from being rejected by her best friend Emily when a run-in with a group of “vindictive volleyballers” angry about an altercation in science class concludes with Riley being locked in a supply closet
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John David Anderson. Walden Pond, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-327931-5
Artistic 12-year-old Morgan has always been close with his 18-year-old sister Claire, a former champion runner. But lately, increasingly rebellious Claire’s contentious relationship with their mother has strained that bond, especially since Morgan’s
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