11 Before 12

Description

Fans of Lauren Myracle and Wendy Mass will love acclaimed author Lisa Greenwald's new series about two best friends who kick-start middle school with a bucket list of eleven things they need to do to become AMAZING before their joint twelfth birthday party. The first day of middle school means trading in freeze tag at the pool for new schedules, fabulous outfits, and a fresh start. But for eleven-year-old Kaylan, the chaos of new locker combinations, cafeteria cliques, and potential first kisses is more than she can handle. She dreads the start of sixth grade and feels like she wants-no, needs-a winning game plan. Luckily, Kaylan and her effortlessly chill BFF, Arianna, have a fool-proof plan for tackling transitions: a list of eleven things they need to do to totally transform themselves before they both turn twelve in November. But between making guy friends, getting detention (and makeovers!), helping humanity, and having super-candid conversations with their moms about their flaws, the first 100 days of school turn out worse than Kaylan ever imagined. Kaylan and Ari forget to focus on their friendship and soon their loyalty to the list-what was meant to help them keep it together-becomes the very thing tearing their lives apart.

Lisa Greenwald is the author of 11 Before 12 and the Pink & Green series. She works in the library at the Birch Wathen Lenox School in Manhattan, is a graduate of The New School's MFA program in writing for children and lives on the Upper East Side with her husband and two kids. Visit her online at lisagreenwald.com.

"Omigosh, I LOVE Lisa Greenwald's new book. Brilliant, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and heartbreaking (in a good way), 11 BEFORE 12 is probably the best middle school friendship ever. Totes on fleek--legit!" -- Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of the Winnie Years and Wishing Day series "This book will entice those who want to read about a relatable, funny young woman." -- School Library Journal "Kaylan's first-person voice perfectly captures the horrors of starting at a new school, from the prospect of eating alone in the cafeteria to the awkwardness of meeting a new neighbor boy." -- Kirkus Reviews