Price: ~~$9.99~~ - $8.50
(as of Jan 10, 2026 12:36:37 UTC – Details)

Friendship, cliques, and middle school drama with a heavy dose of heart–perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead!

Niki Ames can’t wait to start eighth grade, that all-important year before high school. She and her best friend, Ava, have shared so many plans for the coming year. But then the unthinkable happens: at gym class pair-up, Ava chooses someone else to be her partner. Niki is devastated. It’s clear that Ava wants to be part of the popular group, leaving Niki behind. Niki has to decide who her real friends should be, where her real interests lie. Meanwhile, life at home is complicated. Niki’s nine-year-old brother Danny continues to act out more and more publicly. Their mother refuses to admit that Danny is somewhere on the autism spectrum, but it’s clear he needs help. Niki doesn’t want to be like her brother, to be labeled as different. She just wants to be popular! Is she a bad sister and a bad best friend?

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 21, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451479467
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451479464
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 – 13 years
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.83 x 7.75 inches
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 – 6
Best Sellers Rank: #88,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #129 in Children’s Books on Disabilities #264 in Children’s Books on Girls’ & Women’s Issues #1,188 in Children’s Friendship Books
Customer Reviews: 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (199) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });