Stuff We All Get

Fifteen-year-old Zack, a sound-color synesthete, is on a mission to find a musician he can relate to. At a Battle of the Bands event, Ace and his best friend Denny notice that girls like musicians, no matter how dorky the dudes might be. Having, so far, been severely challenged when it comes to meeting girls, they decide to start a band. Ace discovers that he loves playing guitar and electric bass. While Denny tweets their every move and their clean-freak drummer, Pig, polishes everything in sight, Ace tries to write a song that will win at the next local teen songwriting contest. It's more difficult than he thought it would be. When Denny brings a great tune to rehearsal, Ace is devastated that Denny, who rarely practices, is a better songwriter than he is. The contest is only days away when Ace discovers that Denny stole the song, and Ace has to decide if winning is worth the lie. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! Also available in French. Fifteen-year-old Zack finds a home made CD with the word Famous written on it. Lonely and bored while suspended from school, he puts the CD on and loses himself in the music. Zack has sound-color synesthesia. He sees colors when he hears music, and the music on the Famous CD causes incredible patterns of color for him. Zack becomes obsessed with the girl on the CD and tries to find her. He tracks down the singer, Jolene, in a cafe where she works while she dreams of the big time. He convinces her to let him help her achieve her dreams, but soon discovers that in her quest for fame, Jolene has done a lot of damage. Stuff We All Get is a gentle critique of celebrity culture in North America. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! Also available in French. In most ways, Poe is like the other kids in his school. He thinks about girls and tries to avoid too much contact with teachers. He has a loving father who helps him with his homework. But Poe has a secret, and almost every day some small act threatens to expose him. He doesn't have a phone number to give to friends. He doesn't have an address. Poe and his father are living in a tent on city land. When the city clears the land to build housing, Poe worries that they might not be able to find another site near his school. Will Poe have to expose his secret to get help for himself and his father? This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! Suspended from school, lonely and bored, fifteen year old zack will do anything for amusement. His mom drags him out geocaching, and zack finds a cd with the word Famous written across it. He puts the CD in his stereo and loses himself in the music. Zack has sound color synesthesia. He sees colors when he hears music and the music on the Famous CD causes incredible patterns of color for him. Zack becomes obsessed with the girl on the CD and decides he has to find her A newly formed band prepares for a songwriting contest, but one member takes things too far when he presents a stolen song to the group as his own Fifteen-year-old Zack, a sound-color synesthete, is on a mission to find a musician he relates to Poe, a homeless fifteen-year-old boy, struggles to keep his living situation a secret Fourteen-year-old Ace starts a band and learns a tough lesson about plagiarism.