Both girls need a new plan for the summer, and they might as well become friends. Then this kid Oliver shows up begging for Shirley s help. His pet gecko has disappeared, and he's sure it was stolen! That's when Jamila discovers Shirley's secret: She's the neighborhood's best kid detective, and she's on the case. When Jamila discovers she's got some detective skills of her own, a crime-solving partnership is born.

"Veronica Lodge has always been the most fabulous and popular kid in her class. But ever since she started middle school, she's become a small fish in a much bigger pond. Now, Veronica is terrified her classmates will find out her wealthy dad is out of work. Worse, she has a birthday coming up, and her parties are always huge, grand events. If she can't have a party this year, then everyone will know the truth about her father, and she just can't...

Jacky Ha-Ha loves to make people laugh. And cracking wise helps distract her from thinking about not-so-funny things in her life, like her mom serving in a dangerous, faraway war, and a dad who's hardly ever home. But no matter how much fun Jacky has, she can't entirely escape her worries. So one starlit night, she makes a promise to keep her family together ... even if she has to give up the one thing that makes her happy. But can she stop being...

"Betty Cooper and Val Smith are best friends ready to start middle school. They've always done everything together--taken the same classes, played the same games, and created the world of Sparklespacelandia in Betty's backyard together--so naturally, Betty assumes they'll continue to be an unbreakable duo once the school year starts. But Val finds herself drawn toward pursuing a music elective, and does it without Betty at her side. Suddenly Betty's...