Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids. Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them. On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away! Falling back on rule two and surrounding herself with new friends in the art club, Peppi still can't help feeling ashamed about the way she treated Jaime. Things are already awkward enough between the two, but to make matters worse, he's a member of her own club's archrivals--the science club! And when the two clubs go to war, Peppi realizes that sometimes you have to break the rules to survive middle school! Part of Svetlana Chmakova's Berrybrook Middle School series.

Luis is nervous about his first day of school, but his dad reminds him to have courage. Luis introduces himself to other kids at school, participates in class, and learns that courage is key!

Bridget and Carlton are as close as any sister and brother. But their relationship is particularly special. Carlton has autism and is almost completely nonverbal. He's smart, funny, creative, and loving. He has immense challenges in speaking full sentences. Bridget's fierce loyalty to and compassion for her brother led to an unbreakable bond that has helped the siblings cope with divorce and homelessness. Carlton's devotion to his family is loud and clear, even in his silence. Carlton Hudgens was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at three years old. He didn't speak or interact with the world around him, except with humming and flapping arms. The diagnosis provided a label, but not an answer. He was considered low-functioning, but all that meant was that there was a laundry list of tasks he couldn't do, and little recognition of what he could. Carlton's sister, Bridget, just a year younger, became his protector, sharing their birthdays so that he could open the presents first, taking the blame for a broken toy to spare him from being punished on Christmas Day. She understood that she was living in Carlton's world, not the other way around. Because Carlton doesn't speak in full sentences, Bridget has opted to tell his story. "My brother is brilliant in every way," Bridget says. "He just doesn't speak like we speak." When Carlton was five years old, he uttered his first words: "I love you, Mom!" Bridget was elated. That sentence meant that he could hear her, that he could speak, and that she had a chance to reach her ultimate goal of bonding with her brother. Bridget was his protector, but Carlton became Bridget's savior. When Bridget was eleven years old, she and Carlton went to the public pool. Carlton was a natural swimmer, but Bridget couldn't swim at all. As the two played a game in the shallow end, they drifted closer to the deep end. Bridget panicked, swallowing water and crying for help. Carlton swam to her and pulled her to safety. No longer was he different, with special needs, or "that kid with autism." To Bridget, he was the big brother who had just saved her. Later on, he became a savior to others. Autism didn't stop him feeling compassion and love. It just made it harder for him to express those emotions. Their parents' divorce and the subsequent remarriage of their mother created a more stable life for Carlton, but Bridget had a hard time accepting the good changes. She had put herself second for so long, it was difficult to allow an adult to take over the care of her brother. By early adulthood, Bridget began to realize that the most fulfilling part of her life was forming a deeper connection with Carlton--an unbreakable bond that would shape brother and sister for the rest of their lives. It was Carlton's influence that led to her passion for helping others with special needs.

Having overcome his parents' divorce scare, Tsutsun and Iroha's bond grows ever deeper. Meanwhile, his best friend Ito is getting over his unrequited love for Ayado-san. He tries to give Ayado-san space, but then she has a change of heart?! The gates of love swing wide open for Tsutsun and Iroha's lovable friends in the 9th volume of this pure love story.

THE SWEET AND TENDER HOOLIGAN Kyoto is the capital of Japan's culture, but the school trip is ruined for bad boy Harima by a band of British hooligans. They've captured beautiful Eri, threatened Harima's beloved Tenma, and challenged our hero to a life-or-death duel on the movie sets of Japan's samurai dramas. Can Harima's street-toughened fists overwhelm the foreign barbarians?

"You can't do anything about how other people feel. But you have the power to change your own feelings, so why not try that instead?" With the new members' three-on-three practice game over, the Kokuyodani girls' volleyball club is ready to get down to business. There's only one problem: Nao isn't coming to practice! Neri tries to infiltrate a volleyball gambling ring that Nao has been sucked into, and that leads to a chance encounter with someone from her past!

After their participation in a volleyball gambling ring, the members of Kokuyodani High's girls' volleyball club now find themselves saddled with a month-long suspension. That's not their only punishment, however, as they are forced to withdraw from the inter-high championships, too. Unable to compete there, they will now have no choice but to prove they can get results at the spring tournament. So, to help them prepare, they have been assigned a new assistant coach: Masako Yuragi. She is a player in the V. Premier League and a former teammate of Neri's sister's, and now she is going to put the girls through a training program from Hell.

Amu has three Guardian Characters, reflections of her true self. But now a fourth egg has shown up at the start of a new school year. Everything has gone wrong, and Amu has no idea who she truly wants to be. Meanwhile, her rival Utau has rejected one of her own Guardian Characters. Is it time for the two to trade Guardians? Is that even possible? This volume of Shugo Chara! includes special extras after the story!

It's day two of the joint practice between the ouendan and the cheerleading club. Having been made ouendan captain for a day, Kinichiro takes the drastic action of ordering Usami to perform the cheerleaders' choreography, which supercharges the practice session, but at the price of Usami's rage. The once-unified club descends into arguing, and once everybody's cards are on the table, will they be able to recover at all?

The Choke Artist The ouendan's members have taken their performance to a new level in support of their baseball team, and now it's up to Suzuki, the team's feckless ace pitcher, to seal the deal. One problem: Suzuki may have a golden arm, but he doesn't have nerves to match. When he hears that his crush, Reo, was spotted kissing Kinichiro, the guy he owes his comeback to, he's terminally rattled. It'll be up to Kinichiro to rescue Suzuki's crumbling will to fight...