Janet Hamm Needs a Date for the Dance

Reach for this book when your middle-schooler is beginning to feel the crushing weight of social status and the fear of being left out. It is a compassionate mirror for the child who feels they aren't 'cool' enough and might be tempted to stretch the truth to save face. Janet Hamm is terrified of being the only girl without a date for the big seventh-grade dance, so she invents a glamorous boyfriend from out of town. As the dance approaches, her small lie snowballs into a stressful web of deceit. This realistic school story explores the intersection of self-esteem and integrity, showing that the anxiety of maintaining a lie is far more painful than the initial embarrassment of being single. It is a perfect choice for ages 9 to 12 to normalize the awkwardness of early adolescence.