Books with author Amy G Koss

Whether she's spying on tide-pool creatures or splash-crashing through waves on her boogie board, there's no place ten-year-old Kailey loves more than the ocean. She and her best friend Tess feel totally lucky when they find out a resort-mall-movie multi-plex is "Coming Soon!" to their beach. TWELVE movie theaters. Cool shops. A snack bar. Maybe even bathrooms! Then Kailey learns the whole truth: developers plan to haul away the rocky tide pools to make a smooth, sandy beach for tourists. Messing with a whole tide pool universe, and all the creatures who live there, is just plain NOT OKAY. Kailey's got a great idea, but she's never tried anything like it before. If she can believe in herself and make it work, there might be hope for the tide pools yet.

When three popular girls go on trial in Government class for their ruthless bullying of a girl named Ivy, it seems like the misfit will finally get her revenge. Eight first-person narrators give different versions of the event: Ivy―this victim doesn't want revenge, she just wants to be left alone; Ann―she's the beautiful, but infamously cruel, leader of the bullies; Marco―he may be the only person involved who has any morals, but he's also the target of Ann's persuasive affections; Daria―Ivy's painfully shy lawyer doesn't stand a chance; Bryce―the goofy court reporter knows all the real dirt, even if he doesn't care; Cameron―he sleeps through the proceedings but might wake up just in time to make a difference; Wayne―a true devotee of the legal process, too bad he's on the sidelines; and Faith―as the only witness for the prosecution, it all comes down to her. But where do her loyalties lie?

Maya has been part of the group ever since the day Candace asked her if she wanted to "do lunch" in the cafeteria. Yet when Candace suddenly deems her unworthy, Maya's so-called friends just blow her off. While Maya just wants the girls back like they used to be, she knows that can never happen-because whatever Candace wants, Candace gets, no matter who gets hurt. Maya isn't sure exactly where things went wrong for her, but she knows she has to find out who her real friends are, and who among the girls she can trust."[A] suspenseful and realistic portrayal of a popular middle school clique . . . . Readers will identify with and remember these characters." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Serious, funny, compelling -- and unique: a novel about a teenager with cancer and doesn't die, from Amy Goldman Koss, acclaimed author of THE GIRLS.As if it isn't bad enough to have cancer, practically every time we pick up a book or hear about a character in a movie who gets sick, we know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away, fine in the end. Isabelle, not quite 15, is living a normal life of fighting with her younger brother, being disgusted with her parents, and hoping to be noticed by a cute guy. Everything changes in an instant when she is diagnosed with lymphoma-- and even her best friend, Kay, thinks Izzy is going to die. But she doesn't, and her humor―sardonic, sharp, astute -- makes reading this book accessible and actually enjoyable.From the acclaimed author of The Girls and Poison Ivy, Side Effects is about the pain, fear, and unlikely comedy of 15-year-old Izzy's journey, told in her own powerful and authentic voice. It is Izzy's story―screams and all.

A TIMELY, WARMHEARTED NOVEL ABOUT LIFE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.Jacki's ninth–grade teacher is always going on about the unemployment index and the recession, but nothing sinks in until her mom is laid off and everything seems to cost more than they can afford. Acclaimed author Amy Goldman Koss delivers a warm hearted and timely tale about the things we lose and the insights we gain.

"IwithVY: I told Ms. Gold about how The Evil Three have been after me, feeding off me since fourth grade.MARCO: It isn't a very pretty story, so if you're looking for 'nice,' you better ask someone else.ANN: We just have to come up wiht some witnesses for our side. Think! Does anyone owe you any favors?BRYCE: I figure, Dude, why not make a little spare change on the side? A buck a bet. All's I has to do was explain that liable was civil for guilty, and they swarmed like flies."Eight first-person narrators give different versions of the same event. Lessons about the inner workings of the judicial system pale beside the insights into human nature. With pathos and a great deal of humor, Amy Goldman Koss keeps you turning pages.

The girls: Maya, Brianna, Darcy, Renee?and popular, fascinating, dangerous Candace. Five friends ruled by one ringleader who plays games to test their loyalty?and then decides who's in the group and who's out. Each of the girls has her say in this fast-paces and absolute believable novel set in the war zone of middle school cliques. The author of the highly appraised The Ashwater Experience, Amy Koss has once again crafted a "truly original piece of fiction brimming with humor and insight. " (Starred Horn Book Review for The Ashwater Experience)

Serious, funny, compelling -- and unique: a novel about a teenager with cancer and doesn't die, from Amy Goldman Koss, acclaimed author of THE GIRLS.As if it isn't bad enough to have cancer, practically every time we pick up a book or hear about a character in a movie who gets sick, we know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away, fine in the end. Isabelle, not quite 15, is living a normal life of fighting with her younger brother, being disgusted with her parents, and hoping to be noticed by a cute guy. Everything changes in an instant when she is diagnosed with lymphoma-- and even her best friend, Kay, thinks Izzy is going to die. But she doesn't, and her humor—sardonic, sharp, astute -- makes reading this book accessible and actually enjoyable.From the acclaimed author of The Girls and Poison Ivy, Side Effects is about the pain, fear, and unlikely comedy of 15-year-old Izzy's journey, told in her own powerful and authentic voice. It is Izzy's story—screams and all.

Award-winning author Amy Goldman Koss explores what happens when one bad decision threatens to destroy everything.Cheating on a geography midterm is only the beginning. It seemed simple enough—they were given the answers from last year's test and they used them. But Sarah and her friends got caught, and what was done without much thought leads to greater and greater consequences. Now they are facing punishment at school, tension at home, and no one is sure how or when it will end."An excellent springboard to provocative discussion or debate about the moral and ethical questions that this issue raises."—School Library Journal

Award-winning author Amy Goldman Koss explores what happens when one bad decision threatens to destroy everything.Cheating on a geography midterm is only the beginning. It seemed simple enough—they were given the answers from last year's test and they used them. But Sarah and her friends got caught, and what was done without much thought leads to greater and greater consequences. Now they are facing punishment at school, tension at home, and no one is sure how or when it will end."An excellent springboard to provocative discussion or debate about the moral and ethical questions that this issue raises."—School Library Journal

A TIMELY, WARMHEARTED NOVEL ABOUT LIFE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.Jacki’s ninth–grade teacher is always going on about the unemployment index and the recession, but nothing sinks in until her mom is laid off and everything seems to cost more than they can afford. Acclaimed author Amy Goldman Koss delivers a warm hearted and timely tale about the things we lose and the insights we gain.