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    The New Kid: Surviving Middle School Is Tough!
    The New Kid: Surviving Middle School Is Tough!
    The New Kid: Surviving Middle School Is Tough!
    Ebook106 pages1 hour

    The New Kid: Surviving Middle School Is Tough!

    By Maureen Straka

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Middle school can be tough! Especially when Alex's best friend moves away and his dad loses his job. Then a new boy moves in next door and a bully starts picking on the new kid. Alex feels caught in the middle. If he defends the new kid, he may become the bully's next target. Alex soon finds out that the bully is hiding a secret that could change everything.

    Will Alex find the courage to do the right thing and stand up for the new kid? And can he survive middle school on his own?
    He'll soon learn that sometimes friendship can be found in the most unlikely places.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMaureen Straka
    Release dateApr 20, 2018
    ISBN9781370687138
    The New Kid: Surviving Middle School Is Tough!
    Author

    Maureen Straka

    Maureen is a children's author, a reading teacher, and a mother of two boys. She lives with her family in Northeast PA.She is a member of the SCBWI and has works published in Stories for Children, Clubhouse, Jr., and Spider Magazines.

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      Book preview

      The New Kid - Maureen Straka

      The New Kid

      By Maureen Straka

      ~~~

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright © 2018 Maureen Straka

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. All pictures are held by commercial license and may not be duplicated by anyone without express permission.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      CHAPTER 1

      Goodbye Luke

      Having your best friend move away is like finding a week-old tuna sandwich in the bottom of your back pack. It really stinks. When Luke moved away last summer, I knew things wouldn’t be the same. Luke was more than just my best friend. He was the coolest person I’ve ever known.

      He could beat every level on Space Pod Invasion.

      He could burp the entire alphabet, forwards… and backwards.

      He could blast a baseball clear over the fence at Parker Field.

      In gym class, he was always chosen team captain. And for some reason, he always picked me first, even though I was the shortest kid in class.

      I still remember that day last August when he broke the news. That afternoon was so hot, I thought the rubber might melt right off my high tops. Dad was grilling burgers, while we were splashing around in the pool with my kid brother Dylan, trying to knock him off his dinosaur raft. My mom yelled at us to leave him alone, so we hopped out to shoot some hoops.

      We played for about 5 minutes and Luke was winning (no surprise), but I wasn’t that far behind. The score was 7 to 9, and just as Mom called us for dinner, I managed to sink a three- pointer from the corner of the driveway which pulled me into the lead 10-9.

      Oh yeah! Feel the burn because Alex Baker is on fire, I shouted. Ladies and Gentleman, I do believe that history has been made tonight, I said into an imaginary microphone. Alex Baker beat Luke ‘Hoops’ McKinley. He is the new reigning champion of Butler Avenue. The crowd is going wild! Raaaaaaah!

      Luke smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Pure luck, Dude. Besides you were bound to win one before I left town.

      Hey, it’s not that bad. You don’t have to pack your bags just because you lost, I laughed.

      Actually, I do, he said.

      Suddenly, Luke had a weird look on his face.

      What do you mean? I asked.

      He took a deep breath and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. You know how my parents don’t get along. He dribbled the ball and sunk a long shot.

      Yeah, I know. You can sleep over again tonight if you want. My parents don’t mind.

      I knew his parents fought a lot. Sometimes I could hear them through my open window at night. It was really bad when I heard doors slamming or dishes breaking. On those nights, Luke would show up at our door. I didn’t ask any questions, just dug out a sleeping bag and an extra pillow from the closet.

      Yeah, I know, he said. That’s what makes this so hard. He swallowed and looked down. My parents are getting a divorce, he said, kicking the pavement.

      Oh, wow. That’s tough. Sorry, Man.

      That’s not the worst part, Luke said. By the way he was biting his lip, it looked like he was trying not to cry. That scared me. I only saw Luke cry once before when his dog, Ranger, was hit by a car. I knew he was really upset.

      My mom is moving to New York… and she’s taking me with her.

      I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. We stood there for a while, silent. Then Luke shook his head. You don’t realize how lucky you are, Dude. You’ve got things so easy.

      I wasn’t sure what he meant. He had everything over me. He was at least 10 inches taller than me, great at sports, and everyone liked him, even Emily, the prettiest girl in school.

      I shook my head and sighed. Sorry, Dude.

      Just one week later, I stood in Luke’s driveway and watched his moving truck drive away. My stomach twisted like a pretzel, as I thought about starting middle school on my own.

      CHAPTER 2

      Sand Castles in the Kitchen

      The rest of the summer could be summed up with one word.

      BORING!

      All I had done since Luke left was watch Captain Destruction cartoons and play Alien Invaders on X-Games. I made it to level 17, which was amazing since I survived attacks from the most dangerous brain-sucking zombie aliens, but my parents didn’t appreciate this accomplishment.

      Whenever my dad walked by my room, he shook his head and grumbled. My mom was a little more sympathetic, but after a week of Alien Invaders, she pulled the plug.

      I was minutes away from level 18, when she stormed in my room, armed with a basket full of laundry and just yanked the plug from the wall. I gasped, as the TV screen faded to black. Socks spilled from the laundry basket like fallen alien zombies.

      Oh my gosh, Mom. Why did you do that? I didn’t save my game. Now I’ll have to start all over at the beginning of level 17."

      Mom rolled her

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