Into the Wild Nerd Yonder [Paperback]

Punks, Poseurs, and PervsJust Another Day at High School

Jessie is so excited to start her sophomore year of high school, with her carefully planned outfits and her ample stash of school supplies. But things take an unexpected turn when everyone in her life changes. Her two best friends have gone poseur-punk and are both flirting with her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother is about to go off to collegeand he shaved his Mohawk and started dating the homecoming queen. Jessie is suddenly clique-less. When she starts chatting up a girl in homeroom, she's surprised by an invite to join the Dungeons and Dragons crowd! Will hanging out with them make her a nerd? And when she sees how cute one of their members is, does it really matter?

Julie Halpernis the author ofGet Well SoonandDon't Stop Now, as well as the picture bookToby and the Snowflakes. In addition to writing, Julie is a middle-school librarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, lived in Australia for six months, and created a couple of zines before she started writing books, and realized she was and always has been a writer. She is married to the artist Matthew Cordell, and they live outside Chicago with their daughter and gloriously large Siamese cat, Tobin.While looking for new friends, Jessie's surprised to find the D&D crowd might be just what she needs.

The relationships and dialogue ring true; readers navigating the stratified social structures of high school will relish an ending that celebrates true friendship. Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Readers will both identify with and like Jessie and will cheer her conversion from meek to outspoken. Kirkus Reviews

Reinvention is rarely so delightfully nerdy. Booklist

This novel is particularly strong in showing how teen friendships evolve and sometimes die away, and how adolescents redefine themselves. School Library Journall“I