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BOOKLISTS: Garden State Stories

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
Mary Elizabeth Cep loves to be in the spotlight. But when she moves to New Jersey and attends Dellwood "Deadwood" High, she finds the role of resident drama queen already filled, by the popular Carla Santini.

Dunk by David Lubar
While hoping to work as the clown in an amusement park dunk tank on the New Jersey shore, Chad faces his best friend's serious illness, hassles with police, and the girl that got away.

A Heart Divided by Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld
When sixteen-year-old Kate, an aspiring playright, moves from New Jersey to attend high school in the South, she becomes embroiled in a controversy to remove the school's Confederate flag symbol.

My Perfect Life by Dyan Sheldon
Ella has no interest in running for class president at her suburban New Jersy high school, but her off-beat friend Lola tricks her into challenging the rich and overbearing Carla Santini in a less-than-friendly race.

A Ride into Morning: The Story of Tempe Wick by Ann Rinaldi
When unrest spreads at the Revolutionary War camp in Morristown, New Jersey, under the command of General Anthony Wayne, a young woman cleverly hides her horse from the mutinous soldiers who need it.

Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald
Seventeen-year-old Simon lies in a coma, finding his space and time overlapping with that of a man who was lynched over 200 years ago, while a member of the cheating ring he has been helping wonders if their actions have caused the plagues assaulting their New Jersey town.

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
When her best friend moves away, sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling feels isolated at school and at home... she struggles to deal with her father's obsession with her track meets, her boy-crazy peers, and her own nonexistent love life.