Shopify Vendor: Holt, K.A.

This Is Not a Drill

The first rule of lockdown: Find a safe place to hide.

Ava is having a really bad day. Her parents are getting divorced. She just had a big argument with her two best friends. And she forgot to charge her phone… again.

To top it all off, while she is hiding out in the bathroom over lunch, the alarm goes off for a lockdown drill. Ava knows the rules. She has to get herself into a classroom, turn the ringer off on her phone, lock the door, and cover the windows. But all of the rooms have already been locked from the inside and there is no one in the halls.

Pretty soon she realizes there is an intruder in the building. This isn’t a drill.

From the author of From Me to Youand House Arrest, comes this timely book that explores both the effect of school lockdown drills and the relatable struggles of modern middle grade friendship.

Jordan J and the Truth About Jordan J : The Kids Under the Stairs

This third book in K.A. Holt’s The Kids Under the Stairs series will appeal to fans of HOUSE ARREST, RHYME SCHEMER, and KNOCKOUT, in addition to fans of Jason Reynolds’s Track series. Jordan J has a lot going on in his brain. Aside from his teacher and his friends, the kids under the stairs, most people don’t understand why Jordan says what he says. Sometimes even he doesn’t understand himself. It’s probably the reason he’s managed to earn a personal grudge from the school’s dance team, the Hart Rocketeers, who are outraged by his brutally honest dance reviews in the school newspaper. Basically the only thing he can concentrate on these days is auditioning for his favorite dance show, FIERCE ACROSS AMERICA. But with his mom’s recent unemployment and money being so tight at home, his dreams are crashing. Suddenly, an opportunity arises in the form of Casey Price, the only Rocketeer who doesn’t hate his guts. With her help, Jordan J just might have a chance to showcase his electric moves on national TV. But as he starts spending more time with Casey and less with his old friends, Jordan J begins to wonder how he can ever make everyone happy-including himself. With a lovable cast of characters, never-before-seen dance moves, and bighearted passion, this heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse tells an honest, authentic story about friendship, dance, and self-confidence that celebrates different types of intelligence and shows how every kid deserves to become their own “divergent” self.