The Independents

A new town. A new school. A missing journal. And maybe… new friends.

Twelve-year-old Avery isn't ready to leave her old neighborhood, her friends, or everything familiar behind. But starting over at Kentland Junior High means facing her biggest fear: finding other independent thinkers.

When Avery's journal — filled with her private thoughts and deepest fears — goes missing, it feels like the worst thing that could happen. Until she meets Skylar, Damien, Natalie, and Christopher. Together, they search for the missing journal and, along the way, they each discover that good things really can come from scary places.
The Independents is a warm, relatable, confidence-building mystery about friendship, identity, and the quiet courage it takes to start over — all in under 200 pages.

For every kid who's ever been the new kid.