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the grade

       “whadja get?”

       to cheat or not to cheat?

       friends

       friendless?

       fading friendships

       make new friends

       join the crowd?

       tough times

       the school dance

       after school

       Quiz: what’s your passion?

       get psyched for tryouts

       chill out

       how much is too much?

       stressed out?

       commit or quit?

       you can do this!

      fresh start

      Dear American Girl,

      I’m starting middle school and I’m

      completely scared. It’s going to be

      so different from elementary school.

      How am I going to survive?

      Scared

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      Starting middle school might feel like the scariest thing in the world

      to you right now. But try to think of middle school as an awesome

      opportunity. New teachers and new kids mean you can arrive on the

      first day a new you! Have you always wanted to grow out your bangs?

      Do you think you look more like a Katharine than a Katie? Did you ever

      want to learn to write poetry? Now’s your chance. You can change your

      style, change your favorite subject, or maybe just change your attitude.

      Making new friends and branching out from the same kids you’ve played

      with since kindergarten isn’t such a bad thing. It’s like breaking in a new

      pair of shoes. They might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but after

      a while they’ll feel great!

      Start with

      a clean

      slate.

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      how do you deal?

      Middle school is all about change—new school, new teachers, new

      friends. How you cope with change will tell you a lot about how

      you’ll adjust to your new surroundings. Choose the answer below

      that describes you best to see how you’ll deal when it’s for real.

      Quiz

      1.

      This is the first year you have to take the bus to and from school.

      When you find this out, you . . .

      a.

      beg your dad to ask his boss to let him leave early every day to

      pick you up.

      b.

      call around to see if any other friends will be on your bus. Maybe

      you can sit together.

      2.

      When your favorite teacher goes on maternity leave and is replaced

      with a substitute for the rest of the school year, you . . .

      a.

      find yourself saying, “That’s not how Ms. Cho did it.”

      b.

      help bring the new teacher up to speed on where Ms. Cho left

      off, and then let her do her own thing.

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      3.

      When you find out that none of your friends are in your classes

      this year, you . . .

      a.

      ask the guidance counselor to change your schedule so that you

      can be with your friends.

      b.

      feel bummed, but talk yourself into braving it alone.

      4.

      Your brother says you’ll have only three minutes to get from

      one class to another in middle school. You . . .

      a.

      gasp, “No way! I’ll never make it.”

      b.

      set a timer for three minutes to see just how long you’ll have

      between classes.

      5.

      Your best friend starts hanging out with a new girl at school. You . . .

      a.

      get jealous and give your friend the cold shoulder, hoping she’ll

      get the hint that you don’t like what she’s doing.

      b.

      try to get to know the new girl. Maybe she’ll turn out to be

      a great friend for you, too!

      6.

      Your soccer coach scratches you from

      the starting lineup. You . . .

      a.

      sulk over to the bench and decide

      that soccer isn’t your thing.

      b.

      stay on the sidelines and cheer the

      team on. If you pick up some good

      tips from the game, you might be

      able to earn back your position.

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