My name's Darius James-but everyone calls me DJ. At my old school, I was the go-to guy for all kinds of tricky problems that needed creative solutions. But at my new school, Ella Fitzgerald Middle, I'm just trying to blend in.

Well, I was, anyway, until my best friend, Conor, got himself transferred to the Fitz too. Now Conor owes 100,000 arcade tickets to the biggest bully around-and he only has two weeks to make it happen. Impossible? Not with my head in the game.

288 pages. Written by Destiny Howell. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.