This general fiction kids’ book series is about the kids who attend Kennedy Middle School, their friendships and rivalries, and the pressures that kids encounter from school, classmates, and parents. Different books focus on different kids in the same grade at school and their individual lives and problems.

In the beginning, Robin was best friends with Veronica, even putting up with Veronica’s meanness and bullying ways, until she became a victim of them herself.  At her mother’s urging, Robin develops new interests outside of her old group of friends and makes some new friends.

Veronica’s meanness and bullying are explained as part of her unhappy home life.  Her parents are divorced, and Veronica is somewhat neglected by them, so she tries to control and dominate other children to get attention and restore some order to her life.  For a time, she succeeds and is the queen bee at school, but it ultimately backfires when her friends all start fighting with each other and, getting tired of her meanness and the way she stirs up personal drama, reject her.  Her attitude makes it difficult for her to get sympathy and real friendship when she needs it most.

Gretchen was one of Veronica’s favorite victims because she was overweight and easy to tease, but when she loses weight and people start to treat her differently, she feels uncomfortable with their sudden change in attitude.  She’s still the same person, but people who never liked her or noticed her before feel differently just because she looks different. It seems shallow, and is that type of shallow relationship really what she wants?

Jonathan used to like to play basketball, but now that his school has an official team and the coach and his father are driving him hard to excel, he finds himself hating it.  His story explores the pressures that parents impose on children by their expectations and whether having a single-minded pursuit that excludes other interests in life is healthy.

Books in the Series:

Queen of the Sixth Grade (1988)

Robin was part of the in-crowd until the boy her friend Veronica likes decides that he likes Robin better.  With Veronica spreading lies about her and all of the other girls avoiding her, what can Robin do?

Choosing Sides

Jonathan likes to play basketball, but the pressures from the school’s new coach, the official school team, and his own father are ruining the game.  Jon is starting to feel like he wants more out of life than sports.

The New Improved Gretchen Hubbard

Gretchen has been teased for a long time about her weight, but when she loses weight and people start treating her differently, she finds that she is uncomfortable with their sudden change in attitude.

Mean Streak

Now that Veronica and Robin are no longer best friends, Veronica doesn’t know who to talk to about her worries that her divorced father is going to remarry.