Apartment 1986

Bestselling middle grade author Lisa Papademetriou is back with a playful, poignant story that will resonate with anyone who's ever had to learn that love means accepting people-even yourself-for who they really are.Callie never meant to let it go this far. Sure, she may have accidentally-on-purpose skipped a day at her fancy New York City prep school, but she never thought she'd skip the day after that! And the one after that . . . and . . . uh . . . the one after that.But when everything in your real life is going wrong (fighting parents! bullied little brother! girls at school who just. don't. get. it!) skipping school starts to look like a valid mental-health strategy. And when Callie runs into Cassius, a mysterious and prickly "unschooled" kid doing research at museums all across the city, it seems only natural for her to join him. Because museums are educational, which means they're as good as going to class. Right?Besides, school can wait. What can't wait is the mystery of why her grandmother seems to wish she could travel back in time to 1986, or what she wants so much to relive there. As Cassius helps Callie see the world in a whole new light, she realizes that the people she loves are far from perfect-and that some family secrets shouldn't be secret at all.Can Callie solve the mystery of 1986 without her own secrets spiraling out of control?Family Secrets: Callie's grandmother is obsessed with the year 1986, but unlocking the past means confronting truths the adults in her life have spent decades hiding.An Unlikely Friendship: When Callie meets Cassius, a mysterious and prickly "unschooled" kid, she finds a partner-in-crime for skipping school and exploring the city's greatest museums.Witty and Humorous Voice: A funny and heartfelt story told in the unforgettable voice of Callie, a self-proclaimed "philosopher" just trying to Keep It Happy when everything is going wrong.A Story About Fitting In: From fancy prep school drama to hiding her family's money problems, Callie has to figure out that loving people-and herself-means accepting them for who they really are.