{"product_id":"come-fall-isbn-9780375858260","title":"Come Fall","description":"Lu Zimmer's best friend moved away last summer. Salman Page is the new kid in school. Blos Pease takes everything literally. Three kids who are on the fringe of the middle school social order find each other and warily begin to bond, but suddenly things start going wrong. Salman becomes the object of the school bully's torment, and Lu's pregnant mother has some unexpected complications. Is something conspiring against them?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn fact, through no fault of their own, Salman and Lu have become pawns in a game of jealous one-upmanship between Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of Faery, with the mischievous Puck trying to keep the peace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTaken from Titania's mention of a foundling in Shakespeare's \u003ci\u003eA Midsummer Night's Dream\u003c\/i\u003e, A. C. E. Bauer spins an original tale about magical intervention in the least magical of settings: a public middle school.A. C. E. Bauer has been telling stories ever since she could talk (some were real whoppers). After learning how to write them down, she began handing them out as gifts to her family. Ms. Bauer took a break from writing for a while when she was a lawyer helping poor people, writing legal briefs and telling stories about her clients. She has returned to fiction and now writes for children of all ages. Born and raised in Montreal, she spends most of the year in Cheshire, Connecticut, and much of the summer on a lake in Quebec. She lives with her husband, two children, and their dog, Speedy.1--Salman Page     \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRule number one: never be noticed     \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSalman Page chose a table in the far corner of the Springfalls Junior High cafeteria, next to a mural of brown and purple swirls--ugly, but he'd be harder to see against it. He kept his back to the wall and his head down, letting his shoulder-length hair hide most of his brown face. He wanted to be, to the casual observer, a kid intent on his meal of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. A few kids sat two tables away, not talking much. This part of the cafeteria was for losers. Salman thought that was just fine.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe glanced around once before he unscrewed the silver cap from his juice bottle, wiped it with his napkin, and slid it into his breast pocket. A skinny girl approached. She was midsized with short, light brown hair and a friendly face. Salman concentrated on his mashed potatoes. The kids at the other table must know her.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hi,\" she said.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe was talking to Salman. He raised his head slowly. She smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Are you Salman Page?\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho was this kid?   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Salman,\" he said, emphasizing the L. He wasn't some kind of fish.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sorry.\" She paused. \"I'm Lu Zimmer, your designated buddy.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe sat down and placed her lunch bag and a box of chocolate milk on the table.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSalman frowned. Because of a mix-up with his state files, his transfer here for seventh grade didn't happen until two days before school started. No one had assigned him a designated buddy. When Ms. R, his homeroom teacher, had asked him whether he got along with his d.b., he had no idea what she was talking about.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Deebee?\" he said.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It's short for designated buddy,\" Ms. R said. \"An eighth-grade mentor.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Don't have one,\" he said.   Ms. R radiated disapproval.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'll make the arrangements.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSalman didn't need a designated buddy. He wished Ms. R had never asked him about it.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLu Zimmer plowed ahead.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm supposed to meet with you, walk you around the school, show you how things work. That kind of stuff.\"   \"I've walked around already.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSchool had started a week and a half ago. What did she expect? Lu hesitated.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Maybe we can talk about your teachers.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSalman was about to tell her that he didn't need to talk about his teachers when they were interrupted.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hey, Lu!\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA gangly white boy with wiry orange hair and a face full of pimples lurched over, carrying an oversized lunch bag. He towered above them.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"May I join you?\" he said.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore either Lu or Salman could answer, the boy sat down next to Lu and emptied the contents of his sack onto the table.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I heard Ms. R made you a d.b.,\" the boy continued in his too-loud voice.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLu reddened, and her smile strained.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Salman Page,\" she said, \"this is Blos Pease.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlos turned to Lu.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You are his d.b., right?\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, Blos,\" Lu said.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer smile was fading. Blos focused on Salman.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Did you know Lu and I had the same d.b. last year?\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSalman gave only the slightest shake of his head.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It is true. We used to have lunch with her, all the time.\"   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis last statement refocused Blos onto his own lunch. He removed the items from each of the four separate sandwich bags and lined them up in front of him.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlos took a deep breath, hands hovering over the sandwich. He blinked at Salman and let his hands drop.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat now? Salman wondered.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlos's lower lip covered his upper. He stared hard at Salman. His hands kept approaching his sandwich and then retreating. Salman almost looked forward to what was going to happen next.","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304780615909,"sku":"NP9780375858260","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780375858260.jpg?v=1767723948","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/come-fall-isbn-9780375858260","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}