Zip Zilch: Nobody's a Nothin' Book 1

If you don't want to be noticed, you certainly will be. Just ask Zip.

A 2023 AFCW CAROL AWARDS finalist, Zip Zilch: Nobody's a Nothin' Book One, is a fast-paced, hilarious new entry into the middle school (and beyond) genre.Corey "Zip" Zilch didn't want all this attention, but it came, ready or not, starting when the Scuds pushed him into Weasel Creek. Oh, and they tossed his books in with him for good measure.

That's when everything let loose.His mom's reaction was to treat him like a babyHis water-soaked schoolbooks wouldn't open in classThe principal pelted him with dictionary wordsHe was forced to step between the Scuds and Sarah (that takes guts!)And with all of this, his dad didn't have a clue. About anything.But, hey, life wasn't all bad.

Seventh grade gave him a new start. Sarah and her friend Hu became his best buds, he discovered cross country running (and he was good!), he found a coach who treated him like a man, he became part of a team, and he (amazingly) survived the uber health-conscious school lunches.

So far, he hadn't discovered the identity of the prankster mucking stuff up for the team, nor realized the bully danger in the boys' room, or how to talk to girls, or how hard it would be to win at least one race.

Zip didn't have it all figured out, but why should he? That's what middle school is for.From the Publisher: Little Roni Publishers is ecstatic to introduce Corey Zilch, a conscientious, friendly kid who readers can't help but like. Attacking 7th grade with gusto, all the while figuring out his main talent, this humorous middle-grade novel hits all the right notes.

We've found that readers who enjoy Gordon Korman, James Patterson (ahem, his Middle School series), C.T. Walsh, Marcus Emerson, KF Ridley, Jeff Kinney, Chris Grabbenstein, Rachel Renee Russell, and Shannon Hale will love Paul Maitland's take on the mayhem of middle school and all that entails.A finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest in 2019, Zip Zilch is the first in a series taking Corey all the way through High School. Dive in and let us know how you enjoy our friend Zip!

Reader Special Interests in Book 1: cross country running, becoming an asset to a sports team, making friends from other ethnicities, becoming friends with a girl, dealing with bullies, helping a friend deal with sadness, dealing with a snobby older sister and her giggling friends, taking the blame when it's not your fault, trying to connect with loving parents who just don't "get it."

If you scrolled down this far, you might be a parent person! So...

Note to parents: Corey is at the end of sixth grade and beginning seventh. The story opens with him under the attention of the two school bullies. Corey makes two really good friends, Hu (a boy) and Sarah (a girl), both his age. Quirky and funny, this book kept our editors and young beta readers laughing and interested to the very end. In this book Corey discovers he has a natural talent for cross country running, although he needs his coach's training to progress to excellence. He learns patience, how to deal with frustration, how to work with the members of the team (on and off the bench), and how to be sensitive to the needs of others, all within a fun and fast moving plot.