The Weirder the Better

When Jamie starts Lark Middle School, her 10th school in seven years, she convinces herself that this year will be different. Instead of being just another face in the crowd, Jamie starts a club, one for which only the most unusual kids need apply. Soon several eccentric students join Jamie's club. Jade has body piercings, Brandon has a glass eye, and Justice lives in a bomb shelter. Jamie herself has burn scars on both arms. As the club becomes more popular and better known, newer members include a refugee from North Korea, a boy with twelve toes, and a girl who eats only cereal and M&Ms. After a few months, Jamie's club is the most popular club on campus, and then Jamie begins to encounter resistance from school officials. When Principal Barnes threatens to have Jamie expelled, she fears she may pay a price for being bold enough to accept people, no matter how different they are.

Stasia Decker-Ahmed Stasia Decker-Ahmed is an elementary school teacher. Over the course of her twelve-year career, she has taught second, third, and fourth grade, and special needs children. Prior to her career as a teacher, she worked as a waitress and a social worker. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana with her husband and daughter. The Weirder the Better is her first published novel.