Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his clasassmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Eleven-year-old Cyrus knows he is not cut out to be a football hero or fireman like his adopted father, but it takes a skittish stray dog to teach him that he, too, can be brave.

At the end of seventh grade Jaime and Maya's friendship is tested when their priorities are divided.

Sixth-grader Sicily Jordan learns to use her voice and to find joy in who she is--a Black Panamanian fashionista who rocks her braids with pride--while confronting prejudice both in the classroom and at home.

It's Nikki's birthday, and it is up to her whether it is a blast or a bust.

Seventh-grader Sharkita "Kita" embarks on a tumultuous journey to keep her family together while handling the consequences of her mother's alcoholism.

"After eleven-year-old David Bravo wishes for a do-over of a disastrous day of middle school, he and a shapeshifting spirit guide try to right a wrong in his past"--

When a flood forces Nory and her best friends to evacuate Dunwiddle and relocate to prestigious Sage Academy, the upside-down magic students have a hard time fitting in.

Best friends Isaac and Marco face various challenges in sixth grade, such as Isaac getting better grades, Marco winning a spot on the basketball team, and both seeing their efforts make a change in their respective family lives. They hope their friendship and support for one another will be enough to help them from falling short.

When sixth-grader Mac discovers several words of his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic are blacked out he is outraged, so he, his friends, and his eccentric family set out to do something about the censorship imposed by one teacher and the school board.