Dubbed a "reluctant reader" by his teacher, twelve-year-old Derek spends summer vacation learning important lessons even though he does not complete his summer reading list.

Starting middle school after her best friend moves away, Autumn, the secret voice of the “Dear Student” letters, doesn’t know what to do when she makes two new friends who don’t like each other until the unthinkable happens. Her secret identity as Dear Student is threatened. Now, it's time for Autumn to find her voice, her courage, and follow her heart, even when it's divided.

When the COVID-19 pandemic starts, Malian, a young Wabanaki girl, is quarantined with her grandparents on the reservation, where she befriends a local dog and learns about her ancestors and how they always survive together.

Angry with her mother, twelve-year-old runaway Ren finds an unusual boarding house in a nearby ghost town, Fortune, where she meets some interesting people and learns of a forgotten treasure from when the town was famous for buttons made of Mississippi River shells.

Harriet Wermer is unhappy about having to spend her summer with her grandmother on Marble Island until she discovers a mystery involving her Dad from when he was a boy living on the island.

Baseball player and superfan Quinnen must struggle to deal with her older sister's death in a story that unfolds between two summers.