In 1982 Buncombe County, North Carolina, sixteen-year-old Alex Stromm writes of the aftermath of the accidental drowning of a friend, as his English teacher reaches out to him while he and a fellow boarding school student try to cover things up.

A timid boy, eager to frighten the school bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to change himself into a hideous monster.

In Queens, New York, in 1969, twelve-year-old Julian Twerski writes a journal for his English teacher in which he explores his friendships and how they are effected by girls, a new student who may be as fast as Julian, and especially an incident of bullying.

Thirteen-year-old Louise uncovers secrets about her family and her neighborhood during the violent protests over school desegregation in 1960 New Orleans.

Inspired to become a magician after seeing a live show, Eugene diligently practices tricks and prepares a demonstration at a school event that is complicated by the unexplained disappearance of a class pet.

Marisol loves to paint. So when her teacher asks her to help make a mural for the school library, she can't wait to begin! But how can Marisol make a sky without blue paint? After gazing out the bus window and watching from her porch as day turns into night, she closes her eyes and starts to dream.

Melvin Robinson wants a strong voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants, but the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse. And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere—not just in the South, but also in his own hometown of Spokane—is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by. His new friend Lenny, a sax-playing Jewish boy, encourages Melvin to take some risks—to invite his crush to Homecoming...