Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police.

A young girl describes how her school friend made over a million dollars by creating and marketing a cheaper and better toothpaste.

"Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school's first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can't be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake's dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade....

Twelve-year-old Anna's friend Andee spearheads a campaign to bring Fan from China to Cincinnati on a year-long cultural exchange, but before Fan even arrives Anna's concerned that Andee and Fan are too different to get along.

Told from different points of view--protesters, students, National Guardsmen, and "townies"--recounts the story of what happened at Kent State in May 1970, when four college students were killed by National Guardsmen, and a student protest was turned into a bloody battlefield.

The Grayson twins are moving to a new town again. Although it's a drag to be constantly mistaken for one another, still, during those first days at a new school, there's nothing better than a twin brother. But on the first day of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay is on his own. Jay quickly discovers a major mistake; no one at this school knows a thing about his brother. Jay almost tells a teacher, but decides that this lost information could...

"I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me ... he's one of us. Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us -- if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know?" -- inside front cover book jacket.