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 classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

A new boy nicknamed Bird Boy by teasing classmates enjoys imaginative flights as various birds, gaining self-confidence and new friends.

"Three-year-old Casey wants what his older sister, Jessie, has--a shimmery skirt, glittery painted nails, and a sparkly bracelet--but Jessie does not approve. After two boys tease Casey about his appearance, Jessie evolves to a place of acceptance and celebration of her gender creative younger brother"--

When Julianna turns into a bird, she is embarrassed and gets teased at school, but soon she finds advantages to having wings--and learns she is not the only part-wild student.

When Ray, Preeti, Mina, and Niki bring their favorite lunches to school, their classmates scrunch their noses and act disgusted, but the four children learn to stand up for their lunches and cultural backgrounds. Based on the real-life childhood experiences of chefs Ray Garcia, Preeti Mistry, Mina Park, and Niki Russ Federman.

"A boy becomes upset when he is teased for having two dads, but viewing his friend's family (with a mom and a dad) as not all that different from his own, he realizes the best way to counter the ridicule is to be proud of who his fathers are and know that it is love that makes a family." --

"Karen has to get glasses! She doesn't want them, especially because school pictures are going to be taken soon. But she picks out some pretty pink ones and thinks she looks very grown-up. Then Yicky Ricky at school starts calling her names, like Owl Girl and Googly Eyes. If Karen wears her glasses for the school picture, Ricky will make fun of her. If she doesn't wear them, she'll feel like she's afraid to be herself. Glasses or no glasses, that...