Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind.

Little Imani of the Maasai people longs to do something great, like touching the moon, but the other children just laugh at her.

Tired of continually having his feelings hurt by popular students and bullies, fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie, a condition which, he soon discovers, has some real advantages.

When the coach of her championship softball team asks Raisa Kumar to teach a new recruit, Annie, how to pitch she is eager to help, especially since she hopes to be a coach herself someday; but when the team's other pitcher turns up with a broken arm, teaching Annie takes on a new urgency--and Raisa's efforts at coaching seem to be frustrating Annie rather then helping her.

"Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when...

"Imani discovers how to be brave as she looks for the perfect superhero costume for the Fall Festival. This early chapter book features critical thinking questions and a nonfiction feature on real-life superhero Kizzmekia Corbett"--

"Jake's jump shot is as good as money in the bank, but when he heads to the foul line... clank! If Jake doesn't find a way to solve his free throw woes, his coach will have no choice but to put him on the pine. Will Jake nail it, or will he fail it?" --

Seventh-grader Torry is feeling pressure on the basketball court because he has to guard a player on the rival team who is bigger and older than he is.

Twelve-year-old Petunia is used to living in the shadow of her fourteen-year-old half-sister, Ava, their mother's favorite, but now that the whole family has moved to Paris for a year, Pet finds herself stepping into the light, making new friends, uncovering secrets, and, inspired by the classic French dolls she has found, revealing an unexpected talent for designing dresses--and her beautiful sister does not take it well.

Two possible futures face Summer: either she will spend the summer in Provence with her father, uncovering family secrets, and exploring the old world, or she will stay in upstate New York, coping with her mother, and dreaming of her long time crush--and which future unfolds will depend on whether or not she answers a phone call.