Miss Parks, a new teacher, is devastated when her cat, Autumn, disappears during a storm, but with the help of her students, she finds not only Autumn but also the man of her dreams.

Inspired by a teacher who believes each of them is a genius, a class of special-needs students invents something that could convince the whole school they are justifiably proud to be "Junkyard Wonders."

Describes how a teacher named Miss Chew encouraged individuality, and accepted learning differences, and helped a young student with academic difficulties get extra time to take tests and permission to be in advanced art classes. Inspired by the author's memories of her art teacher.