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.

Self-proclaimed middle school expert and life coach Max Corrigan offers advice and practical tips on such topics as how and why to join cliques, how to deal with gym class, pretending to be sick, and acing tests without being caught cheating. Includes comic-style illustrations.

The Dunwiddle Magic School (fifth to eighth grade) is intended for children whose magic is "upside-down" like Dory (who turns into a combination of a kitten and dragon) and Pepper (whose uncontrollable "fiercing" terrifies everyone around her)--so the Show Off, where fifth grade students are supposed to showcase their skills, does not really seem like a good idea.

Abbie Wu once again finds herself in perpetual crisis when she faces an unwanted science class partnership, a locker mix-up, and a diabolical cat.

Twelve-year-old Libby, born with Turner Syndrome, is determined to win a science contest and use the money to help her older sister's growing family, while surviving middle school.

McQuarrie Middle School's students miss Origami Yoda when Dwight leaves for Tippett Academy, but he sends Sara a paper Fortune Wookiee that seems to give advice just as good as Yoda's--even if, in the hands of girls, it seems preoccupied with romance.

When seventh-grader Alex is stuck taking Film, he has to learn to work with two very different students to make the movie they want to make, even as someone tries to stop them.

"Twelve-year-old Jacky "Ha-Ha" Hart is a class clown with a penchant for pranking--and when she's required to act in the school play to appease her frustrated teachers, she must conquer her stutter"--

Flint Minett has keratoconus, an eye disease, but desperately wants to win a comic book art contest so that he and his new friend McKell Panganiban will be better accepted at middle school.

There are unexpected consequences when thirteen-year-old Gracie sends texts pretending to be her bashful best friend, Sienna, and their friend Emmett starts texting back pretending to be shy A.J.