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 rhyming text tells the story of Emmy, who uses the excuse that she is "only 3" to avoid being punished for misbehaving. Eventually the family catches on to her pouting and tantrums and she is sent to her room to ponder her behavior.
When Baby cries, her family and neighbors try unsuccessfully to stop her tears and get her back to sleep, but Roy, the old retriever, knows that Baby needs her toy sheep for a good night.
Chloe Cho is a Korean American seventh-grader who would like to get in touch with many of the aspects of her heritage, but her parents are unwilling to talk about it--then when a class assignment forces Chloe to confront them directly, they finally tell her the truth about her family, which may just be too much for one girl to handle.
All Sophie wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe, but as she tries to convince different members of her rather complicated family to support her cause, each tells her she is using too many words until she finally hits on the perfect one. Includes glossary.
When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents.
"Archer has four important role models in his life--his dad, his grandfather, his uncle Paul, and his favorite teacher, Mr. McLeod. When Uncle Paul and Mr. McLeod get married, Archer's sixth-grade year becomes one he'll never forget."--
"It's Froggy's birthday, but no one has remembered. His parents don't seem to realize it's his special day, and none of his friends are at home to wish him a happy birthday. Will Froggy celebrate his birthday all alone? Has everyone really forgotten?"--