In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

In 1970 Queens, New York, Julian Twerski, now in seventh grade, struggles to write an essay as punishment for an act he did not commit, worries about Beverly, the girl he likes, prepares for his bar mitzvah, and tries to cope with the serious illness of one of his closest friends, Quentin.

After her best friend Claire adopts a beagle puppy, Krystal discovers that she can hear and understand animals--a power that comes in handy when she accidentally loses her friend's dog.

Cuando Ruthie Mizrahi se muda con su familia desde su tierra natal, Cuba, a las animadas calles de Nueva York, tiene much que asimilar: nuevos paisajes, nuevos sonidos y un nuevo idioma. In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

In New York in 1971, Jamila and Josie are bused across Queens where they try to fit in at a new, integrated junior high school while their best friend, Francesca, tests the limits at a private school.

"In this modern reimagination of the Cinderella fairy tale, El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, falls for Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon"--