After his hippie grandmother ends up in the hospital, Cap Anderson is forced to leave the commune where he is homeschooled and attend Claverage Middle School, where his odd looks and behavior make him the target of bullies.

After a lifetime of being homeschooled, Ham starts a new year in a new school where he meets Micah, who helps him navigate this strange world, and as he tries to fit in, he wonders if it is worth changing who he wants to be.

On the last night of summer, Emma and her Maine game warden father rescue a small domestic rabbit stuck in a fence; the very next day Emma starts fifth grade after years of being home schooled, excited and apprehensive about making new friends, but she is paired with Jack, a hyperactive boy, who does not seem to fit in with anyone--except that they share a love of animals, which draws them together, because of the rabbit.

Eleven-year-old Makeda dreams of meeting her African American mother, while coping with serious problems in her white adopted family, a cross-country move, and being homeschooled.

Sunny, the Defenders' best runner, only runs for his father, who blames Sunny for his mother's death, but with his coach's help Sunny finds a way to combine track and field with his true passion, dancing.

Twelve-year-old Dexter Foreman has lived at The Pines Retirement Village with his grandmother since he was 6 years old, homeschooled by the residents until he's forced to attend middle school, where he sticks out like a sore thumb.