Six eighth graders in Washington, DC, navigate through the conflict and division sparked by a school assignment focused on their town's Native American mascot.

"Middle-schooler Ruby and her friend Scout join together to stop a real-estate mogul from tearing down their historied New York City apartment building, called Umbrella House. In a contest for a news network, Ruby and Scout use their creativity and video-editing skills to show the value of both their building and their East Village neighborhood. Once they discover the identity of the anonymous Midnight Muralist, Ruby convinces the famed East Village...

"Eleven-year-old Alex knows that starting middle school will be a big change, and for an autistic person, change can be terrifying. He is sure that having a friend by his side will help. But how can he make one? Alex devises a plan to impress the kids at school by winning a trophy at the PAWS Dog Show with his trusty sidekick, Kevin the cockapoo. This should be a walk in the park, right? If only. It turns out that finding a friend is harder than Alex...

After her home is attacked by shapeshifting vampires, twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng is sent to live with her aunt and cousin in Maryland, but the aspiring vampire hunter discovers that middle school is harder than it appears on television, especially when she has to avoid detention and turn her classmates into warriors before they become vampire food.

"Stevie struggles to fit in at her new California middle school and is experiencing changes at home, while the Black Panthers and women's rights movements influence her life from the background"-- Stevie's life is fluctuating rapidly. She's starting over in a brand new middle school. Quiet and observant, it's hard for her to make friends. Plus, her mind is too occupied. The tension in her home is building as her parents' arguments are becoming more...

Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees - until she's stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule: the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she's forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta - an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain - is willing to help. --

"Viv never looks forward to picture day. Her mom always makes her wear a boring braid, and no one at school notices her -- aside from her two best friends, Milo and Al, of course. But enough is enough. This year, Viv is taking matters into her own hands. Literally. Enter: a pair of scissors. And, well, a new hairstyle. Just in time for photos! Suddenly Viv is an overnight trendsetter at Brinkley Middle School. Everyone wants her help planning their...

"Oceans 11 goes to the arcade in this wildly entertaining heist adventure. We do this my way. No one gets hurt. And if I call it off, it's off. Got it? My name's Darius James -- but everyone calls me DJ. At my old school, I was the go-to guy for all kinds of tricky problems that needed creative solutions. But at my new school, Ella Fitzgerald Middle, I'm just trying to blend in. Well, I was, anyway, until my best friend, Conor, got himself transferred...

"Seventh grader Wendy Toledo knows that black holes and immigration police have one thing in common: they can both make things disappear without a trace. When her family moves to a new all-American neighborhood, Wendy knows the plan: keep her head down, build a telescope that will win the science fair, and stay on her family's safe orbit. But that's easier said than done when there's a woman hiding out from ICE agents in the church across the alley,...

Spring Break is full of possibilities...but not for Olive. This year, Olive is leaving her friends and all of their exciting vacation plans behind to visit her dad at his new apartment in the city. Goober is thrilled to spend a whole week with their father and has a long list of activities for their time together. Olive, on the other hand, still remembers the hurt of their dad moving halfway across the world. She would rather spend time with her friend...