When it’s time to send a child off to school for the very first time, it’s hard to say who is the most anxious about it—the parent or the child. Both will appreciate the sweet and gentle message in The Kissing Hand, a softly illustrated picture book.

Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher. Or is she?

It all starts with a Special Project in Mr. Melville’s Social Studies class: Solve a mystery in your own life. For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore: Ms. Finkleman.

Bethesda is convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life, and she’s determined to find out what it is. But no one is prepared for what she learns. Ms. Finkleman used to be . . . a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works with none other than timid Ms. Finkleman at the helm!

A gifted paraplegic teacher and four extremely bright and diverse students work towards the same goal, winning the Academic Bowl. In the process they learn important lessons about kindness and respect. This book is made up of four short stories, each told from the perspective of one of the students. Each of the sections is woven into the larger story of how these four students and their teacher were able to sweep the competition.

Like Joey Pigza, Bradley Chalkers doesn’t fit in with the other kids in his fifth-grade class. For one thing, he’s the oldest. He’s also a liar and an attention-seeking bully. Many students have a “Bradley” in their own classrooms. Hopefully they will see that friendship and understanding go a long way toward helping kids like Bradley triumph over their own obstacles.

Cole has been getting into trouble most of his life. But when he viciously beats and injures a classmate, he chooses “Circle Justice,” an alternative sentencing program based on Native American tradition, to determine his punishment. Sent to a remote Alaskan island where he must spend a year alone, Cole eats worms and rodents and is seriously injured by a bear. He survives, but in the process he learns about controlling anger and the fact that he can change both physically and spiritually.