Seventh-grader Zoe, who comes from a big family where she's never had anything all to herself, desperately wants CJ for a best friend, but when CJ reveals that she likes the boy Zoe likes, she must make a choice.
Fifth-grader Nora Rowley has always hidden the fact that she is a genius from everyone because all she wants is to be normal, but when she comes up with a plan to prove that grades are not important, things begin to get out of control.
Tommy has always enjoyed his friendship with Zoe, but when his friends tease him about it, he wonders whether he wants to be more than friends with her.
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
