After a wonderful summer with her visiting grandmother, Suki decides to wear her blue cotton kimono on her first day of school where she also shares with her class tales of going to the street festival with her beloved obachan.
Katie, an ordinary third-grader who is sometimes touched by a magical wind that turns her into other people, gains insights into the thinking of a new girl at school who is trying to fit in by doing all the wrong things.
After moving, eight-year-old Mallory struggles with being new at school, especially because her mother is now the music teacher and director of the third grade play.
Moses and his friends enjoy the first day of school at their special school for the deaf and hard of hearing, where they use sign language to talk to each other.