Young Katy Thatcher, the daughter of the town doctor, becomes friends with Jacob, a teenager who is "touched in the head," which allows her to understand what really happened when the unwanted infant of Jacob's sister is found dead.
When he sees all the attention which his parents and people in the neighborhood give to Jacob, eleven-year-old Paul struggles with his feelings toward this younger brother who has Down syndrome.
In 1953 in Chicago, Ruth struggles to deal with her parents' constant arguing, taking care of her younger brothers, one of whom is mentally disabled, and getting along in middle school.
Taylor Jane Simon, an eighteen-year-old girl with Asperger's Syndrome, struggles for independence and self-control as she deals with the effects of the illness on her daily life.
Provides information about autism, explaining what it is, its causes, diagnosis, and treatment, and offers advice on how to get along with classmates who are autistic.
When Mexican American seventh-grader Javier is assigned to work with a special education class and connects with Dontae, who has both physical and mental disabilities, his reputation among gang members and drug abusers no longer seems very important.
