"Eleven-year-old Jacques, who must contend with difficult family dynamics and pressure from an older boy to help him commit a crime, is surprised to discover that he has much in common with Kiki, one of the many new Somali refugees who have immigrated to his Maine town"-- Provided by publisher.

There is an empty lot in Sadiq's neighborhood which is in serious need of cleaning up, and Sadiq has come up with an idea of what to do with it afterwards: build a community garden--so Sadiq sets out to get his classmates and friends involved and make the garden a true community success.

When Sadiq and his friends form a theater club Sadiq, as director, thinks he must do everything until the director of his big sister Aliya's show tells him about delegating. Includes glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts.

Sadiq's class is visiting the pond on a nature field trip, but the dead fish they find there is disturbing; when he finds that the likely cause is pollution, he and a group of his classmates form the Clean Water Crew to do what they can to help clean up not just their pond, but other bodies of water as well.

Ms. Battersby has announced that Sadiq's third-grade class will be having elections for student government! Everyone is buzzing with excitement, but Sadiq isn't sure about any of it. Should he run for one of the positions? He does lots of research and gets good advice from his parents and siblings. Watching an inspiring speech finally helps him decide exactly what he wants to do. But when a good friend has the same idea, Sadiq questions his decision....