Mara is worried about what the students at her new school will think about her hearing aids, but as she explains about lip reading and sign language she makes two new friends.

Stella Diaz wants to be friends with the new boy in class, but sometimes she accidentally speaks Spanish instead of English and pronounces words wrong, which makes her turn roja. In addition, she has to get over her fear of speaking in front of the class.

"If Mari Feijoo could, she would turn her family's Peak Cubanity down a notch, just enough so that her snooping neighbor and classmate Mykenzye wouldn't have anything to tease her about. That's why this year, there's no way that Mari's joining in on one of the big-gest Feijoo family traditions--burning the New Year's Eve effigy her abuela makes. Only Mari never suspects that failing to toss her effigy in the fire would bring something much worse than...

In the year since Alexander and his father moved to Stermont, he and his friends in the Super Secret Monster Patrol of Stermont Elementary have defeated all kinds of monsters, but now they face their greatest challenge, the boss-monster who has kidnappedfellow monster fighter Ms. Vanderpants and stolen the Notebook of Doom--and they have to do it before Alexander turns eight and stops being able to see monsters.

Sam is fascinated by her new neighbors and their ability to talk with their hands, and when she meets Mai, she starts to learn Filipino sign language so they can communicate. Includes dictionary of Philippine signs.