Told in alternating voices, the teacher and students in room 117 find their lives changed over the course of a school year.

The fifth grade's annual camping trip in the woods tests Mark's survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher who seems out to get him.

Loving their gifted teacher, three boys are dismayed when the teacher falls ill and leaves for the rest of the school year, a situation that compels them to share their stories while cutting class and journeying across town together on a fateful day.

Andrew Neyman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite East coast music conservatory. Plagued by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher, an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer...

"Ever caught yourself screaming, "I could just kill that teacher"? What would it take to justify such antisocial behavior and weeks of detention? Especially if he's the best teacher you've ever had? Giving you an "F" on a quiz? Mispronouncing your name during roll call... again? How about blowing up the moon and threatening to do the same to Mother Earth--unless you take him out first?! Plus a reward of a cool 100 million from the Ministry of Defense!...

A teacher in a 1930's Scottish girls' school captivates her students with her fascist ideals and free-thinking attitude. She engages in ongoing battles with the rigid heads of the school and faces the biggest trial of her life when her livelihood and career are threatened.