Sworn to the Light by Denton Salle

The Avatar Wizard book 1

And it's definitely a book in a series. Jeremy is brought to a volkh school -- not very like the schools we know -- because he is continually turning into a panda under stress.

It deals with his panda's love of raiding the kitchen, the difference between his changing and a shifters, making friends, an unpleasant student who finds him easy to bait, metal-working, Jeremy's dreams, and more. There are obvious plot hooks for what lies ahead, though he reach an aim in this book.