Stories
— In this installment of a fantasy novella, Elana cures Henry's paint-fainting sickness, recruits gingerbread workers for an army, and infiltrates Casey's castle using magical lightning rope.
— A girl faces sexist taunts when joining the Boys' Chess Club but wins over her teammates by reframing their shared experiences of exclusion and leading them to victory.
— After a killer whale destroys his research ship, a marine biologist and his pet cormorant survive on a deserted island until they can build a raft to escape.
— A teenage surfer faces the same deadly waves that killed his father at the Mavericks competition, then risks everything to save his friend from drowning.
— During an asteroid attack on her French village, a farm girl and her new classmate Clara rescue a young boy and flee to the mountains, where Evangeline reunites with her...
— A digger at a World War III archaeological site discovers a general's journal that reveals how soldiers were lost in a catastrophic storm, changing his family's fortunes.
— A girl grows from child to grandmother, repeatedly passing an old woman who rakes leaves through the seasons, only recognizing her absence when it's too late.
— After her best friend moves to Switzerland, an eight-year-old girl struggles with loneliness at school and finds solace in their Skype conversations, though nothing feels the same.
— A bullied boy finds a magic pen that grants him superpowers, but his friend's rejection teaches him that real heroism doesn't require magic.
— Beverly Henderson, orphaned in 1950s Idaho, befriends a raccoon named Bandit who later betrays her, causing an explosion that kills her father and leaves her in a 13-year coma.