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Contents

Star of David

Fear and disbelief drip down the back of my neck. I am leaning against the wall, feeling cold, hard, merciless brick beneath my palm, hearing things—simple, life-giving things, such as breath and whispers and rustles of skirts—so loudly that I'm afraid my very listening will give me away. On my side, my Jewish charge, and [...]

Running Away

The chilling night air swirled around James Henry as he stumbled blindly over the treacherous forest floor. Just above the treetops, the full moon hung low in the sky, swathed in a shawl of thick clouds. James hurried breathlessly through the dense undergrowth, ignoring the brambles that cruelly cut and scratched his skin. Tree branches [...]

Sunrise

My eyes opened. Sitting up, I glanced at my clock on my nightstand, and read the green, fluorescent letters: 4:42 AM, three minutes before my alarm was due to go off. I stretched out my arm and turned off my alarm. Scrambling out of bed, I changed from my pajamas into a tank top and [...]

Sunrise

Beth realizes she can make her dream come true

A Stroke of the Bow

It had been almost a year since that fateful day last June when Lucy Livingstone's baby boy had died at the age of ten days. Catriona Livingstone, her twelve-year-old daughter, was accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Livingstone to the cemetery to visit her brother on what would have been his first birthday. The day was cloudy, [...]

Precious Time

John McCarty was warming up his arm. "Whip it in there!" yelled his friend, Stuart Johnson. He and Stuart played for the Rockets. The Rockets were the best baseball team in the league, all because of John, their pitcher. Or at least that's what Stuart thought! John was great at baseball, but he also loved [...]

Emily’s Mustang

Emily shaded her green eyes from the hot Nevada sun. A tiny breeze blew a loose strand of her dusty brown hair and relieved the humidity that made the air hang thick and heavy. Her mother's horse, Sweetie, shifted impatiently beneath her. Emily reassured her with a pat, but her mind was in the craggy [...]

A Lesson for Life

Billy stood on the porch of the cabin enjoying the cool, fresh air. He loved the way everything was quiet and still before the rest of the world woke up. Then he remembered—he was at camp in North Carolina, 800 miles away from his parents in Florida. Billy shivered. Suddenly, the air seemed too cold [...]

The Mystery of Cats

Cleaning yourself as if the world is just fine Of course you don't know about September 11 or the war You don't know about the terrorists or do you Is that mangy dog down the street the terrorist you fear What does someone of your small stature think of the world Do you look at [...]

Doing the Tango

In my house, we celebrate everything. Even the smallest things. Good grades on a test. Learning that we are going On vacation. Even a surprise present. The reward is "doing the tango." The dogs want to join in And scramble to find a toy A bone, a partner to celebrate The joyful dance. Learning to [...]

Belle Teal

Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin; Scholastic Press:  New York, 2001; $15.95 Do you ever act differently around African Americans than you do around white people? Belle Teal did not think anyone would ever do such a thing, until segregation was reduced and, once more, schools began to integrate at Coker Creek. Belle Teal tells [...]

Someday

Someday by Jackie French Koller; Orchard Books: New York, 2002; $16.95 Ever thought about your "someday"? You know, someday you'll go off to college, someday you'll get a job, someday the house, the family—someday, someday, someday. Someday the town you've loved and grown up in will be washed away to nothing more than a reservoir [...]