US Common Core ELA

Story·Alyssa Fowers, age 11 — A young figure skater plagued by nightmares must perform alone after injuring her twin sister during practice, discovering she can find strength without hiding behind her.

Story·Max Strebel, age 13 — Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in fog, a driver glimpses a man who triggers a buried memory of his brother's fatal fall during the bridge's construction.

Story·Megan M. Gannett, age 13 — A shy, homeschooled boy moves to a new home and clashes with local children over a magnificent maple tree, eventually finding friendship through shared love of nature and horses.

Story·Cassie Lear, age 12 — After her brother is executed for harming a sacred cat, a young Egyptian princess must decide whether to rule, marry, or abandon the throne when her father dies.

Story·Kyle Eichner, age 12 — A lonely girl who volunteers at an animal shelter discovers that music calms an aggressive dog no one else can handle, leading to friendship and her first pet.

Story·Will Ilgen — A Union soldier at Gettysburg confronts the death of his best friend while wrestling with memories of his father and the meaning of war as 'a game of chess.'

Story·Sharon Wang, age 13 — A Chinese-American girl visits her father's rural hometown and meets Qing, a cotton farmer whose dangerous work with American pesticides reveals the harsh realities behind cheap clothing.

Story·Jessica Blanton, age 12 — A girl finds her late mother's locket in her backpack, triggering memories of her fourth birthday party and the day her mother died in a car accident.

Story·Julian March, age 12 — A boy showing off in an old boat gets swept downriver at night, then ingeniously lassos a giant snapping turtle to pull him to shore at dawn.

Story·Holly Wist, age 13 — While searching for a book, a girl finds her sister's forgotten box of seashells, triggering a memory of an Easter trip where she lost a found conch shell but gained...