US Common Core ELA
— A grieving boy finds his dead mother's spirit in a swan at the pond she loved, after dreams tell him to 'listen to it.'
— A Montana girl raises money to visit her beloved horse Missoula, who has been sent to Missouri to work as a therapy horse for children with disabilities.
— In a dreary autumn meadow between two oaks, once-flourishing roses now lie shriveled and colorless, their sharp thorns the only remnant of former vitality.
— Three girls teach three boys to make an anniversary pie for Max's parents, leading to flour explosions, foam dart wars, and last-minute whipped cream rescues.
— On a rainy day, a bored girl finds her cat Mango in a closet and shares a moment of connection that transforms her mood.
— A daughter anxiously awaits her mother's return from a road trip, memories of their last night together mixing with dark fears about what might happen.
— A boy's beloved husky Breeze becomes a local hero by saving lives, but dies after being injured in a blizzard while seeking shelter.
— A middle child feels invisible after her baby brother's birth, finally confronts her parents about feeling neglected, and receives the love and attention she's been craving.
— A young writer celebrates the power of imagination through metaphors of flight, electricity, and natural forces, declaring herself a dreamer whose pen brings visions to life.
— A young angler describes the meditative ritual of dusk fishing on a quiet lake, from paddling out to the explosive moment of catching a keeper.