US Common Core ELA
— A twelve-year-old actress faces her final audition before a year-long ban on performing, negotiated with her doctor parents who want her to pursue medicine instead.
— A girl whose family is fragmenting befriends her silent cousin by creating a mechanical dancing bird that mirrors the shorebirds they both love.
— A delicate observation of trying to help an injured insect fly again, capturing the fragility of both the creature and the moment of attempted rescue.
— A star running back plays through concussion symptoms with a cracked helmet in the championship game, scores the winning touchdown, but may never play football again.
— A summer evening unfolds through sensory details — grass brushing knees, bats circling overhead, bullfrogs calling goodnight as day turns to twilight.
— At summer camp, a girl lies about her grandmother's earrings to avoid teasing, loses them, and discovers her new friend stole them out of misguided kindness.
— A girl volunteers at a nursing home, collecting words and stories from residents who share their memories, imagination, and a precious dictionary with her.
— A lonely girl who spends afternoons in the forest rescues a drowning kitten from the river and finds the friend she's been missing.
— Sisters collect shells and sea glass at the beach, but discover the treasures lose their magic when brought home, separated from ocean and memory.
— A girl searching for an elusive albino mare on her family's ranch is swept away by a flooded river, then rescued by the wild horse band she sought.