US Common Core ELA
— A child observes birds soaring through clouds and returning to birdhouses where they know they're free, celebrating their joyful sounds and movements.
— A thirteen-year-old explores memory and perception through four vignettes: coffee grounds and bird eggs, violin practice, shower wall patterns, and a childhood dream of walking on eggs.
— During Hurricane Sandy's blackout, a family lights their first fire, boils water for foot-soaking, and finds calm while wind rages outside their dark house.
— A series of questions explores the nature of friendship, wondering about true motivations and what friends are supposed to be.
— 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 meditation on feeling trapped by others' expectations transforms into a plea for empathy and a vision of freedom through flight and song.
— 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.
— A young writer explores the gap between how peers see her—aloof, friendless—and how she sees herself: kind, connected, surviving through writing.
— After falling during pointe hops at Russian ballet camp, a shy dancer gains strength and confidence through a roommate's patient coaching and encouragement.
— 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.