US Common Core ELA
— A solitary figure contemplates a metaphorical mountain that blocks their path, yearning for waves of change while trapped between states of black and white.
— In a climate-ravaged future, an old person who preserved each season in jars watches a child accidentally break one, releasing spring back into the world.
— A ghostly lilac figure wanders through pine forests and black rivers on an October night, crying out in sorrow before retreating into shadows.
— A young person processes grief after a funeral, watching her sister's breakdown, feeling her heart chip away, and struggling to reconnect with life afterward.
— A girl with synesthesia who tastes words and memorizes dictionaries finds connection through a spelling bee competition, transforming from isolated to confident.
— A lonely woolly mammoth at a rigid academic school befriends a creative girl who teaches him about color-emotions, leading to their escape to a colorful utopia.
— A child reflects on life before a new baby arrived, using a mirror structure to express the loss of sleep, space, and being a family of three.
— During morning hair-braiding, Carlita reflects on her Cuban heritage, school discrimination, and her absent brother who's been arrested.
— Thu loses his place as grandmother's favorite when his sickly sister is born, but journeys to save her life and learns what family truly means.
— After moving to Brooklyn, Kiera finally achieves popularity but must choose between her new friends and Claudia, who wears the same Hello Kitty shirt Kiera once loved.