January/February 2011
— A five-year-old helps prepare instant noodles at her aunt's apartment, finding magic in the simple ritual of breaking noodles and sharing the moment with her younger brother.
— A girl flying alone for the first time finds courage through recorded messages from her parents on her iPod, transforming fear into pride as the plane prepares for takeoff.
— A 12-year-old encounters hundreds of college students dressed as Santa flooding the NYC subway during an annual flash mob tradition, much to her embarrassment and her family's delight.
— A young poet urges readers to step outside and notice their freedom, safety, and luck through simple observations of birds, melting snow, and neighborhood play.
— A captive cheetah dreams of freedom while watching his brothers die from starvation, until a woman rescues him and returns him to the African savannah.
— The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd; David Fickling Books: New York, 2008; $15.99 The London Eye Mystery is perfect for any reader who is looking for a spectacular book...
— A middle schooler abandons her best friend for popularity, falls for a cruel prank at a party, and discovers where she truly belongs.
— A deaf girl named Shira, isolated from her musical family, discovers her artistic talent and creates a fundraising campaign for Haiti earthquake victims through her paintings.
— A harness racing scene unfolds through storm imagery, where horses' hoofbeats create a rhythmic song against the track in rain and wind.
— An eleven-year-old reflects on how her relationship with her older brother has changed as they've grown up, remembering their imaginative games and missing their closeness.