July/August 2009
— A girl disobeys her grandfather's warning and reads a magic book from his library, causing plants and animals to erupt from its pages until he rescues her.
— A child chases a butterfly through morning grass, stumbling but persisting until one finger brushes its wing before it flies away.
— A young gymnast fails to complete her back walkover during competition but returns to the empty gym afterward and finally succeeds, finding meaning in the unwitnessed achievement.
— The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2008; $16.99 Imagine living in a world of rules—a world where the first letter of...
— Two sisters race across neighboring lawns, the older rediscovering the pure joy of running barefoot through grass on a summer day.
— A child's ocean memories with parents transform into longing as music triggers dreams of returning to those carefree moments of jumping waves together.
— A 10-year-old chronicles his parents' divorce with remarkable emotional intelligence, tracing the journey from loss through fights over custody to unexpected gains including a stepfather and baby brother.
— A girl savors her last day at a beloved Massachusetts beach before moving away, swimming in cold waves and watching sunset with her younger brother.
— A granddaughter recalls tea and conversation with her grandmother, then confronts the shock of learning her grandmother had lost her will to live.
— A Muslim girl struggles with shyness and prejudice at her new Brooklyn school until she stands up to bullies and finds an unexpected friend in a Jewish classmate.