authentic voice
— A grieving boy resists joining band after his jazz musician father's death, until a compassionate teacher helps him find healing through music.
— A young writer rediscovers the exhilaration of flight, watching the world shrink below while yearning to experience the sky without the plane's protection.
— A Mexican-American girl learns to celebrate rather than mourn her grandmother's death during Día de los Muertos, finding her spirit in a monarch butterfly.
— A girl investigates a mysterious scream and white shape in the woods, leading her to reconcile with her best friend and discover a snowy owl.
— During a storm in Revolutionary War-era America, a girl defies her mother to fetch a doctor for her sick baby brother, evading horse thieves along the way.
— A California girl moves to snowy Minnesota after her parents' divorce, chases a coatless winter cyclist, and discovers an unexpected friendship with someone who feels just as out of place.
— A young poet maps her beloved seaside town through sensory details — from a whale door knocker to turquoise wharfs to sailboats floating like butterflies.
— A thirteen-year-old watches younger kids playing Star Wars in a park, triggering memories of his own carefree childhood games with friends and his hero brother.
— 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.