emotional depth
— A young racehorse named Judy Garland faces her fears on a muddy track, gets injured in fog, but places second through determination and discovers meaning beyond victory.
— A boy who dreams of conquering a tiger finds courage to face the school bully by standing his ground in the playground.
— A Cuban-American boy finds solace and identity through a secret friendship with a bull after his grandmother's death, defying his assimilated family.
— A boy returns to his late grandfather's wilderness farm for the first time since his death, finding solace when sunlight breaks through storm clouds onto a magnolia tree.
— A thirteen-year-old takes her first job picking strawberries, discovering the harsh realities of farm labor alongside workers from many cultures, especially the industrious Mennonites.
— A girl falls from a tree house in 1949 and awakens from a seventeen-year coma to find her family aged, her best friend married to her brother, and the boy...
— A boy remembers his grandmother through the landscape she loved — hot air balloons, hilltop trees, vineyards — and the moment of scattering her ashes.
— A sixth-grade violinist, the youngest finalist in a school competition, plays brilliantly but doesn't place, learning to transform disappointment into determination for next year.
— A boy on his first duck hunt with his father struggles between wanting to please his dad and his inability to kill the mallard in his sights.
— A drama-loving girl accidentally breaks a precious jade elephant in an antique shop and offers to perform for the elderly owner's sick husband as recompense.