strong imagery
— A granddaughter recalls tea and conversation with her grandmother, then confronts the shock of learning her grandmother had lost her will to live.
— A girl races to catch waves on the last days of summer, gets tumbled by a big swell, then eagerly paddles back out for more.
— During community service punishment, Bailey watches ducks struggle free from thorns and finds hope for her parents battling her father's cancer.
— A Newfoundland girl finds a mysterious bottle on the shore, launches it with a carved whale inside, and watches it travel the world collecting treasures from children in different countries.
— A cyclist pushes through burning thighs and approaching storms, hill by hill, until reaching the lake's perfect relief.
— When Leo announces he's moving to New York City, his best friend Anabeth gives him a drawing of them biking by Seneca Lake, which he keeps for nine years.
— A speedcuber's hands fly over a Rubik's cube, colors sparking through the air, until the puzzle emerges whole again as the stopwatch beeps.
— Walking a valley trail after elementary school graduation, a girl finds a broken eggshell and realizes the hawks circling her are searching for it.
— A poem traces the transition from pre-dawn silence through the first bird's call to full morning chorus as day breaks.
— Two competitive students challenge each other at chin-ups in a rain-soaked park, pushing past their limits to discover something beyond winning.