vivid characters
— A bored five-year-old on the Titanic wanders below decks, meets a young mechanic who helps her understand her strict governess, and gains a new perspective on their relationship.
— A princess fleeing assassins finds refuge with a werewolf who reveals his pack was banished by the same enemy, leading them to forge an alliance.
— A thirteen-year-old realizes his best friend and sister are falling for each other during a boat trip to a diner, then bikes to a neighbor's house seeking new friendship.
— A Jordanian girl who refuses to make friends at her new American school learns that preserving her identity doesn't require isolation when a classmate reaches out.
— Rebecca learns she must move away from her three best friends, but three years later discovers she's moving back to her hometown.
— A boy discovers he has the potential for forbidden Time Magic when sent to his uncle's island cabin, then races to help his homeland when war breaks out.
— Emma befriends Tansy, a deaf girl visiting with her family, by writing notes back and forth, leading to horseback riding and a promise to be pen pals.
— A boy remembers his fearless best friend Luis Manuel from Catholic school in Caracas—the youngest but undisputed leader of their trio, who ate floor Cheetos and never cried.
— Two teenagers in love remember childhood summers together while facing arranged marriages to others, meeting secretly at night despite their families' plans.
— Every Saturday, four-year-old Elsa and her four sisters walk through Boston, collecting bagels, moon cookies, and laundry, until a broken carousel forces them to create their own magic.