growing up
— A Jewish boy flees to Switzerland with an aging WWI veteran during the Nazi occupation, learning to see beyond hero worship to understand human complexity.
— After her sister's fatal riding accident, Dylan struggles with her mother's overprotectiveness until her own fall forces her to choose between her passion for horses and her mother's peace of...
— A new fourth-grader navigates between popular girls who mock imaginative play and Phyllis, who plays animal games like her old best friend used to.
— A boy's first hunting trip with his father becomes a moment of moral reckoning when he shoots a deer and collapses under the weight of what he's done.
— A sixth-grader reluctantly rehearsing for his church's Christmas play gains new understanding of the shepherds' sacrifice when he postpones his birthday party to visit his injured elderly neighbor.
— Ellen struggles with the end of sixth grade as half her classmates leave for different schools, but finds peace by reconnecting with a friend who's staying.
— A girl befriends bear cubs, discovers her taxidermist father killed their mother, and years later must choose between saving him from a bear attack or protecting the animal.
— A girl in princess clothes and sandals joins an all-boys basketball team, endures weeks of mockery, then makes the game-winning shot when it matters most.
— A homesick boy dreads going to sleep-away camp but discovers acceptance and friendship through a baseball game where his teammates encourage rather than mock him.
— Two childhood best friends drift apart after a betrayed secret, then reunite years later on a rainy night at a football game, realizing their pride broke them apart.