identity
— In a genetically engineered society where roles are predetermined, a young Director-in-training discovers her forbidden passion for music during a symphony rehearsal.
— A boy constantly moving with his struggling immigrant family runs away in Brooklyn, only to realize through memories and reflection that he cannot escape his past or abandon those who...
— A girl who hates her ugliness wishes on a star to bring her stone gargoyle to life, then learns through painful transformations that she was already beautiful.
— An ambassador without mind or face sits in a walled place, contemplating his non-existence and the walls that might have hope where he has none.
— An alien from planet Watercolors dreams of being an explorer, builds his own spaceship to visit Earth, and ends up copying everything humans say because he doesn't speak English.
— After returning from Chile, a first-grader struggles with English reading until determination and practice transform her from level B to level Q, the highest in her class.
— A young writer confronts human hypocrisy and self-righteousness, building to the admission that we're all guilty of the stupidity we see in others.
— A 12-year-old defends her two-dad family through memories of ballet recitals, newspaper rituals, and playground confrontations, asserting that both men are her 'actual dads.'
— On planet Kepler-22b, students compete for honors status while their alien parents work light-years away, until a boy discovers the dark truth behind 'organic' education.
— A girl reflects on her common name Claire, wishing for something unique, then questions whether a different name would change her identity.