travel
— 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.
— A girl moves to Iceland after her parents die, discovers her grandmother once lived there, and finds comfort in a special doll her grandmother arranged for her to receive.
— An eleven-year-old girl travels from Ohio to Pennsylvania with the father she hasn't seen since age two, slowly uncovering the truth about their separation.
— A reluctant girl spends summer caring for her grandmother on Nantucket, discovering family heritage through lightship basket weaving and maritime stories, finding unexpected belonging.
— Two sisters visiting India reluctantly ride a rickety Ferris wheel at a deserted amusement park, transforming boredom into terror then exhilaration as they rock the unsafe cart.
— An 11-year-old recalls visiting her mother's cousin Marie on an Irish farm, witnessing her sudden illness, and learning of her death two weeks later on St. Patrick's Day.
— A girl moves from Chicago to India during monsoon season, experiences two different schools, then relocates to California, carrying memories of both homes.
— 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 girl reluctantly moves from Wisconsin to Ireland, loses her best friend's photo at the Cliffs of Moher, then discovers a hidden letter from a lonely local girl seeking friendship.
— A seven-year-old in New Delhi sees street children from her car window and understands for the first time what her mother meant about children dying in the world.