belonging
— A dialogue poem between two voices moves from invitation to fly, through a refugee's plea for help, to a declaration of collective strength and resistance.
— A girl falls through her apartment floor into another realm where she teams up with a refugee shelter volunteer to steal a car and journey to the mysterious island of...
— Katrina's life changes when she befriends Mr. McCumber, a lonely old man, and later finds herself in an orphanage where she forms a chosen family with other orphaned girls.
— A refugee girl from Tanzania navigates teasing about her weekly hairstyle at her Chicago school, finding resilience through friends' support and creative problem-solving.
— In future Orlando sewers, sentient creatures made from garbage attempt to form a government, leading to chaos, tyranny, and one night of freedom above ground.
— A visit to a family's longtime East Los Angeles bakery triggers memories spanning generations, from the writer's great-grandfather to present-day holiday gatherings.
— A young refugee uses nature metaphors to describe feeling different and new at school — a red bird among blue birds, a fish out of water.
— A guarded girl in group therapy reluctantly befriends Sam, who steals her journal but later reveals her own painful family story.
— Two next-door-neighbor boys share mint chocolate chip ice cream and play video games on a windy spring afternoon, their friendship revealed through accumulated details.
— Ten-year-old Tallulah struggles with leaving her small yellow house until she learns her aunt is moving into their old home, making the new place feel familiar.