belonging
— A city girl discovers a magical forest where animals talk and time moves differently, spending what she thinks is a year but is actually ten years researching nature.
— A struggling painter's work is stolen by a famous artist, leading to betrayal by her husband and society, ending in tragedy.
— 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 child recalls the warmth and safety of being held by their mother in their earliest memory, describing it as their happiest moment.
— A boy recounts his journey through bullying and unsupportive schools in second grade to finding real friends and better teachers by fifth grade.
— A poor farm girl discovers money in an abandoned house, uses it for school, and starts a newspaper that leads to an unexpected friendship with a rival.
— 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.'
— A foster child who lost her voice after trauma struggles to speak again, remembering the woman who silenced her years ago.
— A girl reflects on moving to a new house five years ago, making peace with everything except the mismatched fence her friend calls hideous.
— A young writer catalogs the places that shaped her — from African deserts to New Jersey beaches, Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls to French villages — weaving family, food, and a beloved...