cultural heritage

Story·Sarah Heng Blackburn, age 11 — Eight-year-old Soon-Soon Wang flees Cultural Revolution China for America after her parents are taken by the government, leaving behind her best friend Xiao-Long.

Story·Francisca Thomas, age 13 — A scarlet macaw recounts his life with a Cuban immigrant family in Florida, their separation during Hurricane Andrew, and their eventual reunion when he saves his young owner from an...

Story·Zhang He, age 11 — A girl selling oranges at a Chinese market warns customers her fruit is sour, then runs after them to return their change, teaching a lesson about honesty.

Story·Rachel Johnson, age 13 — A Cuban-American boy finds solace and identity through a secret friendship with a bull after his grandmother's death, defying his assimilated family.

Story·Siobhan Ringrose, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old takes her first job picking strawberries, discovering the harsh realities of farm labor alongside workers from many cultures, especially the industrious Mennonites.

Story·Rita Rozenbaoum, age 10 — In this Dogon retelling of Cinderella, orphaned Ligiri endures her cruel sister's abuse until her grandfather's spirit and magical beads help her win the Hogon's son's heart.

Story·Mailyn Fidler — A German girl bullied for her old-fashioned name finds friendship with an American newcomer, then saves her from Neo-Nazi teenagers threatening her for money.

Story·Libby Nelson, age 13 — A Japanese-American teenager recounts her family's forced internment during WWII, from receiving the summons through years at Manzanar to liberation that brings no true freedom.

Story·Andrew Shannon, age 11 — A boy recounts his great-grandfather's forced migration from Mexico and the miraculous journey of his dalmatian Pinto, who tracked him 2000 miles to California before dying of exhaustion.

Story·Marie Agnello, age 12 — A twelve-year-old discovers seventy-five letters from 1919-1923 between her great-grandmother and a French pen pal, Cécile, who died at age twenty.