family bonds
— A family's annual August trip to Mission Beach in San Diego brings together two close families for a day of racing to the ocean, splashing, and summer traditions.
— An eleven-year-old returns from Russia to New York and is detained at customs, intensifying her desperate longing to reunite with her parents and her city.
— A young boy searches a war-torn battlefield for his father after his mother's death, crossing a freezing river to finally find him through their matching blue eyes.
— A girl afraid of dogs since childhood overcomes her fear to rescue a stray on Christmas Eve, convincing her family to adopt him as their annual charity project.
— A Montana girl raises money to visit her beloved horse Missoula, who has been sent to Missouri to work as a therapy horse for children with disabilities.
— A daughter anxiously awaits her mother's return from a road trip, memories of their last night together mixing with dark fears about what might happen.
— A middle child feels invisible after her baby brother's birth, finally confronts her parents about feeling neglected, and receives the love and attention she's been craving.
— Jake dreads sharing summer camp with his autistic brother Chris, but when a bully targets Chris, Jake discovers his brother's resilience during a chess tournament showdown.
— After a friendship ruptures over a science project, Jess discovers her late mother's journals and plans a camping sleepover to reconcile with Bailey under the stars.
— A girl remembers her grandfather through visits to a train station and Olvera Street, then recounts his death and what he taught her about time and memory.