growing up
— A thirteen-year-old girl remembers her brother's journey from playful teenager to soldier while processing the news that he's missing in action in Afghanistan.
— After his parents' divorce, Jasper struggles to adjust to life with his mother until he finds solace at a dock by the sea and learns a hard truth from his...
— A girl receives a mysterious golden locket that only certain people can see, giving her courage to sing her first solo and later passing it to her sister.
— A child battles nighttime fears during a thunderstorm, mistaking ordinary objects for monsters until exhaustion finally overtakes terror.
— A six-year-old watches her parents' marriage dissolve on a summer day in Iowa and must choose which parent to leave with when her mother packs for Chicago.
— During Diwali celebrations at her grandparents' house, a girl's joy turns to terror when her little sister's hair catches fire from a candle, transforming her perspective on what matters most.
— A young naturalist's journey from protecting bird nests at four to confronting caged owls in Myanmar, learning hard lessons about nature's cruelty and human intervention.
— During a storm in Revolutionary War-era America, a girl defies her mother to fetch a doctor for her sick baby brother, evading horse thieves along the way.
— A thirteen-year-old watches younger kids playing Star Wars in a park, triggering memories of his own carefree childhood games with friends and his hero brother.
— Eight-year-old Yuki experiences the upheaval of Japanese-American internment, losing herself in despair until a letter from her librarian and an unexpected kindness help her find hope again.