perseverance
— Four short fables explore consequences: a classroom prank gone wrong, a misdirected letter, celestial bodies in conflict, and a girl's persistent belief she can fly.
— After returning from Chile, a first-grader struggles with English reading until determination and practice transform her from level B to level Q, the highest in her class.
— A seventh-grader chronicles her weekly emotional cycle through structured verse, from Sunday's YouTube freedom to Thursday's tennis exhaustion.
— A physically timid girl who has failed at every sport finally learns to ride a bike, discovering freedom and confidence in the process.
— When Mike disappears from school, detectives follow clues through a haunted palace and time machine to rescue him from the Stone Age.
— A granddaughter traces her family's rise and fall through China's civil war and Cultural Revolution, from her great-grandfather's fruit business to burning ownership papers for survival.
— A young poet searches for a golden orb for seven days, finally discovering it feels unexpectedly salty to the touch.
— A child's declaration of eternal play extends from day to night through cosmic destruction, flying cars, and the world's last light being blown out after a thousand years.
— In this installment of a fantasy novella, Elana cures Henry's paint-fainting sickness, recruits gingerbread workers for an army, and infiltrates Casey's castle using magical lightning rope.
— After falling during pointe hops at Russian ballet camp, a shy dancer gains strength and confidence through a roommate's patient coaching and encouragement.