Two boys explain the occasionally mysterious "rules" they learned over the summer, like never eat the last olive at a party, never ruin a perfect plan, and never give your keys to a stranger.

When Old Turtle dies and is taken back by the sea, his friends remember that he was a wonderful teacher and friend who made his world a better place.

"Bernice Buttman is tired of being labeled a 'bully,' so when her mom leaves her with her aunt, who is a nun, Bernice decides to mend her ways and become a model citizen"--

Sophomore Hallie Calhoun, her former friend Jonah, and her new friend Rachel leave a church youth group hike in the Great Smoky Mountains and become lost for five days, struggling to survive as Hallie finally speaks about the incident that made her a social pariah and Jonah admits why it hurt him so much.

A young African boy draws inspiration from a story about the life of Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese boy who was able to overcome all of the obstacles in his life and become an Olympic runner.

A sensitive girl imagines transforming herself into different animals to help manage her intense emotions during difficult situations at school.

Sometimes it's hard to be good friends with dragons because they forget how, but with some deep breaths and calming words, people and dragons can learn to be best friends forever.

When one act of kindness sparks another... anything is possible! As a girl searches for her lost dog, a simple act of generosity ripples into a wave of good deeds. In the course of a single day, this considerate action weaves lives together and transforms a neighborhood for the better. Follow the story of how every little kindness, shared from person to person, can turn a collection of strangers into a community, and--even though we might not always...

Everyone knows the cool beans. They're sooooo cool. And then there's the uncool has-bean ... Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd--until one day the cool beans show him how it's done.

When Ellen meets Ned, a beautiful colt who hurt his leg on his way to becoming a racehorse, she becomes determined to behave at school and at home so she can have more time at the ranch.