Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 Relationships
A Best Friend Crush Julia Tilson 5
A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self Dallas Woodburn 7
The Real Me Alyssa Rodriguez 11
Losing the "Us" Lia Gay 14
After a While Veronica A. Shoffstall 16
The Miss of a Great "Miss" Jack Schlatter 17
My First Kiss, and Then Some Mary Jane West-Delgado 19
Changes in Life Sheila K. Reyman 21
First Love Mary Ellen Klee 23
A High School Love Not Forgotten Diana L. Chapman 26
First Kiss - First Lesson Jennifer Braunschweiger 29
2 Friendship
The Power of Empathy Amara Dynes 36
Best Moms Ever Stephanie Simmonds 39
Learning to Accept Help E. K. Bannon 41
The Girl Who Never Talked Kayleen Kitty Holder 44
Beyond the Scarf Maisha Sheikh 47
The Gossiper, Author Unknown 50
A Simple Christmas Card Theresa Peterson 51
Please Listen Stacia Gilmer 54
She Told Me It Was Okay to Cry Daphna Renan 56
Lessons in Friendship A. J. Longer 58
Heaven Sent Beverley Mitchell 62
3 Family
The Pool Party Keeana Saxon 68
She Didn't Give Up on Me Sharon Whitley 71
Unconditional Mom Sarah J. Vogt 74
The Birthday Melissa Esposito 77
The Home Run Jerri Vandermark 79
My Big Brother Lisa Gumenick 80
A Brother's Voice James Malinchak 82
I Love You, Dad Nick Curry III 84
I Am Home Jennie Garth 87
Loving Equally Nicole Peters 90
Together, We Can Do Anything Jarod Larson 93
Gains and Losses Xiao Xi Zhang 97
4 Love and Kindness
Unlikely Connections in the Age of COVID-19 Stacia Datskovska 101
Tigress Judith S. Johnessee 105
Bright Heart Jennifer Love Hewitt 108
The Secret of Happiness The Speaker's Sourcebook 110
Mrs. Link, Susan Daniels Adams 112
A Mason-Dixon Memory Clifton Davis 114
A Gift for Two Andrea Hensley 120
Like People First Kent Nerburn 122
Lilacs Bloom Every Spring Blue Jeans Magazine 125
Paint Brush Bettie B. Youngs 129
5 Learning
Lessons from Loss T.C. Zimmerman 132
Time to Think Odelia Chan 136
Powerless to Powerful Alexis Farber 139
Journey with Pride JS 142
I am Good Enough Katie Greenan 145
Egg Lessons Kimberly Kirberger 149
The Cost of Gratefulness Randal Jones 152
Mrs. Virginia DeView, Where Are You? Diana L. Chapman 154
The Eternal Gifts Jack Schlatter 157
Challenge Days, as told to Andrew Tertes Tony 160
Please Hear What I'm Not Saying Charles C. Finn 164
I Am… Amy Yerkes 166
If I Knew Kimberly Kirberger 168
Life Is Short Scott Klinger 170
A Life Once Lived Brandi Bacon 174
6 Tough Stuff
One-Way Ticket Brooke Wallace 178
Holding the Door Thomas E. Turner 182
American Pie Emily Jones 185
Revealing a Twelve-Year Secret Gloria Ahn 188
From Bullied to Blessings Michael I. Mason 191
Drowning in Lockdown Lindsay Freiberger 194
Anywhere Else Rylee Toole 197
I'll Always Be with You Dale Dar Emme 201
My Story Lia Gay 204
Just One Drink Chris Laddish 207
The Premonition Bruce Burch 208
Dead at 17 John Berrio 213
"Gabby, You're Sooo Skinny" Gabriella Tories 215
Gold-Medal Winner Rick Metzger 218
Think Before You Act Lauren Wheeler 220
Rediscovery Raegan Baker 222
April Morning Justin Day 225
Getting Better Tiffany Jacques 227
7 Making a Difference
Family Ties Grace Hanna 231
A Performance to Remember Baylie Jett Mills 233
Miss Minnie and Me Malaysia Barr 236
Be Cool…Stay in School! Jason Summey 239
The Leader Tony Overman 242
Courage in Action Bill Sanders 243
Turning Up Your Light Eric Allenbaugh 245
Broken Wing Jim Hullihan 247
Passing the Dream Penny Caldwell 250
8 Going for It
Dear Young Black Child Alexandria Rhodes 253
Rapid Lessons Kamala Reese 255
Hitting My Stride Sophie Bolich 259
Nobody Can Take What's Mine Josh Friedberg 262
The Girl Next Door Amanda Dykstra 265
I'll Be Back Jack Cavanaugh 268
Just Me Tom Krause 275
The Gravediggers of Parkview Junior High Kif Anderson 277
Teenagers' Bill of Rights Lia Gay et al 280
The Boy Who Talked with Dolphins Paula McDonald 282
Wild Thing Jennifer Philbin 289
To Track Down My Dream Ashley Hodgson 292
No-Hair Day Jennifer Rosenfeld Alison Lambert 294
I Did It! Mark E. Smith 297
New Beginnings Paula (Bachleda) Koskey 299
Meet Our Original Contributors 303
Meet Our New Contributors 312
Meet Our Contributors from Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul 316
Thank You 319
About Chicken Soup for the Soul 320
