Your hand is in the bag again. Those French fries you bought aren’t going to make it home, that’s for sure. You should’ve bought a double order; your burger won’t taste the same without them alongside. Sometimes, a craving hits ...

Meet the Author Denise M. Baran-Unland

Your tickets have been purchased. Reservations were made in your name and all that’s left is packing. Yep, you’re heading out for the weekend, a week, a month, gone on the trip of a lifetime and as you’ll see in ...

It’s not too late for that last gift So, it’s a wrap. Everything’s under paper and under the tree. You’re done with all your shopping, except for one person. Or two. Maybe four. So what do you get for that ...

It’s all yours. You own it, got it, paid for it, you even have the receipt. That thing: you fought hard for it and nobody can take it away. But – as in the new book “White Negroes” by Lauren ...

You’re really going to miss your little pet. He hasn’t been feeling well lately, and you know that the worst thing is coming soon. You’re not sure how you’ll act and you’re not sure what you’ll do when it happens, ...

Other kids can be so mean. In your classroom, they call you names and whisper bad things. On the playground, they tease you, and it hurts your feelings. You wish you had more friends, and that things were different. But ...

You’re doing okay. Shaky, most days, and you can’t stop crying but you’re doing okay. Thanks for asking, although nobody ever really wants to know. They look away, up or down or anywhere but at the truth: you’ve lost a ...

The chair you now sit in was once occupied by someone else. You are the second or fifth or forty-fourth to hold the job but get ready: in this position, everything you do is critiqued and measured against your predecessors ...

Nobody said it would be easy. You have your eyes set on something but doing it will take time, sacrifice, and effort. You’ll get things right, but you’ll also get in your own way before you get to where you ...

You can’t breathe. There’s really no describing the panic when that happens. Your ribs struggle to rise, your chest feels like it’s being stomped, you’re on fire, and your brain screams. Your arms flail. Your hands grasp at nothing, and ...

With a book in your hands, you can do almost anything. Grab a cookbook and make a meal. Pick up a how-to book and fix a toilet. Take a trip to the past or the future, learn to knit, meet ...

There are a few kids in your class that you usually try to ignore. That’s because they’re kinda mean. They call others names, knock books out of their hands, and say racist or hurtful things. They’re bullies, and you avoid ...

You are the Big Kahuna. The Boss, the One in Charge, maker of decisions and teller of things to do. You’re the Big Cheese with all the responsibility and you ain’t bad at it. So how would you do if, ...

Your new backpack can’t hold another thing. There are tissues in there, in case you sneeze. Pencils, maybe some crayons for drawing. You have room for a notebook, too, and everything you’ll need to carry for your big day. And ...