When fourth-grade Katie turns into her unfair track coach, she gives all the members of the team a chance to compete, including the slowest runner in her class.

As a dedicated runner, a teenage boy has always managed to distance himself from other people until the experience of coaching one of his teammates on the track team gradually helps him see the value of giving and receiving.

"A newbie to the track team, Patina "Patty" Jones must learn to rely on her family and teammates as she tries to outrun her personal demons"--

Cipher in the snow: About a boy who dies after getting off the school bus. Because no cause of death can be found, an interested teacher investigates and finds that the boy lost his will to live after his parents divorced. The gift: A young boy who can't afford an expensive gift for his father decides instead to do the chores on Christmas morning. The phone call: The frustrations and fears experienced by adolescents are humorously illustrated when...