Manifesting itself as persistence, undaunted courage, determination, steadfastness, and a refusal to back down in the face of adversity, grit is a character strength that can lead to success no matter how high the obstacles. Readers learn how to acquire and demonstrate grit in their daily lives.

Miri is eager to return to her beloved Mount Eskel after a year at the capital, but the king and queen ask her to first journey to a distant swamp and start her own miniature princess academy for three royal cousins, but once there she must solve a mystery before she can return home.

With her adventurous sister, Meryl, suffering from the Gray Death, meek and timid Princess Addie sets out to find a cure.

"...follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith."-- Publisher's description.

When Russian skating coach Andrei Groshev offers twelve-year-old farm girl Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid, she encounters a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything.

Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade...

In this compilation of four separately published books, Pakistani American second grader Yasmin learns to cope with the small problems of school and home, while gaining confidence in her own skills and creative abilities.

"It's up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters"-- Provided by publisher.