Boyd, Candy Dawson

Ten-year-old Mattie copes with the loss of her father and her mixed feelings towards her mother who is under pressure to support the family.

Spunky eleven-year-old Charlie hopes to understand her rigid father by finding out everything she can about the Vietnam War, the war that let him survive but killed his dreams.

Mattie is determined to get her mother a beautiful gold pin for Mother's Day, even though she has not saved enough money and has just lost her job.

A twelve-year-old black girl's preparations for the prestigious King Academy's entrance exam are disrupted when her best friend is killed.

When he enters fifth grade after his mother's remarriage, Joey has trouble adjusting to his new teacher and to his new stepfather.

A set of verses about activities and memories children want to share with their fathers.

In the aftermath of the 1991 firestorm in Oakland, California, sixth-grader Jessie enters a performing arts middle school where she pursues her dream of becoming an actress and struggles with feelings of low self-esteem.