The hiker felt the mud begin to slip out from under him. As he slid down the side of the hill he grabbed at trees and bushes along the way, trying to slow himself down.

Laura backed away from the dog slowly as it began to growl and bare its teeth.

Jessica unwrapped her gift as her grandmother looked on. Jessica could hardly contain a gasp when she pulled the hideous sweater from the box. She glanced at her grandmother and tried to think of what to say. Should she be honest?

Sean has just changed schools. In his new school, students must stand when they speak and refer to their teachers as ma’am or sir. The first time he answers a question, Sean is chastised for not following the school rules.

Hannah wants to go to a sleepover at her friend Amy’s house. However, Hannah is afraid of the dark, and she worries she’ll panic if all the lights go out. She doesn’t

know what to do.

Barry hates riding the bus. Every day an older boy named Steve makes fun of him and gets the other children to pick on him.

Two sisters want to use the family car on the same night. They argue over whose turn it is to take the car.

Bobby trudged through the deep snow. He could see the flashing sign for the gas station down the road. If only he could get there, he could call for help.

I stared out the window at the pounding rain. “I guess that’s the end of the pool party,” I thought.

Tammy wants to try out for the soccer team, but she doesn’t know if she’ll make it. She knows she’ll definitely make the field hockey team. She can’t decide which sport she should focus on.

Tim looked around the room helplessly. He didn’t see a friendly face. A boy approached him. “What are you doing here?” he growled..

In an ancient city, a young prince attempts to overthrow a sitting king and take over power of the city.

Myrna was looking forward to visiting her grandparents for a week, and to flying to Florida on her own. However, as her parents drove to the airport, she saw a bank of dark clouds roll across the sky. “Oh no,” she said. “I hope the flight isn’t

delayed.”

Jacob knows his parents expect him to come straight home after school, but a friend has invited him over to play basketball. Jacob realizes he should call to let his mother know he’ll be late, but he doesn’t want his friends to think he’s a baby. He doesn’t know what to do.