In this collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and best-selling authors show that hope can live anywhere, even during the darkest of times.

Everything I need to know I learned in a Thai restaurant /Christina Soontornvat -- The coolness equation / Adam Gidwitz -- This can't be happening to Gordon Korman / Gordon Korman -- I am the greatest / James Bird -- Bones / J.C. Cervantes -- The day the hot dog truck came to town / Max Brailler -- Sweet surprise / Hena Khan -- Letter to my daughter on her eighth-grade graduation / Pablo Cartaya -- Hope in the halls of Catholic school / Karina Yan Glaser -- Helpful tips for the worst week of your life / Stuart Gibbs -- The adventures of me and Supersquirt / Sarah Mlynowski -- Panic! at the movies / Julie Buxbaum -- What's in a name? / James Ponti -- Colors of June / Rex Ogle -- On hopes and dreams / Janae Marks -- Major malfunction / Tom Angleberger -- Hope I don't see a ghost / R.L. Stine -- Victory after defeat / Soman Chainani -- My favorite photograph / Veera Hiranandani -- The boy in the back of the class / Ronald L. Smith -- The friend who changed my life / Pam Muñoz Ryan -- There's more to playin' ball that just playin' ball / Matt de la Peña.