1. It is 1936 in Amarillo, Texas, and Hazel wakes up early to change the sheets. Not the sheets on the bed, the sheets on the windows. The dust storms have been raging for weeks now, and she is beginning to wonder if her family will survive. The dust is blowing in through every tiny crack and crevice in the old farmhouse. The sheets over the windows turn brown within a couple of hours. How much longer will this last?

2. Miranda has been kicking the football through the goal posts since she was five years old. She never misses a kick, no matter how far away it is. Now that she’s in high school, she has decided to try out for the football team. She arrives at tryouts only to receive a swift rejection by the coaches and the team. “No girl has been or will ever be part of this football team. If you want to participate, you need to try out for cheerleading,” Coach Ramsey sneered. Miranda had been afraid of this. It was a battle she was willing to fight. Tomorrow, she would meet with the principal and see where to go from there.

3. Justin has been watching that kid Eli push Kyle around for days now. No one else seems to notice it since Kyle doesn’t have many friends. Justin knows he should tell his teacher, Mr. Norman, so that he could put a stop to it. The only problem is that if Eli finds out Justin ratted him out, he would become the target. Justin cannot decide what he should do.

4. Sarah overhears Amanda telling Julie the secret she shared with her on the phone last night. Sarah thought she could trust her friend to keep this secret between the two of them. After class is over, Sarah confronts Amanda about this betrayal.