Stephanie witnesses the deterioration of her inner-city neighborhood and school. There are gangs and violence on the street, and chaos in the school. Stephanie decides to “light her candle” against the darkness. After convincing her two friends, they begin with one simple act of kindness.

Three boys grow up in the same drug-infested, gang-ruled, poverty-stricken neighborhood. Nelson becomes a successful doctor, his best friend Jesse, an award-winning architectural engineer, but Nelson’s brother Alvin ends up in jail. In this riveting tale, Nelson relates the story of their childhood, and how, with the love and guidance of his grandparents, they come upon valuable lessons on how against all odds to become successful.

To Millie, the whole world is unfair. Even though Millie has a loving family and a nice home, she’s always miserable. She hates to be told what to do, and when things don’t go her way, she complains. Millie finally has enough! She runs away so that she can do whatever she wants to do.

Tombo the tadpole declares himself King of the Pond. He brags that he’s the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest tadpole, and he teases and chases all the other tadpoles. But one day while showing off doing a triple flip, Tombo’s life takes a major turn. He’s captured by a boy and taken from his lush pond to a fish tank. There Tombo is fed dry fish flakes, a food he despises.