running race From taking your first steps, to learning to ride a two-wheeled bicycle, to graduating with honors, to curing cancer or eliminating world hunger—challenges occur throughout life. Some challenges make headlines; others are personal. In these stories, poems, and essays, you'll meet people who encounter challenges of all types and meet them head on.

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Table of Contents
Mark Twain Cub Pilot on the Mississippi Autobio-graphy 100

Arthur C. Clarke The Secret Short Story 118

Ann Petry Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom Social Studies Article 130

Comparing Literary Works
Joaquin Miller Columbus Poem 144
Stephen Vincent Benét Western Wagons Poem 146
Roberto Félix Salazar The Other Pioneers Poem 148

Jack London Up the Slide Short Story 156

Langston Hughes Thank You, M'am Short Story 172

Daniel Keyes Flowers for Algernon Short Story 182