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Felicity's stories[]
- Felicity's breakdown when after all her efforts in taming Penny in Meet Felicity, Jiggy Nye refuses to let her father buy the horse and it's clear he intends to keep her so he can keep abusing her. Felicity is later forced to set Penny free in the dead of night, to protect her.
- It becomes a happy tearjerker in Felicity Saves the Day, when the two are finally reunited thanks to Felicity's grandfather.
- Felicity's mother's illness in Felicity's Surprise. Felicity had been so excited about a dance lesson and a new ballgown, but when her mother gets sick and might die she gives up on both, only wishing for her mother to recover. Thankfully, the story has a happy ending.
- The death of Felicity's grandfather in Changes for Felicity. She can't even cry when it initially happens, but when she discovers a riding habit he'd meant to give her, she breaks down sobbing.
- It's worse in the movie, where he suffers a heart attack and dies onscreen while he and Felicity are talking.
Kirsten's stories[]
- The death of Marta in Meet Kirsten. She becomes ill with cholera during the trip and does not survive.
- Kirsten's struggles to adjust to her new American school and the English language in Kirsten Learns a Lesson, but especially her feelings towards her stern teacher. Miss Winston isn't a bad person, but she's incredibly stern and expects the best from her students. Kirsten is homesick, doesn't feel confident in her skills, and this clashes badly with Miss Winston's desire to see her excel. Any attempts by the teacher to motivate her only make Kirsten feel worse and believe the woman hates her.
- The mention of Marta. Even with her extended family welcoming her with open arms and the friendship of Anna and Lisbeth, the hurt of Marta's loss is still with her whenever she thinks about the trip to America.
- The Larson family's home burning down in Changes for Kirsten.
Addy's stories[]
- Sam and Poppa being sold to a slave auction in Meet Addy. Addy sees them being carted off in shackles and bursts into tears.
- Later, her and Momma being forced to leave baby Esther behind with Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon.
- While Sam's surprise return in Addy Saves the Day is a happy moment, it's also bittersweet when it's revealed he lost an arm in the war. He's proud, though, since it means he was able to escape and help fight for what he believed in.
- The death of Harriet's uncle. Earlier in the story she'd been bragging about his fighting in the war and how great he was, and Addy got pissed off and told her to cut it out. But when Addy finds her sobbing alone after finding out about the man's death, she feels horrible and realizes that Harriet was bragging about him because she loved him and was proud of him.
- Learning that Uncle Solomon died before he, Auntie Lula, and Esther could reach Philadelphia. He didn't have a lot of time to experience freedom, but he was happy with the time he did have.
- Auntie Lula's death later on in the book. She knows her time's coming, but Addy is devastated by the loss of two people she hadn't seen in forever, and one she never even got to say goodbye to before he died.
Samantha's stories[]
- Pretty much everything involving Nellie O'Malley. The poor girl spent her life working in factories, her family never had enough food or coal, she's constantly bullied by the spoiled asshole son of her employer when she arrives in Mount Bedford, then she's sent away. Later, when she's able to come back, she goes to school for the first time but is bullied for her lack of education. Then her parents die of the flu and she and her sisters are forced to live in an abusive orphanage, where they're almost separated until Samantha sneaks them out of there. She really earned that happy ending of hers!
- In the movie, Samantha thinking Grandmary doesn't want her anymore. She runs crying to Nellie and the two of them spend the night in the boathouse...only for Eddie Ryland to catch them and be an absolute dick about getting them in trouble.
- The factory scene in the movie is both this and Nightmare Fuel. Tiny children are forced to work heavy machinery, many of them get hurt, and the public is left unaware so they can keep enjoying their nice things without having to care about where they come from.
Molly's stories[]
- In Molly's Surprise, Jill makes a big deal of wanting a realistic Christmas with a patriotic tree and coldly tells Molly it's childish to expect surprises and happy things. But later, it turns out she's been more or less putting on an act to disguise her worries about their father, who's treating wounded soldiers overseas in the war. She's keeping her expectations low because she misses him and the lack of a letter or a package means something terrible happened.
- In the movie, James actually goes missing after being badly injured during the war.
- Molly getting sick and having to miss being Miss Victory in Changes for Molly. Thankfully, this is averted in the movie.
- In the movie, Miss Campbell bursting into tears upon learning her soldier fiancé has died.
- Also in the movie, Molly learning that housekeeper Mrs. Gilford's son Johnny was killed in action. Earlier she'd been bored to death by the woman's constant stories about her son, and it's clear she feels horrible for her earlier attitude now. She personally takes over the casserole her mother made as a consolation gift.