If eyes are windows to the soul, then books are gateways. Behind the cover of growing pains lie dozens of them. Across their threshold, waiting: A new star appears in the sky and bewitches a blind girl; time stretches out endlessly in the minutes before a proposal; a psychic predicts not one, but countless of her futures; a book thief steals the heart of a librarian; a lifetime passes between fried cauliflower and roasted duck; and caramel cake leads to an identity crisis.

Inside the pages of growing pains reside the twenty-eight works of three authors, exploring themes of self-discovery, coming of age, family trauma, and more.