Stories

Story·Arjun Pillai Hausner, age 12 — A kind cow helps a rhino and a bird in the forest, and when a tiger threatens her, they return the favor by rescuing her together.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 10 — A girl's beloved hunting dog Fern is fatally injured and crawls away to die among the sweet ferns, where a mysterious pink flower later blooms.

Story·Isabel Won, age 11 — A brother and sister have a water gun fight on a hot day while their parents are out, ending when the sister gets too cold and the brother makes her...

Story·Mary Jessica Woods, age 13 — A first-person account of racehorse Zenyatta's historic Breeder's Cup Classic victory, narrated from the horse's perspective as she comes from behind to win.

Story·Allison Armstrong, age 13 — Eight-year-old Suzy discovers a calico kitten at the Humane Society and works doing chores to prove she's responsible enough to adopt it.

Story·Genevieve Anderle, age 13 — A family's annual Jersey Shore tradition of catching, killing, and cooking crabs becomes a multigenerational ritual of teasing, swimming, and feasting on homemade Italian gravy.

Story·Amanda Kneppel, age 13 — A girl reluctantly follows her friend out her bedroom window at midnight to explore a moonlit field, discovering freedom and wonder in the darkness she once feared.

Story·Schuyler Mitchell, age 12 — A farm girl secretly nurses an injured wild foal back to health, then releases him to freedom when discovery threatens.

Story·Joyce Chen, age 13 — A fourth-grader dreads wearing her new glasses to school but discovers both clear vision and unexpected acceptance from classmates when forced to put them on.

Story·Eve Driver, age 13 — During a thunderstorm, a thirteen-year-old searches for his younger brother who ran away after a cruel argument, finding him at the tree where their parents met.