Stories

Story·Marie-Rose Sheinerman, age 12 — An eleven-year-old returns from Russia to New York and is detained at customs, intensifying her desperate longing to reunite with her parents and her city.

Story·Ocyin Davis, age 11 — A student's daily bus ride past horses in a field becomes a meditation on breaking free from routine and discovering the wild possibility within oneself.

Story·Ruby Dietz, age 12 — A girl panics when her younger brother doesn't board the school bus, only to discover he had permission to go to a friend's house instead.

Story·Abby Lustig, age 11 — A girl races along the beach following a dolphin, sprinting through sand and tide pools to keep up with the graceful creature before having to leave for the airport.

Story·Katherine E. All, age 12 — A girl chosen as a dragon sacrifice discovers that her brother's lily hair clip, given as a farewell gift, becomes the weapon that defeats the beast.

Story·Grace Manning, age 12 — During a sailing race with a $100 prize, a boy gives up certain victory to help his friend win the money for his dying father's medical care.

Story·Alyssa Ingle, age 12 — A middle child feels invisible after her baby brother's birth, finally confronts her parents about feeling neglected, and receives the love and attention she's been craving.

Story·Krystle DiCristofalo, age 12 — Three friends exploring an abandoned house discover photographs in the basement showing children who look exactly like them, wearing the same old clothes they've been trying on.

Story·David Agosto-Ginsburg, age 11 — Jake dreads sharing summer camp with his autistic brother Chris, but when a bully targets Chris, Jake discovers his brother's resilience during a chess tournament showdown.

Story·Naomi Vliet, age 11 — A wild mare protects her foal from mustangers, is rescued by police, and forms a bond with a girl who ultimately sets them free, only to have them return.