Stories

Story·Anika Joshi, age 10 — A young birder enters a contest at Sunset Park, using patience and birdseed to attract thirty-seven birds while competitors rush around, winning the grand prize.

Story·Greta Kvittem, age 12 — An 11-year-old girl attends her first professional ballet performance for her grandmother's birthday and discovers her calling to become a ballerina.

Story·Ella Staats, age 12 — A young musician struggling with parental expectations discovers she can play beautifully when alone under the moonlight, free from pressure and performance anxiety.

Story·Sadie Robb, age 13 — A girl recounts the night her beloved family country home burned down, leaving her with physical and emotional scars that teach her about loss and memory.

Story·Elise Arancio, age 11 — A tomboy navigates her first softball practice, struggling between her natural hitting ability and a coach's instructions that don't feel right to her.

Story·Kira Householder, age 11 — A girl secretly cares for a wolf in the woods, sneaking out at night to bring him food, until a forest fire takes his life and she discovers he left...

Story·Melissa Birchfield, age 13 — A girl obsessed with reading 200 books to become a novelist discovers through her younger cousin that living life provides better inspiration than hiding in stories.

Story·Jenny Li, age 11 — During wartime, a boy trains doves to carry messages and inadvertently saves his occupied city when the birds reach the wrong army unit, though his father never returns.

Story·Melissa Birchfield, age 13 — A girl reluctant to accept a new piano teacher after her grandmother's death discovers she can honor memories while embracing new beginnings through music.

Story·Melissa Louie, age 12 — A nervous boy attempts his first solo skydive over California's Redwood Forest, facing equipment failure when his main parachute cord breaks, saved by the automatic backup.