Stories

Story·Una Dorr, age 11 — A boy terrified of heights must overcome his fear when his cat gets trapped on a crumbling 20th-floor balcony that locks behind him.

Story·Ellen Salovaara, age 13 — A young woman preparing for her wedding remembers her father's death when she was eight and realizes she must let go without forgetting as she asks her mother to walk...

Story·Natalie Warnke, age 12 — A princess locked in a tower escapes during an attack on her castle, meets a girl living behind a waterfall, and finds a new home after losing everything.

Story·Stella Lin, age 12 — A dog named Hua Hua remembers playing in the park with Sarah before her illness, now keeping watch as she lies in bed, no longer able to go outside.

Story·Saenger Breen, age 12 — After cruelly rejecting her younger brother's attempts to draw in her sketchbook, a girl learns he's been in a car accident and rushes to the hospital with her sketchbook.

Story·James Wilson, age 11 — Three surfers perform a silent New Year's dawn ritual at a California beach while a crowd watches, then celebration breaks out after they ride three perfect waves.

Story·Kaya Simcoe, age 11 — A girl discovers that paradise isn't just a California beach but something she carries with her, from hotel rooms to airplane windows to her New York apartment.

Story·Sage Young, age 12 — A house cat gets locked outside during a snowstorm, survives a night in an alley and a raccoon encounter, then finds her way home to her worried human.

Story·Ralston Frattarola, age 12 — A seventh-grader who loves baking in a family that doesn't understand him proves his worth by making extraordinary brownies that win them over.

Story·Ella Glodek, age 11 — A girl befriends a blind harmonica player outside a store, giving him her candy money daily until one day he vanishes, leaving her changed.