ACARA Years 3-6

Poetry·Zoe Lynch, age 10 — A 10-year-old observes her parents working at their desks and discovers that hard work and joy can coexist when you find what you love.

Poetry·Molly DellaValla, age 10 — A child observes a busy beach day filled with family chaos, snacks, sandcastles, and the ocean's constant presence, capturing summer's sensory overload.

Poetry·Genevieve Gray Fink, age 9 — A drive with grandmother from countryside to town traces the fading of a mauve sunrise and warm breeze into cold morning and indifferent crowds.

Story·Kate Bailey, age 11 — A girl adopts a mysterious horse from a shadowy seller at a carnival, only to discover he's a stolen Chincoteague pony who must be returned to his island home.

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.

Story·Stella Keaveny Haapala, age 12 — After her mother's death, a girl trapped in a cramped NYC apartment with her distant father dreams of their old farm until a vision helps her begin to let go.

Story·Tyler Leiderman, age 11 — A boy spends a final day at the beach with his best friend who is moving to Israel, remembering their years of friendship and facing the pain of goodbye.

Story·Isabelle Dastgheib, age 11 — A girl conquers her terror on a Paris rollercoaster, discovering that facing fears can transform dread into exhilaration and pride.

Poetry·Jinny Min, age 11 — A summer beach day builds from hot sand and waves to the moment of witnessing a spectacular sunset that leaves the observer speechless.

Poetry·Malin Moeller, age 11 — A meditation on how dreams warp time and memory, leaving only fragments and distortions as evidence of the night's passage.