ACARA Years 3-6

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — Two young scientists searching for Atlantis in the Pacific get caught in a storm, crash on an uncharted island, and discover the lost city underwater just offshore.

Story·Annabel M. Smith, age 11 — A girl meets a stranger in a McDonald's parking lot who shows her a photo of his deceased dog that looks exactly like hers, creating an unexpected moment of connection.

Story·Devon Davila, age 11 — A girl frozen with fear on the high dive gets pushed by her best friend, then finds comfort with a new friend who shares her own story of loneliness.

Story·Hannah Mayerfield, age 10 — A reincarnated blue jay, now human, returns to a fountain where they once drank as a bird, mourning lost flight until moonlight brings new hope.

Story·Hannah Mark, age 13 — A city boy reluctantly spends summer on his grandfather's Montana farm, initially resenting the work but gradually discovering satisfaction in farm life and connection with nature.

Story·Brooke Hemingway, age 12 — After her beloved horse Dory dies, a grieving girl travels to Chincoteague Island where she finds a golden foal with eyes that remind her of her lost companion.

Story·Gracie Shapiro, age 12 — A girl searches for her grandfather and together they engineer a tree swing using a bow and arrow to get the rope over a high branch.

Story·Saira Licht, age 10 — After falling from a boat in Georgia waters where her father drowned, Maria meets him in an underwater grotto and receives a magical necklace before returning safely.

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 9 — A nine-year-old observes a river scene at an arboretum, recording nature's details while a speedboat disrupts the peaceful meditation of water, birds, and trees.

Story·Jem Burch, age 12 — A Vietnamese refugee girl struggles with isolation at her new American school until a classmate teaches her English in the library, word by word, leading to friendship.