ACARA Years 3-6

Poetry·Lulu Priede, age 11 — A child sits on the porch during a thunderstorm, savoring the sensory experience of lightning, rain, and the fresh smell of a summer storm.

Story·Nina Oliva, age 12 — When villagers capture wolf pups for companionship, a girl who frees one is granted the power to speak to wolves and must negotiate peace between the species.

Poetry·Anne Brandes, age 12 — A girl journeys through fields and past a mill to a windowsill where, with pencil and paper, she begins to write as if the page were a ballroom.

Story·Elia Smith, age 11 — A fashion-conscious ten-year-old chooses a fancy dress for a family gathering, then watches from the sidelines until she decides playing with cousins matters more than looking perfect.

Story·Sawyer McCloskey, age 13 — A bullied boy runs away into the Canadian wilderness, survives alone for days, and discovers his supposedly dead father has been living in the forest after being kidnapped years ago.

Poetry·Katie Thomas, age 12 — A prose poem captures the joyful chaos of puppies at play, describing them as a single creature of fur, tongues, and wagging tails.

Poetry·Kyle Lotke, age 10 — A child races to watch the sunset, imagining where the sun goes, then becomes the sun sinking into bed while darkness transforms into regenerative sleep.

Poetry·Rickza Kerr, age 11 — A Haitian-American adoptee imagines helping the world through kindness, reuniting families, and bridging the gap between her birth country and adoptive home.

Story·Emma Peterson, age 11 — A girl receives her art school acceptance letter and struggles with leaving her mother and younger sister, ultimately deciding to pursue her dream after her sister's encouragement.

Story·Maisie Bilston, age 11 — An English girl grieving her father's death moves to Germany and creates a magical world in the apartment building's garden, finding friendship through imagination.