ACARA Years 3-6

Poetry·Isabel Sutter, age 12 — A girl hangs laundry on a summer day, watching a monarch butterfly and mourning dove while sunlight transforms ordinary towels into an artist's palette.

Poetry·Isaac Kamgar, age 11 — A skier experiences the sensory rush of flying downhill, tasting the sky's blueness while steel edges carve through snow.

Story·Sanjana Saxena, age 11 — A girl moves from Chicago to India during monsoon season, experiences two different schools, then relocates to California, carrying memories of both homes.

Story·Zohra Maryam Chaudhry, age 10 — A Muslim girl struggles with shyness and prejudice at her new Brooklyn school until she stands up to bullies and finds an unexpected friend in a Jewish classmate.

Story·Claudia Ross, age 12 — A girl races to catch waves on the last days of summer, gets tumbled by a big swell, then eagerly paddles back out for more.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 12 — A Newfoundland girl finds a mysterious bottle on the shore, launches it with a carved whale inside, and watches it travel the world collecting treasures from children in different countries.

Poetry·Alec Zollman, age 13 — A cyclist pushes through burning thighs and approaching storms, hill by hill, until reaching the lake's perfect relief.

Story·Mae Hardman-Hill, age 10 — When Leo announces he's moving to New York City, his best friend Anabeth gives him a drawing of them biking by Seneca Lake, which he keeps for nine years.

Story·Eliza Putnam, age 12 — Three friends spend a summer day cloud-watching, playing word games, climbing rocks, and spinning down hills until they're dizzy and mud-covered.

Story·Rose Diltz, age 13 — A girl afraid of everything must rescue her best friend when a storm causes a riding accident, discovering courage she didn't know she had.