ACARA Years 3-6

Story·Ryan Traynor, age 12 — A boy navigates through tall grass and obstacles during an intense game of Capture the Flag, culminating in his team's victory when he grabs the flag.

Story·Jenna Lasby, age 13 — A girl with a walking stick from an old injury rescues her brother from the same river where she was hurt, finding courage through a butterfly's example.

Poetry·Sarah Wood, age 12 — A hummingbird hovers at a window screen, holding the speaker's gaze in a moment of mutual wariness before vanishing in a green streak.

Story·Anonymous, Illustrated by Madeleine Gates — A seven-year-old moves from California to Chicago, struggles with homesickness and lost friendships, then finds connection through soccer and a new friend named Jonathan.

Story·Téa Freedman-Susskind, age 10 — A young violinist overcomes nerves to audition with Vivaldi's Winter, wins a competition, and performs at Seattle's Benaroya Hall on the first day of winter.

Poetry·Jonathan Hall, age 12 — During band practice, a student sneezes directly into his trombone, creating an explosive sound that stops the entire class mid-song.

Story·Anika Kwan, age 10 — A girl annoyed by her younger neighbor's clinginess realizes she's the child's role model, just as an older girl once was for her.

Story·Victoria Boyden, age 12 — A sister recounts the day Arachne challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was transformed into a spider, then encounters her again years later.

Story·Jordan Dunaway-Barlow, age 13 — During a thunderstorm, a Native American girl rescues a cardinal trapped in a flooding snake hole, names him Fire, and reluctantly releases him at dawn.

Story·Kathryn Malnight, age 11 — A girl mourns her lost dog Dixon, taken from her family, holding onto hope that he lives somewhere and remembers being loved.