ACARA Years 7-10

Story·Catherine Pugh, age 12 — A girl loses her handwritten novel when it blows off a San Francisco cable car and disappears down a storm drain marked 'Flows to Bay.'

Story·Jordan Coble, age 13 — A teenage girl moves to a California cottage and befriends her reclusive neighbor, discovering the woman's tragic past and learning not to judge by appearances.

Story·Simon Brake, age 13 — Two cousins fight to survive after a storm wrecks their uncle's tourist ship, leaving them adrift in a lifeboat that eventually sinks, forcing them to float until rescue arrives.

Story·Catherine Pugh, age 13 — After a botched surgery leaves her unable to walk, a former track star undergoes a second operation and fights through recovery to run again.

Story·Adair Brooks, age 13 — A deaf girl named Shira, isolated from her musical family, discovers her artistic talent and creates a fundraising campaign for Haiti earthquake victims through her paintings.

Story·Erin Wiens St. John, age 13 — A young scientist explores a forbidden island where explorers have vanished for centuries, discovering an underground sanctuary where animals and a mysterious woman shelter from nightly supernatural storms.

Story·Valerie Luyckx — A swimmer experiences the sensory world of competitive racing, from the starting whistle through the underwater silence to the triumphant touch at the wall.

Poetry·Hayden Brame, age 13 — A child who once wished on stars for fun now wishes for more time with someone dying, then takes back the wish to end their suffering.

Story·Lebo Molefe, age 13 — A rainbow-colored parrot is captured from the rainforest and transported through illegal wildlife trade, eventually finding a home with a lonely girl named Anne.

Story·Liana K. Gonsalves, age 13 — A girl invites her pen pal Isabella to her family's beach cottage for a weekend, but tension arises when her best friend calls, leading to a dangerous midnight rescue during...