ACARA Years 7-10

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 12 — A distant father and daughter walk to see Spider-Man; he secretly helps a man afford tickets and saves her from a dog, but she only notices the shirtless hero.

Story·Isabella Reyes, age 13 — A six-year-old watches her parents' marriage dissolve on a summer day in Iowa and must choose which parent to leave with when her mother packs for Chicago.

Poetry·Brooke Gillman, age 13 — A young writer climbs her favorite oak tree overlooking dark water, finding solitude and inspiration in the worn branches where she writes.

Story·Samuel Campopiano, age 13 — A young pickpocket at the Eiffel Tower steals an old man's gold pocket watch, but returns it after hearing the man cry 'I lost my watch! I lost my father!'

Poetry·Samantha Ji Ping Wainapel, age 13 — A young writer rediscovers the exhilaration of flight, watching the world shrink below while yearning to experience the sky without the plane's protection.

Story·Tatum Cocotos, age 13 — Through secret letters, Storm warns their cousin Bobbi on Planet 236 that the space station headquarters plans to cut off supplies to the colonies permanently.

Story·Ella McAuliffe, age 13 — A young naturalist's journey from protecting bird nests at four to confronting caged owls in Myanmar, learning hard lessons about nature's cruelty and human intervention.

Poetry·Ben Stieren, age 13 — A muskie hunt in Wisconsin waters builds through sensory details until the predator strikes, snapping the fishing line with the lure in its teeth.

Poetry·Gertie-Pearl Zwick-Schachter, age 12 — A drowsy afternoon in a garden becomes a meditation on the sensory pull between nature's beauty and the body's desire for rest.

Poetry·Ella Fasciano, age 13 — A delicate observation of trying to help an injured insect fly again, capturing the fragility of both the creature and the moment of attempted rescue.