UK KS2

Story·Claire Wilhelm-Safian, age 11 — A poet escapes his chaotic household at night to write in the barn, where the sounds of sleeping animals inspire verses that flow from his heart.

Story·Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, age 12 — At art camp, a girl joins a secret nickname club where everyone has a summer identity, until the club's leader reveals her own name was never a nickname at all.

Story·Katharine Pong, age 12 — A girl runs eleven miles to the beach without planning, where observing oysters making pearls from irritating sand grains helps her reframe her frustrations with home life.

Story·Erin Cadora, age 10 — A stray cat with a bell that prevents her from hunting gradually learns to trust a grieving woman who feeds her, eventually becoming a beloved family pet.

Poetry·Sophie Anne Ruehr, age 11 — A child navigates a Cape Cod beach as high tide transforms the landscape, jumping ice-covered islands while observing the retreating wildlife and encroaching sea.

Story·Emma Dudley, age 12 — A star basketball player tears her knee in the championship game, faces losing her scholarship dreams, then finds purpose coaching young players while beginning her recovery.

Poetry·Nina Wilson, age 10 — A morning routine transforms when a redwing blackbird's song stops time on the way to the bus stop, breaking the monotony with wonder.

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 12 — A girl struggles with her rebellious golden retriever until he falls through ice into a river, and she jumps in to save him, realizing she loves him as he is.

Story·Hayley Jones, age 10 — A jockey races her horse Rose for the last time before retirement, losing a stirrup mid-race but recovering to win by a nose against rival Angel.

Story·Talitha Farschman, age 12 — A noble lady disguises herself as a foreign prince and wins three contests to free her husband from the king's dungeon after he boasted of her beauty.