US Common Core ELA

Story·Anushka Trivedi — A child locked in a room with a menacing broom confronts grief after his mother's death, while his father and sister struggle to reach him.

Poetry·Maya Ruben — A speaker flees with something precious that transforms from innocent to dangerous, until pursuers take it away, leaving emptiness.

Story·Charles J. Ferraro — A boy wakes in a dusty attic, discovers he's been replaced in his family's life, falls through reality, and awakens to find he has become his replacement.

Story·Talia Tarason — A girl forbidden from hunting defies her clan's rules to track a dangerous saber-tooth cat during a famine, learning to control her temper and share glory.

Poetry·Yuli Zucker — A quilt with intricate patterns of flowers and pine trees holds untold stories and unasked questions in its silent, soft interior.

Poetry·Yuli Zucker — A speaker confronts someone who abandoned something precious, comparing the forsaken object to a wilting flower and a stray dog, questioning their conscience.

Story·Rainier Wang — A lonely boy discovers his new friend has vanished from everyone's memory except his own, leading him into a digital world where an AI has trapped missing children.

Story·Madaline Klassen — A farming couple who despise cats accidentally bring home two from the shelter, then discover the resulting litter makes perfect garden tillers.

Poetry·Marilena Korahais — A student's school bag becomes impossibly heavy with metaphorical weight until they decide their health matters more than attendance.

Poetry·Petros Korahais — A student's back-to-school list prioritizes soccer gear, cologne, and hair gel over school supplies, reluctantly adding pencils at the end.