US Common Core ELA

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 11 — A Japanese boy falls into a creek chasing his lost shoe and discovers from a wise turtle that he has the magical ability to breathe underwater.

Story·Johanna Guilfoyle, age 12 — A girl traces her understanding of the Iraq War through three encounters: her aunt's photos, a returned care package marked DECEASED, and her grandmother holding a soldier's boots.

Poetry·Emily Riippa, age 13 — A solitary climber battles altitude and exhaustion on a snow-covered mountain, driven by determination to reach the summit and its promised view.

Story·Andreas Freund, age 11 — A boy visiting Nicaragua is confronted by child street vendors and gives his souvenir money to a five-year-old selling flowers outside a restaurant.

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after wrecking her yacht, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an unexpected epiphany about life's...

Story·Meg Bradley, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl, alone in an empty house after her father left, discovers that writing poetry can be its own form of comfort when traditional lullabies are gone.

Story·Shannon Halpin, age 12 — A girl angry about moving to a rundown farmhouse discovers a hidden underground room in the barn, leading to reconciliation with her mother.

Poetry·Amanda Johnson, age 13 — A camping night unfolds through sensory moments: smoke rising, crickets chirping, a marshmallow catching fire, and finally the warmth of a sleeping bag as the fire glows through the tent.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 11 — A boy discovers a sea turtle nesting on an evening beach walk and spends his summer secretly protecting the eggs until they hatch.

Story·Sydney Adedamola, age 10 — Rebecca learns she must move away from her three best friends, but three years later discovers she's moving back to her hometown.