US Common Core ELA

Poetry·Pierie Korostoff, age 12 — Kitchen scene where paperwhites by the sink, snow outside, and magnetic poetry on the fridge create a meditation on mismatched elements that somehow belong together.

Story·Manuel Anderson, age 12 — A boy remembers his fearless best friend Luis Manuel from Catholic school in Caracas—the youngest but undisputed leader of their trio, who ate floor Cheetos and never cried.

Story·Elle Davis, age 13 — A teenage rider navigates barn politics and an annoying younger rider while contemplating her family's upcoming move to Wisconsin.

Poetry·Olivia AscioneD'Elia, age 13 — A century-old house becomes a living archive of memories, its rooms layered with photos and stars, transforming from pink dusk to dark ink as night falls.

Story·Emily Livaudais, age 11 — A girl moves to Iceland after her parents die, discovers her grandmother once lived there, and finds comfort in a special doll her grandmother arranged for her to receive.

Story·Emily Saso, age 12 — A nine-year-old girl conquers her nerves at her first horse show, struggling through the canter before placing second with her horse Pacino.

Story·Grace Watson-Martin, age 11 — A young enslaved girl and her mother escape to freedom after Rachel is sold to a slave trader, running through woods and hiding in safe houses along the Underground Railroad.

Story·Rachel Tuteur, age 12 — Two teenagers in love remember childhood summers together while facing arranged marriages to others, meeting secretly at night despite their families' plans.

Story·Alana Yang, age 12 — A seventh grader sneaks out at midnight to her childhood faerie circle and witnesses real faeries dancing under the full moon, who spell her name in daisies and leave her...

Story·Sariel Nana Friedman, age 10 — A girl visits the family's summer cottage while her father is at war, discovering she can feel joy even amid sadness when her brother lifts her over the waves.