US Common Core ELA

Story·Rie Maeda, age 13 — A girl resents her attention-stealing stepsister until a horseback riding accident forces her to save Amber from drowning, transforming their relationship.

Poetry·Nicholas Bonavolonta, age 12 — A tree by a river watches leaves swept away, fish jumping, and birds flying, longing to explore the world beyond while rooted in place.

Story·Emina S. Sonnad, age 12 — A girl takes her dachshund for a run on an unseasonably warm winter day, reveling in the frost-covered grass and their shared joy of movement.

Story·Emily Waxman, age 10 — A girl prepares for prom in 1946, wearing a dress made from her brother's WWII parachute, reflecting on family sacrifice and finding beauty in hardship.

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 12 — A boy discovers his grandparents' chest of diaries in the attic, reading accounts from a homeless man, a Japanese-American internment camp, and a 90-year-old woman, ultimately deciding to start his...

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — During a blizzard, a boy herding sheep on his uncle's poor farm rescues a nobleman trapped under a fallen stone at Stonehenge, potentially saving the family's fortunes.

Poetry·Rhiannon Grodnik, age 11 — A young observer watches sunset over San Francisco Bay, experiencing a moment of cosmic solitude before the city lights pull her back to the present.

Story·Eddie Mansius, age 11 — A boy escapes to his backyard creek where trees arch overhead and sunlight dances through leaves, finding solace in nature's protective embrace.

Story·Samantha Lai, age 10 — A slave girl named Min-Li discovers she is a Guardian of the Phoenix when a magical bird rescues her and reveals her destiny to heal villages.

Story·Emma Delaney, age 13 — On the last day of eighth grade, seven best friends release a balloon with a wish to stay friends forever, as they face separation for high school.