US Common Core ELA

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·William Gwaltney, age 12 — A young man becomes a rodeo bullfighter on the anniversary of his best friend's death, facing the same bull that killed him a year earlier.

Story·Halle Kershisnik, age 12 — Two childhood friends are separated when their families move to different states, then reunite by chance years later at college in Chicago.

Story·Abbie Brubaker, age 13 — A girl recounts the life and death of her beloved white cat Moon, from finding her as a kitten at a yard sale to her tragic death under a car's...

Story·Bonnie Leigh Cruser, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old girl wakes before dawn to ride her pony bareback through woods and fields, finding renewal in their secret morning gallop.

Story·Andrew Lee, age 13 — A new student struggles with bullying on the soccer field until a classmate teaches him moves that help him make the team and find acceptance.

Poetry·Caley Scheppegrell, age 13 — A girl escapes her unwanted birthday party to the woods where she encounters a wolf, recognizing their shared solitude before exchanging wordless farewells.

Story·Ariel Mia larovici Katz, age 13 — A girl alone in a gray house during her parents' divorce remembers losing her only friend years ago, then discovers singing as an outlet for her pain.

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.

Poetry·Ava Alexander, age 11 — Winter melts into spring as mountains show green haze, moles tunnel, and a robin pulls the first worm from softened ground.