US Common Core ELA

Story·Hannah Fern Pollard, age 13 — A boy finds his rival's lost championship kite before a competition and must decide whether to return it or keep it to ensure his own victory.

Poetry·Sydney Pardo, age 13 — A poem of lost childhood intimacy between cousins or friends, marked by shared memories of orchards, butterfly funerals, and the gulf that opens when one becomes a teenager.

Story·Elizabeth Surman, age 10 — A daughter celebrates her father through vivid portraits of his loud presence, humor, work ethic, and creative cooking experiments, declaring him the 'King of San Marino.'

Story·Kerri Prinos, age 13 — A girl on a manatee tour in Crystal River struggles with the ethics of wildlife tourism, choosing not to alert her group when she encounters a manatee alone.

Poetry·Sonia Bhaskaran, age 9 — Two birds chase through the air, forming a brief circular pattern in their acrobatic flight before landing and returning the world to its usual sounds.

Story·Madison Henson, age 13 — A daredevil teen jumps into a forbidden lake and is transported to a medieval world where she must save a rebel fighter from a tyrant by pulling the villain back...

Story·Pranav Parekh, age 8 — A boy walks through a snow-covered birch forest at dawn, observing animals in perfect harmony, until a bright light returns him to his bedroom and the start of a school...

Story·Isabel Folger, age 12 — A girl shovels snow to earn money for Christmas presents, then must choose between a bracelet she wants and a gift for her sister.

CJ

Story·Nell Chidley, age 11 — On Christmas Day, a girl discovers one of her ducks killed by a weasel, then incubates the duck's last egg to hatch a duckling she names CJ.

Story·Alahna Harrison, age 13 — A girl moves from Seattle to rural Idaho, finds a favorite spot under a tree to sketch the landscape, and appreciates the peace of country living.