US Common Core ELA

Poetry·Tess Nealon Raskin, age 9 — A child dives into a warm pond where rainbow trout circle and bite toes, experiencing the underwater world as a distant, heavenly place.

Story·Chloe Montague, age 11 — A girl loses her cherished bracelet in the ocean and learns to value her cousin's happiness over material possessions when she imagines a fish wearing it.

Story·Trentin Lyle Stalnaker, age 11 — A boy accidentally shoots a squirrel with his BB gun, then desperately tries to save it, confronting his guilt and the reality of what he's done.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 12 — A distant father and daughter walk to see Spider-Man; he secretly helps a man afford tickets and saves her from a dog, but she only notices the shirtless hero.

Story·Asha Baudart-Gehlawat, age 10 — During Diwali celebrations at her grandparents' house, a girl's joy turns to terror when her little sister's hair catches fire from a candle, transforming her perspective on what matters most.

Story·Nadia Suben, age 10 — A grieving boy resists joining band after his jazz musician father's death, until a compassionate teacher helps him find healing through music.

Story·Samuel Campopiano, age 13 — A young pickpocket at the Eiffel Tower steals an old man's gold pocket watch, but returns it after hearing the man cry 'I lost my watch! I lost my father!'

Poetry·Samantha Ji Ping Wainapel, age 13 — A young writer rediscovers the exhilaration of flight, watching the world shrink below while yearning to experience the sky without the plane's protection.

Story·Tatum Cocotos, age 13 — Through secret letters, Storm warns their cousin Bobbi on Planet 236 that the space station headquarters plans to cut off supplies to the colonies permanently.

Story·Isabella Widrow, age 12 — A family drives through rain to hunt chanterelles in the Pacific Northwest woods, finding twenty pounds after initial frustration and cold searching.