US Common Core ELA

Poetry·Alyssa Wu, age 13 — Spring rain nurtures seeds into buds, then plum blossoms that sway with silent beauty in the wind.

Poetry·Alyssa Wu, age 13 — While her mother is sick, a daughter seizes the chance to cook in the usually forbidden kitchen, making pizza with nervous care as a surprise.

Poetry·Alyssa Wu, age 13 — A pantoum explores the isolation of depression when others dismiss your pain, repeating lines that circle like the thoughts they describe.

Story·Raya Ilieva, age 10 — When her parents announce their divorce, twelve-year-old Kate runs away to the beach but realizes she needs her family—even if it's changing.

Story·Jack Meyer, age 13 — Two next-door-neighbor boys share mint chocolate chip ice cream and play video games on a windy spring afternoon, their friendship revealed through accumulated details.

Story·Georgia Melnick, age 12 — Ten-year-old Tallulah struggles with leaving her small yellow house until she learns her aunt is moving into their old home, making the new place feel familiar.

Personal Narrative·Lily Shi, age 11 — At a national dance competition, a girl remembers her grandmother's sacrificed dream and her team's journey from regional defeat to championship victory.

Story·Iris Chen, age 10 — A girl plants magical colorful flowers in her gray town that's been mourning a hurricane, transforming it from grief to hope despite the mayor's opposition.

Personal Narrative·Kaydence Sweitzer, age 9 — A child reading in a blanket fort is frightened by strange noises at night, tears damaging their library book before discovering it's just the wind.

Story·Sienna Rapaport, age 10 — A girl with a vast imagination discovers her father is the legendary Bird of Steel and must steal his power to save Riverhaven from eternal conflict between humans and magical...