US Common Core ELA

Poetry·Ari Martinez, age 9 — A playful exploration of mistakes through wordplay, comparing them to tissues on cake and balloons on garbage cans, then deconstructing the word itself.

Story·Sydney Burr, age 11 — A girl who writes by a mountain stream is transported into her own story about an Egyptian pyramid, where she meets her protagonist and must find a way out.

Poetry·Sara Chebili, age 13 — A grandson builds a chair beside an avocado tree he planted, hoping to help his grandmother with memory loss remember their shared moments by the shore.

Poetry·Carly Vermillion, age 10 — A child experiences shifting light and darkness through ordinary moments — feeding fish, eating dinner, waking up — each scene marked by sudden changes in illumination.

Story·Sabrina Feldberg, age 12 — A Chicago teen resenting her family's move to San Francisco transforms into a fish at the beach, navigating dangers before accepting her new home.

Poetry·Tommy Swartz, age 12 — A 12-year-old's anxious inner monologue cycles through worries about jokes, death, regrets, and daily stresses in short, punchy lines.

Story·Rhianna Searle, age 12 — After Trump's 2016 election, two sixth-grade best friends—one Democrat, one Republican—struggle when politics threatens their friendship, until a handmade bracelet offers reconciliation.

Story·Sonja ten Grotenhuis, age 10 — A girl who can't ride a bike faces humiliation at bike camp until she meets Rosie, another struggling rider who offers genuine friendship.

Poetry·Isaiah Albro, age 7 — A lion and house cat race across continents so fast that a rock falls on the king of France, with the lion winning.

Poetry·Celeste Escobar, age 9 — A child celebrates physical connection with the earth through barefoot play, describing the planet as a mother whose sandy skin invites daily touch and joy.