US Common Core ELA

Poetry·Sheila Northrup, age 10 — Winter arrives with drifting snowflakes, golden sunlight on snow, and the cold creeping into houses where hot chocolate warms waiting families.

Poetry·Danica Lee — Winter arrives with soft snowflakes, harsh cold, and hot chocolate as snow swallows trees and warmth battles the bitter air.

Story·Sage Young, age 12 — A house cat gets locked outside during a snowstorm, survives a night in an alley and a raccoon encounter, then finds her way home to her worried human.

Story·Ralston Frattarola, age 12 — A seventh-grader who loves baking in a family that doesn't understand him proves his worth by making extraordinary brownies that win them over.

Poetry·Devon Mann, age 10 — A sensory celebration of pizza-making and eating, from spinning dough to cheese dripping like lava, capturing each stage through vivid comparisons.

Story·Ella Glodek, age 11 — A girl befriends a blind harmonica player outside a store, giving him her candy money daily until one day he vanishes, leaving her changed.

Story·Sabrina Guo, age 11 — A girl reflects on eating chicken in China and at home, connecting the meals to her birth year of the rooster and what traditions mean across cultures.

Story·Jem Burch, age 13 — A reluctant teenager dragged to a Ghanaian village for Christmas discovers friendship and joy through a local tradition of chasing chickens.

Story·Alicia Xin, age 12 — A matsutake mushroom narrates its journey from a Tibetan forest where it's harvested by a girl named Tashi, to a New York market, and finally to a new forest home...

Story·Claire Rinterknecht, age 12 — A grieving girl finds solace climbing her oak tree and discovers unexpected connection when a new teacher arrives who values her love of words.