May/June 2016

Story·Brooke Hemingway, age 12 — After her beloved horse Dory dies, a grieving girl travels to Chincoteague Island where she finds a golden foal with eyes that remind her of her lost companion.

Story·Gracie Shapiro, age 12 — A girl searches for her grandfather and together they engineer a tree swing using a bow and arrow to get the rope over a high branch.

Book Review·Pam Muñoz Ryan, Reviewed by Sonja Benjamins-Carey — Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan; Scholastic Press: New York, 2015; $19.99 Pam Muñoz Ryan’s book, Echo, weaves together three compelling stories, all centering on a single harmonica and its owners...

Story·Saira Licht, age 10 — After falling from a boat in Georgia waters where her father drowned, Maria meets him in an underwater grotto and receives a magical necklace before returning safely.

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 9 — A nine-year-old observes a river scene at an arboretum, recording nature's details while a speedboat disrupts the peaceful meditation of water, birds, and trees.

Story·Ermeen Choudhury, age 12 — A girl forced to move from her beloved bedroom runs into the woods, where blue jays sing a song that helps her understand home is carried in memory.

Poetry·Guthrie Harris — Mourning dove High in the swing tree Sings poetry Just like mine Reminding me Of the singing bird Inside me And melting my heart

Story·Caelen McQuilkin, age 13 — A soccer star learns the meaning of ohana when her artistic best friend joins the team and struggles, forcing her to choose between winning and friendship.

Poetry·Lulu Priede, age 11 — A child sits on the porch during a thunderstorm, savoring the sensory experience of lightning, rain, and the fresh smell of a summer storm.

Story·Jem Burch, age 12 — A Vietnamese refugee girl struggles with isolation at her new American school until a classmate teaches her English in the library, word by word, leading to friendship.