atmospheric setting

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 12 — A boy discovers his grandparents' chest of diaries in the attic, reading accounts from a homeless man, a Japanese-American internment camp, and a 90-year-old woman, ultimately deciding to start his...

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — During a blizzard, a boy herding sheep on his uncle's poor farm rescues a nobleman trapped under a fallen stone at Stonehenge, potentially saving the family's fortunes.

Story·Claire Wilhelm-Safian, age 11 — A poet escapes his chaotic household at night to write in the barn, where the sounds of sleeping animals inspire verses that flow from his heart.

Poetry·Sophie Anne Ruehr, age 11 — A child navigates a Cape Cod beach as high tide transforms the landscape, jumping ice-covered islands while observing the retreating wildlife and encroaching sea.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 12 — A young man becomes a rodeo bullfighter on the anniversary of his best friend's death, facing the same bull that killed him a year earlier.

Story·Talitha Farschman, age 12 — A noble lady disguises herself as a foreign prince and wins three contests to free her husband from the king's dungeon after he boasted of her beauty.

Poetry·Ava Alexander, age 11 — Winter melts into spring as mountains show green haze, moles tunnel, and a robin pulls the first worm from softened ground.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A reluctant girl spends summer caring for her grandmother on Nantucket, discovering family heritage through lightship basket weaving and maritime stories, finding unexpected belonging.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A girl searches for the perfect hospital gift for her grandmother and finds swan boat tickets from their beloved Boston Garden walks, along with a cherished book.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 13 — In 1947 Roswell, a rancher finds mysterious metal debris and strange beings in his pasture, leading to government intervention and lifelong consequences for those who touched the fragments.