effective dialogue

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 11 — A girl who desperately wants a golden retriever learns to love the Irish setter she receives instead after they win an agility competition together.

Story·Adam Jacobs, age 11 — A boy's Thursday prank of dumping mud on his parents backfires when they transform into pigs, leading to a frantic chase that ends with the revelation it was all a...

Story·Roya Alkamil, age 12 — A Jordanian girl who refuses to make friends at her new American school learns that preserving her identity doesn't require isolation when a classmate reaches out.

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — A boy discovers he has the potential for forbidden Time Magic when sent to his uncle's island cabin, then races to help his homeland when war breaks out.

Story·Ryan Gallof, age 13 — Two cousins bond over strawberry picking games after the older brother dismisses them, discovering their own friendship beyond the shadow of the eldest.

Story·Alexis Colleen Hosticka, age 12 — A thirteen-year-old who has hidden her love of animals since childhood finally reveals her secret when she volunteers at an animal shelter and falls for a kitten named Cinnamon.

Story·Elle Davis, age 13 — A teenage rider navigates barn politics and an annoying younger rider while contemplating her family's upcoming move to Wisconsin.

Story·Connor Pickens, age 13 — During a Boy Scout hike in California, two boys spot a forest fire and must lead their troop in a desperate race to reach a ranger station before the flames...

Story·Natalie Schuman, age 11 — A girl recounts thirteen years with her beloved Barbadian babysitter Juan, from their first meeting through the bittersweet day Juan stops working for the family.

Story·Lyla Lawless, age 13 — Walking past the abandoned Finster house at dusk, a nine-year-old sees a ghostly figure in the window, only to discover it's a renovation crew preparing the Underground Railroad site for...