emotional depth

Story·Ellen Salovaara, age 13 — A young woman preparing for her wedding remembers her father's death when she was eight and realizes she must let go without forgetting as she asks her mother to walk...

Story·Natalie Warnke, age 12 — A princess locked in a tower escapes during an attack on her castle, meets a girl living behind a waterfall, and finds a new home after losing everything.

Story·Stella Lin, age 12 — A dog named Hua Hua remembers playing in the park with Sarah before her illness, now keeping watch as she lies in bed, no longer able to go outside.

Story·Saenger Breen, age 12 — After cruelly rejecting her younger brother's attempts to draw in her sketchbook, a girl learns he's been in a car accident and rushes to the hospital with her sketchbook.

Story·Kaya Simcoe, age 11 — A girl discovers that paradise isn't just a California beach but something she carries with her, from hotel rooms to airplane windows to her New York apartment.

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.

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·Olivia Stoltzfus — A mute girl who finds solace in nature befriends a mountain cat family, discovers she can communicate telepathically with them, and runs away from her divorcing parents who plan to...

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.