emotional depth

Story·Travis Royce, age 13 — While watering tomato plants, a boy watches water flood an ant colony and desperately tries to save drowning ants, reflecting on empathy and the value of small lives.

Story·Alyssa Fowers, age 11 — A young figure skater plagued by nightmares must perform alone after injuring her twin sister during practice, discovering she can find strength without hiding behind her.

Story·Max Strebel, age 13 — Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in fog, a driver glimpses a man who triggers a buried memory of his brother's fatal fall during the bridge's construction.

Story·Megan M. Gannett, age 13 — A shy, homeschooled boy moves to a new home and clashes with local children over a magnificent maple tree, eventually finding friendship through shared love of nature and horses.

Story·Cassie Lear, age 12 — After her brother is executed for harming a sacred cat, a young Egyptian princess must decide whether to rule, marry, or abandon the throne when her father dies.

Story·Sharon Wang, age 13 — Two childhood best friends drift apart after a betrayed secret, then reunite years later on a rainy night at a football game, realizing their pride broke them apart.

Story·Megan Kirby, age 12 — A girl forms a bond with a wild black stallion named Draco, but realizes she must set him free when captivity breaks his spirit.

Story·Kyle Eichner, age 12 — A lonely girl who volunteers at an animal shelter discovers that music calms an aggressive dog no one else can handle, leading to friendship and her first pet.

Story·Betty Julia Rosen, age 12 — A young violist struggles with harsh criticism and self-doubt before finding confidence through an orchestra audition, culminating in both musical success and a first date.

Story·Natalie Wittenbrook, age 11 — A twelve-year-old girl whose father hunts wolves for pelts rescues an orphaned wolf pup and, with help from the Animal Society, eventually convinces her father to stop commercial hunting.