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Story·Ella Staats, age 10 — A girl sent to live with grandparents in Maine because her family has eight children finds a stray kitten on the beach and realizes she hasn't been abandoned after all.

Poetry·Zoë Cassinelli, age 12 — Laughter becomes a cool glass of water that offers temporary escape from homework, hospital visits, and the weight of the real world.

Poetry·Madeleine Yi, age 12 — A single daffodil pushes through snow and mud to bloom, becoming spring's first herald among the winter browns and grays.

Poetry·Jonah O'Hara David, age 10 — A prose poem explores the color black through a series of sensory images, from crows to horses, culminating in a meditation on loss and racial identity.

Story·Jamie Geng, age 11 — A family hikes through scorching heat to a waterfall, where the narrator climbs rocks and discovers a breathtaking view of the shimmering river below.

Poetry·Jeremy Trujillo, age 12 — Two dogs race across a beach where sunset transforms lake and sand into fiery red, ending with them asleep in the blood-colored landscape.

Story·Cammie Keel, age 13 — Sisters embark on an Easter morning scavenger hunt after the younger one pranks the older with a wind-up rabbit, celebrating spring's arrival together.

Poetry·Marshall McKenna, age 12 — A young baseball player faces his last at-bat, trembling with fear, then watches his hit soar out of sight, transforming doubt into victory.

Story·Risa Askerooth, age 12 — A grueling hike through Hawaiian wilderness nearly ends in defeat before revealing hidden pools, where exhaustion transforms into pure joy.

Poetry·Candace Huntington, age 13 — Three cousins play Monster Tag in overgrown summer fields, transforming into predator and prey as they chase through bushes and around corners.