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Story·Jag Michael Stephens, age 10 — A feared substitute bus driver called 'No Mercy Mercer' turns out to be a gentle grandfather who uses his tough reputation to maintain order on the bus.

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.

Story·Katie Russell, age 12 — Five softball-obsessed girls who refuse to outgrow their park face a newcomer in pink who shatters both their expectations and a neighbor's window with one swing.

Story·Preston Craig, age 10 — A farm family loses their home to bank foreclosure and moves to a West Virginia coal mining town, where they find hope in staying together despite the difficult changes.

Story·Karin Denton, age 12 — A girl reluctantly visits her family's new house, escapes the paint fumes to explore the woods behind it, and discovers a hidden meadow that helps her accept the move.

Poetry·Lotus Shen, age 11 — A catalog poem traces things that vanish — vapor trails, insects, melting snowflakes, flowing water — finding the hidden nature of everyday disappearances.

Story·Brigid Armbrust, age 13 — Emma struggles with moving to Maine until a wise classmate teaches her that home isn't a place but something you carry with you, transforming dirt into meaning.

Story·Stiles Fraser White, age 12 — A new student at school faces the reigning chess champion, with social acceptance hanging in the balance of their match.

Poetry·Caroline Smyth, age 12 — A young writer explores the paradox of constant transformation and fixed identity, finding that despite daily reinvention, the same eyes witness it all.

Poetry·Ellanora Lerner, age 13 — A teenager finds solitude at abandoned railroad tracks, contemplating how nature reclaims human progress and feeling the ghost of trains that once passed.