childhood

Poetry·Alice Baumgartner, age 12 — Sensory memories of a Mardi Gras dinner trigger vivid recollections of sounds, tastes, and a game of Truth or Dare on an unseasonably warm February evening.

Story·Julia Echternach, age 12 — Two sisters defy their mother's rules about a tire swing, then spend an afternoon picking berries at a neighbor's farm, savoring summer's simple freedoms.

Story·Max Strebel, age 11 — A boy reluctantly leaves his TV show to help with chores, befriends a squirrel, attempts to rescue it from a hawk, and discovers a new connection to nature.

Story·Alexandra Orczyk, age 12 — A girl loses her childhood best friend when their families take opposite sides during the American Revolution's Stamp Act crisis, their final parting at a harbor as he sails away.

Story·Devon Davila, age 12 — A girl named Yellow Rose navigates grief, loneliness, and her father's new girlfriend until a chance encounter with a neighbor opens a door to friendship.

Story·Katie Russell — A girl recalls her baseball-playing brother who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.

Story·Teresa Cotsirilos, age 13 — A girl recalls her baseball-obsessed childhood with her older brother Sammy, who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.

Poetry·Rachel Weary, age 8 — An eight-year-old's birthday celebration is interrupted by the September 11 attacks, transforming joy into confusion as dreams scatter like jigsaw pieces over New York.

Story·Max Strebel, age 12 — A girl befriends bear cubs, discovers her taxidermist father killed their mother, and years later must choose between saving him from a bear attack or protecting the animal.

Story·Rebekah Carbajal, age 12 — A boy complaining about chores falls asleep and wakes in the past where he must work on a farm, learning to appreciate modern conveniences.