childhood

Story·Natalie Han, age 11 — An eleven-year-old reflects on how her relationship with her older brother has changed as they've grown up, remembering their imaginative games and missing their closeness.

Story·Genna Carroll, age 13 — While packing to move, a teenager discovers a story she wrote at age nine that eerily predicts her current situation of leaving her childhood room.

Story·Chappell Sargent — While packing to move, a teenager discovers stories she wrote at age nine, including one that eerily predicts her current situation of leaving her childhood room.

Story·Freya Trefonides, age 12 — A teenager watches her four-year-old cousin Rose repeatedly climb things she shouldn't, capturing a perfect photo of Rose in her special apple tree before realizing this moment might be forgotten.

Story·Ani Wilcenski, age 11 — A boy watches snow transform the landscape and records the lives of forest creatures, while his father sees only an eyesore to remove.

Story·Anonymous, Illustrated by Madeleine Gates — A seven-year-old moves from California to Chicago, struggles with homesickness and lost friendships, then finds connection through soccer and a new friend named Jonathan.

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.

Story·Ella Staats, age 11 — A tomboy daughter discovers her mother's insistence on frilly dresses stems from her own deprived childhood, leading to mutual understanding and acceptance.

Story·Krystle DiCristofalo, age 12 — Three friends exploring an abandoned house discover photographs in the basement showing children who look exactly like them, wearing the same old clothes they've been trying on.

Poetry·Sarah Welch, age 11 — A child lies awake in a too-big bed at grandma's house, noticing the dripping faucet and crack of light until sleep finally comes.