death

Poetry·Peter Satterthwaite, age 13 — A peaceful pond scene transforms when a dead swan is discovered, prompting questions about death, grief, and the aggressive mourning behavior of its companions.

Story·Mary Woods, age 11 — A sparrow clan leader, haunted by his mate's death, flees when his son faces the same predator—but the son survives to lead the clan home while the father finds healing...

Story·Daniel KulahliOglu, age 12 — A fourth-grader arrives at school excited to perform in a play, only to learn his beloved science teacher has died. He finds solace feeding the classroom lizards one last time.

Story·Kaija Warner, age 13 — A boy travels back to 1908 where a mysterious girl helps him return to his own time, only to discover she died the day after they met.

Story·Emma T. Capps, age 12 — A girl discovers her late grandfather's unfinished charcoal drawing of a court jester and secretly completes it in watercolor, connecting with him through art across time.

Story·Simon Brake, age 13 — Two cousins fight to survive after a storm wrecks their uncle's tourist ship, leaving them adrift in a lifeboat that eventually sinks, forcing them to float until rescue arrives.

Story·Lulu Russell, age 11 — A sparrow flees a hunting hawk through forest branches in a desperate chase, then the perspective shifts to reveal the hawk's necessity of feeding its young.

Story·Olivia Smit, age 12 — A captive cheetah dreams of freedom while watching his brothers die from starvation, until a woman rescues him and returns him to the African savannah.

Story·Silva Baiton, age 13 — After her parents' death, a girl living with her grandmother discovers she can honor memories without being trapped by them when she transforms her mother's journals into a scrapbook.

Story·Jordan Coble, age 13 — A teenage girl moves to a California cottage and befriends her reclusive neighbor, discovering the woman's tragic past and learning not to judge by appearances.