family

Story·Adam Jacobs, age 11 — A boy's Thursday prank of dumping mud on his parents backfires when they transform into pigs, leading to a frantic chase that ends with the revelation it was all a...

Story·Meg Bradley, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl, alone in an empty house after her father left, discovers that writing poetry can be its own form of comfort when traditional lullabies are gone.

Story·Shannon Halpin, age 12 — A girl angry about moving to a rundown farmhouse discovers a hidden underground room in the barn, leading to reconciliation with her mother.

Poetry·Amanda Johnson, age 13 — A camping night unfolds through sensory moments: smoke rising, crickets chirping, a marshmallow catching fire, and finally the warmth of a sleeping bag as the fire glows through the tent.

Story·Sydney Adedamola, age 10 — Rebecca learns she must move away from her three best friends, but three years later discovers she's moving back to her hometown.

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — A boy discovers he has the potential for forbidden Time Magic when sent to his uncle's island cabin, then races to help his homeland when war breaks out.

Poetry·Pierie Korostoff, age 12 — Kitchen scene where paperwhites by the sink, snow outside, and magnetic poetry on the fridge create a meditation on mismatched elements that somehow belong together.

Story·Emily Livaudais, age 11 — A girl moves to Iceland after her parents die, discovers her grandmother once lived there, and finds comfort in a special doll her grandmother arranged for her to receive.

Story·Grace Watson-Martin, age 11 — A young enslaved girl and her mother escape to freedom after Rachel is sold to a slave trader, running through woods and hiding in safe houses along the Underground Railroad.

Poetry·Sayre White, age 13 — A granddaughter remembers intimate morning rituals with her grandmother—hot water, waffles, hair combing—and wishes she could share her grown self with the woman who died too soon.