fear

Poetry·Gilbert Huang, age 9 — A young writer describes the physical and emotional sensations of writing, from smoothness to nervousness to the monstrous feeling of being stuck.

Story·Una Dorr, age 11 — A boy terrified of heights must overcome his fear when his cat gets trapped on a crumbling 20th-floor balcony that locks behind him.

Story·Natalie Warnke, age 12 — A princess locked in a tower escapes during an attack on her castle, meets a girl living behind a waterfall, and finds a new home after losing everything.

Story·Saenger Breen, age 12 — After cruelly rejecting her younger brother's attempts to draw in her sketchbook, a girl learns he's been in a car accident and rushes to the hospital with her sketchbook.

Story·Sage Young, age 12 — A house cat gets locked outside during a snowstorm, survives a night in an alley and a raccoon encounter, then finds her way home to her worried human.

Story·Katie Dillon, age 12 — During a sixth-grade math test, a perfectionist student spirals into panic until a photo of her baby cousin reminds her that love doesn't depend on being perfect.

Poetry·Callen Bailey, age 12 — A five-year-old battles wind and waves in a canoe during an Adirondack storm, discovering strength and joy amid the chaos.

Story·Justin Le Veness, age 11 — An eight-year-old boy faces his fear when his father dares him to go outside during Hurricane Matthew, discovering both the storm's power and his father's protective nature.

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.

Story·Isabelle Dastgheib, age 11 — A girl conquers her terror on a Paris rollercoaster, discovering that facing fears can transform dread into exhilaration and pride.