fear

Story·Aja Corliss, age 12 — A nervous ballerina at Nationals finds calm and rediscovers her love of dance when moonlight creates a private spotlight outside the auditorium.

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 12 — A 12-year-old searches frantically for her free-roaming cat Comet, posts flyers around the neighborhood, and finally reunites with him after a neighbor rescues him from a rooftop light well.

Story·Hugh Cole, age 11 — A boy who can speak to animals flees with his wolf-dog when a monster called an Alarcon hunts him for his powers, ultimately escaping when a condor saves them from...

Story·Connor Nackley, age 12 — A young snowboarder conquers his most feared slope on the last run of the season, jumping a mogul and experiencing freedom before tearfully saying goodbye until next year.

Story·Sabrina Wong, age 10 — A young gymnast fails to complete her back walkover during competition but returns to the empty gym afterward and finally succeeds, finding meaning in the unwitnessed achievement.

Story·Zohra Maryam Chaudhry, age 10 — A Muslim girl struggles with shyness and prejudice at her new Brooklyn school until she stands up to bullies and finds an unexpected friend in a Jewish classmate.

Story·Aoife Troxel, age 12 — A boy saves his friend from an oncoming train after the friend becomes disoriented from a fall, but the rescue happens so fast he can barely process it.

Story·Rose Diltz, age 13 — A girl afraid of everything must rescue her best friend when a storm causes a riding accident, discovering courage she didn't know she had.

Story·Emma T. Capps, age 12 — A girl hides in her favorite tree before a dreaded doctor's visit, finding solace in the branches and sharing a poem that no one else appreciated.

Poetry·Devorah Malka Reisner, age 12 — A new student sits alone watching unfamiliar faces until a red-haired girl's kind note transforms isolation into the beginning of friendship.