fear

Story·Josepha Natzke, age 13 — A magnificent buck stands guard at forest's edge, sensing danger, then battles a hungry cougar to protect the sleeping does and fawns.

Story·Nadia Froese, age 13 — A nervous rider and her pony overcome a disastrous warm-up to deliver a near-perfect show jumping round, discovering their hidden connection in the process.

Story·Cole Miller, age 11 — A young cellist faces performance anxiety before a school concert, finding that the music transforms his fear into something better than summer itself.

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·Erik Dinardo — In the antebellum South, an enslaved girl named Hope learns her mother will be sold, prompting escape plans, while the master's daughter Abigail faces a moral choice.

Story·Julia Gaitley, age 12 — A girl at an aquarium loses her older brother while daydreaming about seals' freedom, then finds comfort in a wandering turtle while waiting to be found.

Story·Soledad Tejada, age 11 — A girl flying alone for the first time finds courage through recorded messages from her parents on her iPod, transforming fear into pride as the plane prepares for takeoff.

Story·Noa Wang, age 11 — A girl gets lost in the forest at dusk and follows a mysterious great horned owl through the darkness back to her parents' campsite.

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·Hannah Culver, age 12 — A girl terrified of dogs after being bitten rescues an injured stray, only to discover he belongs to someone else, leading to an unexpected friendship.