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Poetry·Luka Simpson-Khan — A witch narrates her daily routine of potion-making, mushroom hunting, fortune-telling, and mirror-breaking, all told with playful rhyming couplets.

Story·Beatrice C. de Baca — A girl who lives in a pumpkin house sells pies to buy a silk dress for a quinceañera, disguises herself to attend, but finds acceptance when her friend defends her.

Poetry·Enni Harlan — In a grocery store's frozen aisle, siblings shiver in T-shirts while their mother shops, finding warmth in imagined tastes and makeshift shopping-bag capes.

Poetry·Enni Harlan — A child compares lunches with a classmate, each envying what the other has—yogurt versus rice with seaweed—discovering that nothing tastes as good when it's yours.

Story·Terry Yu — An overweight girl faces bullying at school, finds solace in her mother's love, and discovers inner strength through a mysterious birthday letter that transforms her perspective.

Personal Narrative·Maya Hooda, age 10 — A girl mourns her grandmother who ran a bookshop, remembering her generosity to a barefoot child and the patient way she taught her to bake.

Poetry·Daniel Shorten, age 10 — A winter morning bird-feeding ritual captures the urgency of survival as small birds race to eat before crows arrive from the chimneys.

Personal Narrative·Oren Milgrom-Dorfman, age 12 — After ten months without parties, a middle schooler observes birthday rituals with new eyes, finding meaning in store-bought cake and awkward traditions.

Poetry·Eva Denne, age 9 — A young poet imagines a circus where clowns juggle cookies, lions jump through donuts, and magic makes everything disappear.

Story·Lucia Osborn-Stocker, age 12 — A lonely guard dragon, hardened by years of servitude, finds unexpected companionship when a starving fox pup steals food and curls up beside him for warmth.