freedom

Story·Evelyn Chen, age 10 — In ancient Rome, a rebellious girl secretly learns to read from a neighbor boy who must move away, leaving her with letters that sustain their friendship and her forbidden education.

Poetry·Samantha Ji Ping Wainapel, age 13 — A young writer rediscovers the exhilaration of flight, watching the world shrink below while yearning to experience the sky without the plane's protection.

Story·Tatum Cocotos, age 13 — Through secret letters, Storm warns their cousin Bobbi on Planet 236 that the space station headquarters plans to cut off supplies to the colonies permanently.

Story·Aiwen L. Desai, age 12 — A girl searching for an elusive albino mare on her family's ranch is swept away by a flooded river, then rescued by the wild horse band she sought.

Story·Kika Kovaleski, age 10 — Eight-year-old Yuki experiences the upheaval of Japanese-American internment, losing herself in despair until a letter from her librarian and an unexpected kindness help her find hope again.

Story·Mathilde Fox-Smith, age 11 — A teenage graffiti artist creates stunning murals on abandoned buildings while evading police, forming an unlikely friendship with a politician's daughter who discovers his work.

Story·Natalia Dunyak, age 13 — Three Galactic Soldiers rebel against orders to annihilate the planet Enyo, escaping to broker peace and end an interplanetary war that threatens both civilizations.

Story·Yuthilcar Sokban — A Cambodian child recounts surviving the Khmer Rouge regime, forced labor camps, dangerous escape attempts, and eventual journey to freedom in America.

Story·Viet Doan Nguyen, age 11 — A six-year-old boy recounts three escape attempts from Vietnam, imprisonment, and the journey through refugee camps to reach America.