friendship

Story·Stiles Fraser White, age 12 — A new student at school faces the reigning chess champion, with social acceptance hanging in the balance of their match.

Story·Benny Mitchell, age 11 — A book-obsessed boy forced on a tech-free vacation meets Chester, a local kid who gives him a tour of the quirky town and becomes his first real friend.

Story·Brigid Armbrust, age 13 — Emma struggles with moving to Maine until a wise classmate teaches her that home isn't a place but something you carry with you, transforming dirt into meaning.

Story·Charlotte Eaton, age 12 — A sixth-grader faces three problems: losing her best friend, being bullied, and missing math homework. She solves them through courage, honesty, and unexpected kindness.

Story·Jem Burch, age 13 — During a rare July rainstorm in California, two friends watch from the window, chase the storm to the grocery store, and discover joy in shared wonder.

Story·Sandra Detweiler, age 13 — A grieving girl meets a blind pianist after saving her from a bicycle collision, discovering friendship and music can pierce through darkness.

Story·Christina Suh, age 12 — A privileged Southern girl discovers her family's enslaved girl Susan attempting to escape and, after hearing Susan's story, helps her flee north to freedom.

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — Two young scientists searching for Atlantis in the Pacific get caught in a storm, crash on an uncharted island, and discover the lost city underwater just offshore.

Story·Devon Davila, age 11 — A girl frozen with fear on the high dive gets pushed by her best friend, then finds comfort with a new friend who shares her own story of loneliness.

Story·Hannah Awbrey, age 12 — A boy meets a strange girl on the beach who believes her mother is a mermaid and nearly leads him to his death trying to join her, but saves him...