friendship

Story·Bethany Grace Wade, age 12 — Emma befriends Tansy, a deaf girl visiting with her family, by writing notes back and forth, leading to horseback riding and a promise to be pen pals.

Story·Manuel Anderson, age 12 — A boy remembers his fearless best friend Luis Manuel from Catholic school in Caracas—the youngest but undisputed leader of their trio, who ate floor Cheetos and never cried.

Story·Lyla Lawless, age 13 — A straight-A student wrongly accuses a shy new girl of stealing her homework, leading to a cafeteria confrontation and a chance at redemption through detention.

Story·Alexis Colleen Hosticka, age 12 — A thirteen-year-old who has hidden her love of animals since childhood finally reveals her secret when she volunteers at an animal shelter and falls for a kitten named Cinnamon.

Story·Elle Davis, age 13 — A teenage rider navigates barn politics and an annoying younger rider while contemplating her family's upcoming move to Wisconsin.

Story·Emily Livaudais, age 11 — A girl moves to Iceland after her parents die, discovers her grandmother once lived there, and finds comfort in a special doll her grandmother arranged for her to receive.

Story·Emily Ward, age 13 — A racing greyhound named Cassie, inspired by a little girl's faith in her, wins her first race but ultimately chooses freedom over fame by escaping through a fence.

Story·Caitlin Miller, age 13 — Two best friends drift apart when one becomes popular in seventh grade, but reconnect at a summer party where apologies and a leap into the lake restore their bond.

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 12 — After being attacked by a dog as a toddler, Asa struggles with her fear until a friend's puppy needs adoption following a tragic accident.

Story·Lyla Lawless, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl devastated by moving from Rockville to Springfield finds hope in a letter left by the previous occupant of her new room.