loss

Story·Edie Koehlert and Chloe Weber — Three young cats journey to find a new home after their dying mother sends them away, guided by their deceased father's cryptic message about believing in possibilities.

Story·Maisie Bilston, age 11 — An English girl grieving her father's death moves to Germany and creates a magical world in the apartment building's garden, finding friendship through imagination.

Poetry·Alden Powers, age 12 — A speaker deliberately ignores the decay around them—dirty dishes, holes in walls, a broken fishbowl—because noticing would make it feel less like home.

Story·Benjamin Halperin, age 13 — A boy learns his parents are divorcing, finds solace in his golden retriever Lucky, and escapes into baseball—both through books and a Giants game.

Story·Joshua Heaps, age 11 — During the Civil War, eight-year-old Tom struggles to support his mother after his father and brother join the Union army, culminating in a Confederate raid and miraculous reunion.

Story·Isabelle Edwards, age 10 — A girl runs away after her father's sled dogs die in the Iditarod, gets lost in a blizzard, and is saved by her dogs, leading to reconciliation with her father.

Story·Amanda Pertierra, age 13 — In 1942 Philippines, a ten-year-old girl watches her family's sugar plantation burn as American forces evacuate them to prevent Japanese occupation of their home.

Poetry·Sariel Hana Friedman, age 9 — Empty swings whisper in a park as a boy calls after Margaret, who has become a ghostly blur running away on stone paths.

Story·Michelle Grifka, age 12 — A self-conscious girl travels to Ireland to stay with relatives and discovers her pink-haired cousin Bridget is a talented artist dealing with her father's recent departure.

Story·Katie Sinclair, age 13 — During a storm at an inn, a traveling storyteller tells of a mysterious Fisherwoman who died saving her child, whose return will bring rain back to drought-stricken Searain.