loss

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — During a blizzard, a boy herding sheep on his uncle's poor farm rescues a nobleman trapped under a fallen stone at Stonehenge, potentially saving the family's fortunes.

Story·Erin Cadora, age 10 — A stray cat with a bell that prevents her from hunting gradually learns to trust a grieving woman who feeds her, eventually becoming a beloved family pet.

Story·Jonathan Morris, age 12 — An elf boy searches for rare ashberries to save a dragonfire victim, remembering how the same berries failed to save his father years before.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 12 — A young man becomes a rodeo bullfighter on the anniversary of his best friend's death, facing the same bull that killed him a year earlier.

Story·Halle Kershisnik, age 12 — Two childhood friends are separated when their families move to different states, then reunite by chance years later at college in Chicago.

Story·Abbie Brubaker, age 13 — A girl recounts the life and death of her beloved white cat Moon, from finding her as a kitten at a yard sale to her tragic death under a car's...

Story·Ariel Mia larovici Katz, age 13 — A girl alone in a gray house during her parents' divorce remembers losing her only friend years ago, then discovers singing as an outlet for her pain.

Story·Gertrude Suokko, age 13 — After her parents die, Clara lives with her strict Aunt Helga until the arrival of the Hayward siblings brings friendship and the possibility of romance.

Poetry·Ashok Kaul, age 11 — A five-year-old's fragmented memories of September 11th capture confusion through misheard words and the sudden absence of the towers.

Story·Catherine Babikian, age 12 — A girl runs thirteen miles home from the hospital where her mother is dying, haunted by the unspoken response to her mother's final 'I love you.'