school

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.

Story·Kaidince Edwards, age 12 — A girl's dare to microwave a plastic fork at school coincides with an unrelated oven explosion, leading to evacuation and her eventual confession to the principal.

Story·Brian Qi, age 10 — A shy girl dreads her first rock-and-roll class until she discovers her best friend is there, transforming her terror into joy.

Poetry·Solana Ordonez, age 11 — A young musician celebrates the daily joy of orchestra class, from unpacking instruments to playing together as an ensemble creating harmonious music.

Story·Heather Tompkins, age 12 — A bilingual American girl in Mexico refuses to speak English with friends for years, splitting herself in two until a Tae Kwon Do class forces her to confront her divided...

Story·Emma Harwell, age 12 — A girl resentful of caring for her sister with cerebral palsy realizes during a Thanksgiving church service that her sister has never complained despite having far less.

Story·Olivia Cohen — A lonely Indian boy finds friendship and belonging when a girl from his school discovers him at his secret pond refuge in Minnesota.

Story·Brooke Hemingway, age 13 — A lonely Indian boy finds friendship and belonging when a girl from his school discovers him at his secret pond refuge, and they dance together in the frozen forest.

Story·Meg Pheifer, age 11 — A Mexican-American girl's nursing school dreams seem crushed by poverty until her cantankerous neighbor unexpectedly offers to pay her college tuition.

Story·Francie Neukorn, age 13 — A sixth-grader watches her imaginative pioneer game fall apart when popular kids mock it, realizing she and her friends are growing up and leaving childhood behind.