war

Story·Kika Kovaleski, age 10 — Eight-year-old Yuki experiences the upheaval of Japanese-American internment, losing herself in despair until a letter from her librarian and an unexpected kindness help her find hope again.

Story·Albert Shu, age 10 — In 1960 China during the Great Leap Forward famine, a hungry boy eats his entire lunch bread on the way to school, remembering his family's lost wealth.

Story·Natalia Dunyak, age 13 — Three Galactic Soldiers rebel against orders to annihilate the planet Enyo, escaping to broker peace and end an interplanetary war that threatens both civilizations.

Poetry·Andrew Eisenbrown, age 12 — A child searches the airport for their father returning from Iraq, recognizing him finally by his smile and open arms.

Poetry·Abraham Lawrence, age 12 — A boy contrasts the metaphorical fog of human deceit with the real fog of his countryside home, finding paradise in nature's simple peace.

Story·Sophie Eisenberg-Edidin, age 13 — A ten-year-old girl struggles to reconnect with her father when he returns from World War II, discovering both his trauma and their shared memories at the chicken coop.

Story·Yuthilcar Sokban — A Cambodian child recounts surviving the Khmer Rouge regime, forced labor camps, dangerous escape attempts, and eventual journey to freedom in America.

Story·Viet Doan Nguyen, age 11 — A six-year-old boy recounts three escape attempts from Vietnam, imprisonment, and the journey through refugee camps to reach America.