acceptance

Personal Narrative·Melia Zhou, age 8 — A family's Fourth of July celebration with sparklers and fireworks is interrupted by sudden heavy rain, sending them running inside to warmth.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 10 — A disembodied perspective from a ditch observes the world above—sun, sky, ladybugs—while grass grows wild around what remains.

Personal Narrative·Olivia Choi, age 12 — A five-year-old devastated by her family's move from California to New York City gradually discovers unexpected joys in her new home, including Central Park and snow.

Story·Leo Roiphe, age 12 — A boy picking berries transforms into a squirrel and encounters a starving fox, gaining new understanding of nature's harsh realities through their shared moment.

Personal Narrative·Lila Carpenter, age 11 — A girl struggles with anger and sadness as she helps her sister move into a college apartment in Bar Harbor, finding clarity by the ocean.

Story·T. Max Crowe, age 12 — A lonely man in ancient Greece trades his dog to a god to resurrect his dead son, but Hades punishes him for breaking the laws of death.

Story·Lindsay Cale, age 9 — A girl who sees rainbows in unconventional shapes struggles between staying true to her unique vision and conforming to others' expectations of normalcy.

Personal Narrative·Yanling Lin, age 10 — A school field trip continues despite torrential rain, leaving students soaked and miserable until they finally return to school after doing nothing but stand in the downpour.

Personal Narrative·Sophia Hammond, age 11 — A second-grader struggles with reading aloud during class, feeling excluded until a supportive tutor helps her overcome her challenges and gain confidence.

Story·Meital Fried, age 13 — A girl faces her aunt's terminal illness through the metaphor of a falling bomb while a mourning dove sits motionless on their roof, refusing to move.