being different

Poetry·Maya Wolfford, age 13 — Natural elements—waterfall, brambles, ocean, rose—hide their true natures behind false facades until one rose's kindness earns it the gift of beauty.

Story·Sonja ten Grotenhuis, age 10 — A girl who can't ride a bike faces humiliation at bike camp until she meets Rosie, another struggling rider who offers genuine friendship.

Poetry·Gilbert Huang, age 9 — An alien's confused observations of human life, mixing up body parts and behaviors based on misunderstood information from 'a piece of paper.'

Story·Kate Choi, age 11 — Seventh graders torment a new student who attends class via video call, only to discover she has a disability when she finally arrives in person.

Story·Ralston Frattarola, age 12 — A seventh-grader who loves baking in a family that doesn't understand him proves his worth by making extraordinary brownies that win them over.

Story·Olivia Stoltzfus — A mute girl who finds solace in nature befriends a mountain cat family, discovers she can communicate telepathically with them, and runs away from her divorcing parents who plan to...

Story·Tiffanie Goh, age 11 — A mute girl who finds solace in nature discovers she can communicate telepathically with a mountain cat, then runs away when her divorcing parents abandon her.

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·Laura Aberle, age 12 — A curious girl investigates her neighborhood's 'crazy' artist who painted a giant portrait on his house, discovering the painting is made of tiny diverse people and the man is misunderstood.

Story·Leah Karker, age 12 — A girl raised on a farm discovers she's a wolf when she finds her birth mother among a wolf pack and transforms to join them.