belonging

Story·Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, age 12 — At art camp, a girl joins a secret nickname club where everyone has a summer identity, until the club's leader reveals her own name was never a nickname at all.

Story·Andrew Lee, age 13 — A new student struggles with bullying on the soccer field until a classmate teaches him moves that help him make the team and find acceptance.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A reluctant girl spends summer caring for her grandmother on Nantucket, discovering family heritage through lightship basket weaving and maritime stories, finding unexpected belonging.

Poetry·Cayley Ziak, age 12 — A tree and stars converse at night, each envying the other's life until they recognize their own unique purposes and blessings.

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.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A Chinese-American girl struggles with her identity after moving from San Francisco to Boston, finding strength in her grandfather's wisdom about heritage and belonging.

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 12 — A 12-year-old searches frantically for her free-roaming cat Comet, posts flyers around the neighborhood, and finally reunites with him after a neighbor rescues him from a rooftop light well.

Story·Lena Greenberg, age 10 — A shy girl befriends the barefoot new student who claims to be a princess, then betrays her under peer pressure, only to discover the true meaning of friendship after Irah...

Story·Victoria Beccar Varela, age 10 — A lonely girl who plays harp privately joins a youth symphony at her mother's urging and meets a potential friend who offers to help her.

Story·Sabrina Wong, age 10 — A popular middle schooler rejects her childhood friend at lunch, then finds her grandmother's photo and realizes she's betrayed her values for social status.