belonging

Personal Narrative·Alicia Xin, age 13 — A privileged teen volunteers at a camp in rural China's Liangshan mountains, where friendships with local Yi children reveal the true meaning of gratitude.

Story·Elaina Heinitz, age 10 — A grumpy man captures the town's beloved wake-up bird, but when the whole town mourns its loss, he realizes his mistake and sets it free.

Story·Emily Carver, age 11 — A red wolf named Ruby gets separated from her pack, is tranquilized and relocated to Yellowstone, where she finds a new pack and home after proving herself in battle.

Poetry·Leila Lakhal, age 12 — A Muslim girl defends her faith and community against stereotypes, describing her culture as a warm blanket woven from love and tradition.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A trumpet teacher arrives for lessons but instead of teaching, drinks espresso and talks about his Sicilian homeland, Mount Etna, and the village where he feels at home.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A nine-year-old city girl boards a fishing boat and watches Hyannis dissolve in the distance like a homeland she's never visited.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 9 — A robot travels the world—from beaches to northern lights to hailstorms—waiting for someone to call, revealing loneliness through its metal body and computer brain.

Story·Lena Donofrio, age 12 — A Vietnamese girl named Hoa, overwhelmed by her new American school, runs away to the fields where a mystical connection to nature helps her find peace with her new home.

Story·Bo-Violet Vig, age 13 — A girl wakes on her thirteenth birthday to find her family has forgotten, but they quickly orchestrate a do-over when they realize their mistake.

Poetry·Lydia Iliff, age 10 — A series of questions explores the nature of friendship, wondering about true motivations and what friends are supposed to be.