courage

Story·Fiona Clare Altschuler, age 11 — Poor mouse twins receive a visit from the wealthy royal family, whose scorn prompts their mother to declare she's richer in joy than they are in gold.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 9 — A young poet captures the Revolutionary War through fragmented images of muskets, roses, and soldiers' faces molded by fear and braveness.

Personal Narrative·Michelle Wang, age 12 — A Chinese immigrant child's first day of American school transforms from terror to tentative hope when a classmate extends a gentle hand of friendship.

Story·Chloe Leng, age 12 — In a post-COVID dystopia where rich and poor are segregated, a lonely delivery boy discovers an underground society of 'Peacebreakers' who refuse to wear masks or social distance.

Story·Sarah Süel, age 10 — A girl and her pet mouse climb the dangerous Mt. Treacherous, facing rockslides and bears before triumphantly reaching the summit and returning home as heroes.

Poetry·Parwana Amiri, age 16 — A refugee teen's defiant catalog of what takes courage — building schools, welcoming the homeless, staying human — versus what's easy: destroying, hurting, closing your eyes.

Poetry·Parwana Amiri, age 16 — A dialogue poem between two voices moves from invitation to fly, through a refugee's plea for help, to a declaration of collective strength and resistance.

Poetry·Summer Loh, age 8 — A young chess player narrates a winning game, capturing pieces with confidence until achieving checkmate in a moment of triumph.

Story·Tristan Hui, age 14 — A girl falls through her apartment floor into another realm where she teams up with a refugee shelter volunteer to steal a car and journey to the mysterious island of...

Story·Brennan Cameron, age 10 — After a fire destroys their farm's crops and orchard, Oscar must decide whether to sell his beloved foal Rose to help his family survive the winter.