family bonds

Story·Emily Worrell, age 12 — In 1940s America, a girl defies gender expectations to join the local baseball league, facing down the hostile coach and proving herself with a crucial home run.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 11 — After a weasel kills her beloved rooster Cocky, a girl struggles with guilt over loving a new chick until her mother helps her understand that loving again doesn't betray the...

Poetry·Stella White, age 11 — A girl lies in her father's childhood bed in London, watching trains pass and imagining his life decades earlier in the same room.

Story·Greta Kvittem, age 12 — An 11-year-old girl attends her first professional ballet performance for her grandmother's birthday and discovers her calling to become a ballerina.

Story·Ella Staats, age 12 — A young musician struggling with parental expectations discovers she can play beautifully when alone under the moonlight, free from pressure and performance anxiety.

Story·Kira Householder, age 11 — A girl secretly cares for a wolf in the woods, sneaking out at night to bring him food, until a forest fire takes his life and she discovers he left...

Story·Jenny Li, age 11 — During wartime, a boy trains doves to carry messages and inadvertently saves his occupied city when the birds reach the wrong army unit, though his father never returns.

Story·Hannah Ogden, age 13 — A family drives through the night to grandparents' house after eviction, their old truck barely making it as a girl reflects on loss and uncertain futures.

Story·Eva Rodrigues, age 13 — At a dreaded family cottage, a teenage astronomy enthusiast meets an eccentric boy in mismatched clothes on a rock under the blue moon, finding unexpected connection.

Story·Henry Allan, age 11 — A young magician overcomes performance anxiety when his uncle appreciates his card trick despite a mistake, teaching him that perfection isn't necessary for connection.