finding home

Poetry·Sonja Minge, age 11 — A young camper observes the sensory details of an autumn night outdoors, from the Milky Way to marshmallows roasting to northern lights glowing over the forest.

Story·Asha Baudart-Gehlawat, age 10 — During Diwali celebrations at her grandparents' house, a girl's joy turns to terror when her little sister's hair catches fire from a candle, transforming her perspective on what matters most.

Story·Tatum Cocotos, age 13 — Through secret letters, Storm warns their cousin Bobbi on Planet 236 that the space station headquarters plans to cut off supplies to the colonies permanently.

Story·Isabella Widrow, age 12 — A family drives through rain to hunt chanterelles in the Pacific Northwest woods, finding twenty pounds after initial frustration and cold searching.

Story·Sonia Carroll, age 12 — A Mexican-American girl learns to celebrate rather than mourn her grandmother's death during Día de los Muertos, finding her spirit in a monarch butterfly.

Story·Eloise Wendt, age 12 — A California girl moves to snowy Minnesota after her parents' divorce, chases a coatless winter cyclist, and discovers an unexpected friendship with someone who feels just as out of place.

Poetry·Charlotte Robertson, age 11 — A young poet maps her beloved seaside town through sensory details — from a whale door knocker to turquoise wharfs to sailboats floating like butterflies.

Story·Ayla Schultz, age 11 — A girl whose family is fragmenting befriends her silent cousin by creating a mechanical dancing bird that mirrors the shorebirds they both love.

Story·Montanna Harling, age 13 — A lonely girl who spends afternoons in the forest rescues a drowning kitten from the river and finds the friend she's been missing.

Story·Aiwen L. Desai, age 12 — A girl searching for an elusive albino mare on her family's ranch is swept away by a flooded river, then rescued by the wild horse band she sought.