freedom

Story·Samantha Lai, age 10 — A slave girl named Min-Li discovers she is a Guardian of the Phoenix when a magical bird rescues her and reveals her destiny to heal villages.

Story·Bonnie Leigh Cruser, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old girl wakes before dawn to ride her pony bareback through woods and fields, finding renewal in their secret morning gallop.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 13 — In 1947 Roswell, a rancher finds mysterious metal debris and strange beings in his pasture, leading to government intervention and lifelong consequences for those who touched the fragments.

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.

Poetry·Jacob Dysart, age 13 — A skateboarder captures the split-second of flight when jumping a curb, where worldly problems disappear before the wheels touch down again.

Story·Hannah V. Read, age 9 — A girl diving into a pool transforms through daydreams into a bird, fish, and otter before a bump returns her to reality at the diving board.

Poetry·Isaac Kamgar, age 11 — A skier experiences the sensory rush of flying downhill, tasting the sky's blueness while steel edges carve through snow.

Story·Claudia Ross, age 12 — A girl races to catch waves on the last days of summer, gets tumbled by a big swell, then eagerly paddles back out for more.

Poetry·Alec Zollman, age 13 — A cyclist pushes through burning thighs and approaching storms, hill by hill, until reaching the lake's perfect relief.

Story·Emma Place, age 11 — A girl sailing with her family off the Maine coast slips into the water and rides a dolphin after a pod appears alongside their boat.