growing up

Poetry·Kathleen Werth, age 8 — A young writer explores identity through an 'I AM' poem format, weaving together dreams of unicorns, talking dogs, and the worry of dying too soon.

Story·Sophia Fu, age 9 — A girl discovers she has type 1 diabetes after days of exhaustion and illness, then adjusts to daily blood sugar checks and insulin shots.

Story·Freya Jones, age 13 — A 13-year-old chronicles raising her 4-H pig Ash from spring to fair, knowing she'll have to sell him for slaughter, wrestling with love and loss.

Story·Allie Aguila, age 13 — A man seeking escape from anxiety tries experimental goggles that restore childlike imagination, but stays too long and encounters darkness that threatens to consume him.

Story·Sabrina Feldberg, age 12 — A Chicago teen resenting her family's move to San Francisco transforms into a fish at the beach, navigating dangers before accepting her new home.

Story·Lucy Zanker, age 11 — A girl and her robotic brother accidentally launch themselves into space on their father's NASA rocket, forcing her to disassemble him to return home safely.

Poetry·Tommy Swartz, age 12 — A 12-year-old's anxious inner monologue cycles through worries about jokes, death, regrets, and daily stresses in short, punchy lines.

Story·Melina Ahmad, age 11 — Two six-year-old best friends spend a perfect day together at a street fair, unaware that boxes in one girl's apartment signal an impending move to California.

Story·Frances Brogan, age 11 — After her family cancels their annual carnival trip, an eleven-year-old runs away by bus to Lancaster, only to be immediately driven back home by her friend's mother.

Story·Una Dorr, age 11 — A boy terrified of heights must overcome his fear when his cat gets trapped on a crumbling 20th-floor balcony that locks behind him.