growing up

Story·Lucy Tantum, age 12 — A reluctant twelve-year-old discovers a beautiful conch shell at the beach with her younger sister, rekindling warm memories of childhood beach visits.

Story·Eliza Edwards-Levin, age 11 — At summer camp, a girl encounters a bully who unexpectedly shares a beautiful poem with her one night on the beach, revealing hidden depths before reverting to cruelty.

Poetry·Nicky Cannon, age 12 — A roller skater crashes into a puddle but celebrates the joy of the ride despite the muddy, bruised ending.

Story·Isabel Won, age 11 — A brother and sister have a water gun fight on a hot day while their parents are out, ending when the sister gets too cold and the brother makes her...

Story·Allison Armstrong, age 13 — Eight-year-old Suzy discovers a calico kitten at the Humane Society and works doing chores to prove she's responsible enough to adopt it.

Story·Eve Driver, age 13 — During a thunderstorm, a thirteen-year-old searches for his younger brother who ran away after a cruel argument, finding him at the tree where their parents met.

Story·Genna Carroll, age 13 — While packing to move, a teenager discovers a story she wrote at age nine that eerily predicts her current situation of leaving her childhood room.

Story·Chappell Sargent — While packing to move, a teenager discovers stories she wrote at age nine, including one that eerily predicts her current situation of leaving her childhood room.

Story·Dani Bergman Chudnow, age 11 — On her eleventh birthday, a girl reluctantly plays baseball with a younger neighbor, accidentally hits him with a line drive, and learns about forgiveness when he immediately wants to keep...

Story·Ani Wilcenski, age 11 — A boy watches snow transform the landscape and records the lives of forest creatures, while his father sees only an eyesore to remove.