growing up

Story·Ella Jane Lombard, age 13 — In 1976 apartheid South Africa, a boy secretly joins student uprisings until police arrest his mother, forcing him to send his siblings to safety and flee to join guerrilla fighters.

Story·Shannon Jin, age 12 — A Chinese-American teenager struggles with her immigrant family's stories of hardship until visiting her father's childhood home in rural China transforms her understanding.

Story·Olivia Michelle Smit, age 13 — A ten-year-old Sioux boy participates in his first buffalo hunt, kills the largest buffalo in the herd, and earns his adult name, Buffalo Spirit.

Story·Anonymous, Illustrated by Madeleine Gates — A seven-year-old moves from California to Chicago, struggles with homesickness and lost friendships, then finds connection through soccer and a new friend named Jonathan.

Story·Anika Kwan, age 10 — A girl annoyed by her younger neighbor's clinginess realizes she's the child's role model, just as an older girl once was for her.

Story·Claire Hekkala, age 12 — A bored boy on a wildlife reserve trip follows his tennis ball off the safe path and encounters a wild wolf, sharing a moment of connection before his parents call...

Story·Michele Younger, age 12 — A younger sister struggles with jealousy when her talented older sister enters a prestigious surfing competition, but when disaster strikes, she rushes to save her.

Story·Ella Staats, age 11 — A tomboy daughter discovers her mother's insistence on frilly dresses stems from her own deprived childhood, leading to mutual understanding and acceptance.

Story·Marie-Rose Sheinerman, age 12 — An eleven-year-old returns from Russia to New York and is detained at customs, intensifying her desperate longing to reunite with her parents and her city.

Story·Ruby Dietz, age 12 — A girl panics when her younger brother doesn't board the school bus, only to discover he had permission to go to a friend's house instead.