loss and grief

Story·Catherine Pugh, age 12 — A girl loses her handwritten novel when it blows off a San Francisco cable car and disappears down a storm drain marked 'Flows to Bay.'

Poetry·Isaac Goodman, age 9 — A whale mourns his sister's death at human hands, his mournful song misunderstood as beautiful by those who hear it.

Poetry·Courtney Cooperman, age 12 — A fifth-grader reflects on the finality of elementary school's last day, from yearbook signings to the bell's final ring that marks the end of childhood routines.

Poetry·Hayden Brame, age 13 — A child who once wished on stars for fun now wishes for more time with someone dying, then takes back the wish to end their suffering.

Story·Benet Dawn Stoen, age 11 — A girl moves to the South Pole with her scientist parents, befriends a local boy who runs away after a painful memory surfaces, then nearly dies of hypothermia while searching...

Story·Alex Carmona, age 12 — A wolf pup who lost her family in a blizzard encounters a grieving girl who lost her dog, and through their connection, the wolf brings her blind brother to the...

Story·Natalie Han, age 11 — An eleven-year-old reflects on how her relationship with her older brother has changed as they've grown up, remembering their imaginative games and missing their closeness.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 10 — A girl's beloved hunting dog Fern is fatally injured and crawls away to die among the sweet ferns, where a mysterious pink flower later blooms.

Story·Rachel Keirstead, age 13 — After her grandmother's death, Addie receives a mysterious locket and coded letter that reveal her grandmother's love story and a message about happiness.

Story·Ryan Kearns, age 12 — A family takes their cancer-stricken dog Maddy to her beloved beach one last time, where she briefly finds the strength to play before being put to sleep the next day.