resilience

Story·Connor Pickens, age 13 — During a Boy Scout hike in California, two boys spot a forest fire and must lead their troop in a desperate race to reach a ranger station before the flames...

Poetry·Benjamin Firsick, age 11 — A boy raking leaves watches migrating birds, imagining one small bird who flies the opposite way eventually saves the flock from hawks in Costa Rica.

Story·Alexis Colleen Hosticka, age 12 — A father and son hiking trip turns dangerous when an avalanche strikes, and a mysterious deer saves the boy's life by warming his unconscious body.

Story·Lyla Lawless, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl devastated by moving from Rockville to Springfield finds hope in a letter left by the previous occupant of her new room.

Story·Kevin Wang, age 11 — Two boys visit their favorite river where one confronts his pain over his parents' divorce, leading to a dramatic rescue and deepened friendship.

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 12 — After being attacked by a dog as a toddler, Asa struggles with her fear until a friend's puppy needs adoption following a tragic accident.

Story·Emily Waxman, age 10 — A girl prepares for prom in 1946, wearing a dress made from her brother's WWII parachute, reflecting on family sacrifice and finding beauty in hardship.

Story·Casey Tolan, age 13 — During a blizzard, a boy herding sheep on his uncle's poor farm rescues a nobleman trapped under a fallen stone at Stonehenge, potentially saving the family's fortunes.

Story·Katharine Pong, age 12 — A girl runs eleven miles to the beach without planning, where observing oysters making pearls from irritating sand grains helps her reframe her frustrations with home life.

Story·Erin Cadora, age 10 — A stray cat with a bell that prevents her from hunting gradually learns to trust a grieving woman who feeds her, eventually becoming a beloved family pet.