self-discovery

Story·Erin Bennett, age 11 — A shy girl visits a special oak tree at night where the ghost of her friend appears to tell her a cautionary tale about finding her voice.

Story·Dominique Maria Spera, age 13 — A nine-year-old tennis player, forced to retire from a match due to knee injury, transforms despair into determination while watching rain turn to rainbow from her bedroom window.

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 11 — A Japanese boy falls into a creek chasing his lost shoe and discovers from a wise turtle that he has the magical ability to breathe underwater.

Poetry·Emily Riippa, age 13 — A solitary climber battles altitude and exhaustion on a snow-covered mountain, driven by determination to reach the summit and its promised view.

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after wrecking her yacht, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an unexpected epiphany about life's...

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after crashing her boat, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an epiphany about life's beauty.

Story·Hannah Blau — A young runner loses confidence after a disappointing race but rediscovers her love for running with help from her sister and best friend.

Story·Emily Saso, age 12 — A nine-year-old girl conquers her nerves at her first horse show, struggling through the canter before placing second with her horse Pacino.

Story·Margaret Bryan, age 12 — A cross-country runner experiences the transcendent sensation of flying during a race, moving between competitive awareness and pure physical freedom.

Story·Alexis Colleen Hosticka, age 12 — A thirteen-year-old who has hidden her love of animals since childhood finally reveals her secret when she volunteers at an animal shelter and falls for a kitten named Cinnamon.