We are very excited to announce this year’s winners of our annual writing contest! Writers ages 9-16 were challenged to compose a short, 350-word story that included the sentence “Immediately, it was upside down.” In addition to having their stories illustrated with original artwork, each winner enjoyed a $50 online literary shopping spree. Congratulations to all!
Illustrations by Aliisa Lee
PENCIL
By Xinyi Xie, age 9
I am up high, part of a monstrous Oak tree. Every day is like the one before: I find myself a bit taller, the morning sun hurts my eyes. (I do not have eyes), I wait as creatures pass by, during noon, my leaves gracefully soak the sun, then it gets dim and stars twinkle above me.
Today is like any other day- Suddenly, my ears heard an eerie rumbling noise (I didn’t have ears). A creature uses a thing to cut down me like the ones that they used to cut down my treemates. The creature put me on a truck ( I did not know what a truck is) then the world is black.-I mean it totally wasn’t.
I get put on a track and entered a silver box and when I came out of the box, I am a small cylinder and I have black stuffing inside me, I am coated in yellow, and I have a bouncy pink thing an end of me the thing takes me to a place where my end without the pink thing gets sharpened. “Aaaaaaah!!!” (I can’t scream). I am put in a box where I wait, wait, and wait when I finally get to come out. I look around and I realize that I am surrounded with tons of creatures. I panic.
The box was better than this. Now, a giant creature loomed over me and its sweaty hands were grabbing me. I stared out the window looking at the trees. Immediately, it was upside down. My sharp end smashes into the floor and I shut my eyes because I am scared. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh” I found out that I got shoved into a hole that made me sharper. A big hand grabs me. My heart starts pounding (I do not have a heart) “Marcus! What did I say about using the sharpener in the middle of class?” The big creature taps me with my pink and sharp end. Every day is like the one before. Until I get snapped in half and a creature throws me into the deep, black void.
UNTITLED
By Wonbi Kim, age 11
Today was the day. Deep down, I knew it had to be someday.
I roll out of bed and throw on some clothes. Walking downstairs, I’m not surprised that Dad is not here. He really hasn’t been, ever since…My mom died. On that fateful day when the cancer had finally taken her, everything changed. Now I was alone. But, today, maybe it would be different. Mom had left one last message for me before she passed. I found it a day later, taped under my lamp:
Annabelle,
There is one last thing I must give to you. This joy has been yours all along. Whenever you’re ready, tap on the back of Grandma’s mirror three times. What happens next is forever yours to treasure.
Love, Mom
I don’t know if I am ready, but would I ever be? Trembling with both fear and anticipation, I slowly walk down the hall to Grandma’s mirror. I couldn’t hesitate and I couldn’t turn back now. I delicately turn the mirror around and tap three times.
Everything spins. Streaks of vibrant colors dance before my eyes. The wall in front of me begins to flip. My whole world begins to flip – sideways and backwards and in ways I don’t understand. Immediately, it was upside down. And, in that upside down, is something beautiful. A universe of radiant color and light and life lie before me. Strangely, peaceful understanding settles over me as I gaze into this mystery. I take one timid step into the land before me. I look up into the heavens, searching for any sign of my mom. And, just in case she is up there, watching this land, watching me, I fall to my knees and think: thank you for all that you’ve done for me. Thank you for blessing me with this land of beauty and peace. Yes, I will treasure it forevermore.
And then I whisper the words that I’ve been waiting to say for so long: Thank you so much for being my mother.
THE ACROBAT
By Adela Sullivan, age 14
The girl knew she could fly.
She had only felt it briefly before, the freedom of soaring through the air like a bird freed from its cage. So although she stood firmly on the acrobat’s platform, her legs were shaking. The spotlights made her glimmering costume blink like a golden beacon towards the audience. How easy it would be to simply watch someone else, their lives of no consequence! For the crowd, it was just entertainment. But for her, the amount of things that could fail was enormous. A millisecond of error could mean freefalling to the ground below. She had imagined this moment in her dreams and it followed her around every corner.
All she had to do was jump. Of course she could do it, but only in practice. She could easily visualize the long family line of flyers that came before her. Generations of acrobats soared back long before her time. Sometimes the girl could feel the weight of her lineage crushing her, squishing her into a mould that didn’t quite fit yet. Still, the freedom of soaring through the air released her ever so temporarily.
The acrobat’s swinging bar awaited her.
Her heart pounding in her chest, she bent her knees. Forever, the girl would remember the feeling of leaving everything when she leaped. Nothing but the raw terror of being completely alone filled her now.
With a start, she remembered her freedom and those who came before her. Had they felt the same on their first flight? The thought invigorated her. Adrenaline and euphoria coursed through her, easing her fear. She twisted mid-air. She flipped. She somersaulted! Below her, the world spun simultaneously. Immediately, it was upside down! A laugh of pure joy bubbled out of the girl as she flew from her cage.
The crowd gasped.
The girl’s toes touched the edge of the second platform, her body sighing with relief. A thunderous applause shook the arena as she took a low bow. She steadily recognized nothing else could stop her; she had flown and was free.
A FISHERMAN’S YARN
By Gillian Appelget, age 15
The watch boat lingered on the horizon. The ocean was a mirror held to the silvery sky, and seabirds trailed overhead on long white wings. I knew, however, that the stillness only concealed teeming water beneath, as small baitfish would rise to the surface.
I assumed they sought refuge from the chaos below, but found only the gulls. I, too, intended to disturb the silence here. I dropped my line in and watched the bait fade from white to blue to nothing as sunlight was filtered out by the sea. My kayak cut sharp eddies through the latent water while I pedaled. The gulls circled in the clouds like vultures. A breeze sent small wind-waves running north.
Before I could relax, my rod was almost torn from my hand, bending into a sharp arch. The line flew from the reel with an insectoid buzz. I scrambled to set the drag while the kayak turned sharply to starboard. The line went slack and my stomach sank with disappointment before a form rose violently from the water. The marlin leaped, then crashed back into the sea, dragging my kayak behind it.
Immediately, it was upside down. The salt stung my eyes and the cold water shocked me motionless. The ocean expanded in every direction around me, and a cloud of bubbles swarmed towards the surface. I followed them, gasping frigid air and reaching for my overturned kayak. The marlin, undeterred, nearly dragged me away. I managed to grab the side of my kayak, using my weight to flip it over. Dizzy from the chill, I somehow struggled back in.
I fought the fish until the sun stained the sea gold. Only then did it begin to tire, and my kayak came to a rest off unfamiliar coastline. The marlin’s bill pierced the surface and I apprehensively reached for it, but recoiled after the fish thrashed. The marlin’s fierce blue eye reflected the yellow of my kayak, of which it was nearly as long. I reached out again, and cut the line. The gulls called quietly as it darted back into the deep.
Originally hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Barbara Hess Valenza (1961-2024) earned a B.A. in Communications and Theatre from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and began her career in New York City in the art department of Jim Henson Productions. In 2011, she transitioned to Princeton University as the Assistant Director of Graphic Services and The Digital Print Center, and then as the inaugural Director of Library Communications in 2017. A long-time resident of Hopewell, New Jersey, she and her husband, Mark, raised their two children — Laura and Nathaniel — with much love and laughter. Barbara believed in the positive power of art and literature, and, as a talented and giving artist, honored the responsibility and privilege that comes with creating.
Kindness, positivity, imagination, hope, and happiness run through Barbara’s works like golden threads on a beautiful tapestry. In her illustrations and words, Barbara shared her artistic soul while also encouraging readers to embrace and express their own creativity. Central to her stories are personal connections — families to be celebrated, friends to be discovered, and feelings to be shared.
From bears in bursting rainbow gardens to birthday parties for dachshund dogs, Barbara’s illustrations are vivid and bold; joyful and jubilant. The exhibition, coordinated by family, friends, and colleagues, is a loving tribute to her creative and giving spirit. To quote Barbara’s own inspiring words: This is a great day. Be wonderful in everything you do. Make the world a brighter place. Have lots and lots of fun. Be happy.
The paper menu correlated with an acrylic menu we hung by the window, so kids could see how the colors appear when they are dry. At the event, they could choose up to 6 colors.
The color menus further correlated with paint bottle holders I made out of box tops and paper cups. This helped me and Katie locate colors fast, and also kept the bottles upright.
Kids then took everything to worktables where Sharpies were waiting in bins. They used the Sharpies to draw on the acrylic, colored it in with the paint, then took it to the drying tables. Our system totally worked…we had ZERO paint spills or accidents and the kids were really delighted with the little color palettes.
For caregivers who didn’t want to navigate paint, we made small copies of four of the custom windows, and had a coloring table with washable markers.
The surprise runaway event hit, however, were the light tables. These were 3 LED light tracing pads we purchased on Amazon. We bought large 11″ x 16″ pads, which cost $40 each, but there are definitely smaller cheaper one available. The light pads were paired with translucent shapes and tiles (about $9 – $13 a set, depending on the style), Katie also spotted a super cool pack of 12 transparent geodes (Amazon, $25).
The grand finale at the event was Karen Caldwell from 
