Pragnya HG

The Girl of Ink and Stars, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12

Maps are interesting little things. They make use of the stars and the sky and a quickly fraying memory to create a drawing of a world, from the crevices and geographical notches to the stories behind them. Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s debut novel, The Girl Of Ink And Stars, creates a surrealistic novel about friends, myths and tracing your own star-touched story. Set in the fictional island of Joya, our protagonist, Isabella “Isa” Riosse is a fierce and curious thirteen year-old with a knack for creating vivid drawings of the world around her. Map-making, or cartography as she likes to call it, runs in her blood, with both her parents the town’s most renowned cartographers. On the day that everything changed, Isa was on her way to school with her best friend Lupe, the governor’s daughter when word reached her that Cata Rodriguez, a girl in their class, was dead. Killed, to be exact, when Lupe had sent her to find dragon fruit for her. Spurred by the sudden news, Lupe’s guilt creates a rift between the two of them and decides to find out the reason behind Cata’s unfortunate death. Isa, conflicted, decides to follow her best friend, and travel into the forbidden territories. She’ll have to navigate her way through wild wastelands and a labyrinth of emotions to face the myths that weren’t as fictional as she initially thought them to be. The worldbuilding is rich and well thought-out, Joya and its divisions a vivid setting for the tangential action to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and characters in general, filled with traits that mirror everyday life and plot twists that undermine the character for the greater good of the story. Something that stood out to me was the intricate foreshadowing, little clues dropped in unsuspecting moments, that, if paid attention to, gave way to a very interesting climax. The first-person point of view only helped the reader to experience the story as their own, along with enthralling prose and evocative description. “But you always have to finish stories, even if they aren’t all with happy endings.” From the very beginning, I was hooked onto Isa’s adventures and this book will leave you with a lasting impression long after the final chapter. The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Yearling Books, 2018. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!

Echo, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12

Sometimes the most unexpected things can change your life forever. New York Times Bestselling Author Pam Munoz Ryan’s Echo is a story about the power of music, family and just exactly how much the world can impact you. The story, which takes place across multiple storylines, starts with Otto Messenger, who, while in the midst of a game of hide and seek, finds himself in a forbidden forest and no sooner,  tangled into a prophecy, a mysterious harmonica and three sisters placed under a spell which only could be broken by a  messenger. 50 years later, the very same harmonica is placed into the lives of Friedrich, Mike and Ivy, three children living very different lives, except for the one thing they had in common-their ability to find solace in music. Friedrich, living in 1940s Germany is faced with crisis when his father is taken captive. Mike, an orphan living with his brother, Frankie’s lives are turned upside down when they are adopted by Ms. Stuebridge, a rich widow with a mansion in the countryside who has more to her personality than what meets the eye. Ivy Lopez discovers she is forced to move to Fresno, away from her old home and into a new life filled with new people whom she isn’t used to. But through the power of music and friends they make along the way, they manage to restore balance in themselves and break the three sisters’ curse. Ryan manages to weave innocence and simple pleasures into a war-ridden world, and everyday experiences through the light of three sixth graders. Easily likable characters and their internal conflict adds a lot to the story as it enables you to only step more into the shoes of the protagonists’ lives. A particular highlight of the story were the descriptions, specifically the emotions felt during the performance. The rich imagery moves you into a haven tucked away from the world, where every note wrapped you up in a story they were meant to tell. Filled with eloquent, simple yet effective prose, characters readers will thoroughly find themselves attached to, and a vivid glimpse into what the past was like, Echo will take your breath away from the first strike until the very last note. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Scholastic, 2015. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!

When You Trap A Tiger, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12

When you Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller is a story of family, relationships and the magic in everyday life in which, Lily, the Korean-American main character, discovers a secret about her family’s heritage. It all starts when she, along with her sister Sam and her mother Joan, go to visit her halmoni (grandmother in Korean) in Sunview. But when she comes across a tiger that looks like it is straight from one of her Korean folktales, something inside her starts to wonder how normal her family heritage actually is. Unfortunately for Lily, trying to solve the mystery of a tiger straight from mythology isn’t easy, especially when the harshness of reality starts to show itself. Naturally introverted, Lily finds it difficult to make friends and fit in amongst people until she meets Ricky, a lighthearted rich kid from the other side of town who has more to him than his humorous outside. Together, the two of them set plans to trap the tiger and save her halmoni. But what if the tiger isn’t the villain of the story? What if there’s more to the tale than what Lily understands? Will she be able to conquer her fears and figure out what’s going on before it is too late? One of my favorite elements of the book was its character development. I loved all the characters with their quirks and emotions and vivid personalities. I also really liked some of the character arcs and the extremely meaningful lessons that came out of it. The best kind of books are those books which make you feel something. When I first started reading Tae Keller’s Newbery Winning Novel, I didn’t have too many expectations. I entered this book expecting adventure, mythology and an engaging character dynamic. But when I finished the book, I was left in a whirl. I felt as though I’d been following the thread of Lily’s adventures and emotions and thoughts until the very end of the story and then I was left with all the pieces left behind that made me feel a lot of this and helped me form an opinion on the novel. When You Trap a Tiger is filled with all sorts of moments, both heartbreaking and heart racing, but this spellbinding novel will keep you hooked until the very end. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!