The United States is made up of people who immigrated here from all over the world. Some came a long time ago, some more recently. All of us are Americans, who have “melted” together into one culture. But many of us have kept the traditions of our ancestors alive, especially when it comes to foods and holiday celebrations. And that’s what makes our culture so rich and interesting! “Being Lucia,” by Molly O’Toole, the featured story from our January/February 2015 issue, introduces us to the Swedish holiday St. Lucia’s Day. Like Christmas and Hanukkah, St. Lucia’s Day falls near the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year), and it shares a love of light with the other winter holidays. St. Lucia’s Day has its own song—the St. Lucia song—and its own treats—homemade Lucia buns. When a daughter turns thirteen, she plays the part of St. Lucia. She wears a white dress with a red sash, and a wreath with seven candles in it. She serves Lucia buns and coffee to the adults in the family, while her siblings walk behind her, singing the song. Author Molly O’Toole and illustrator Ravela Smyth have done a wonderful job of recreating the beauty of the holiday and the excitement a young girl feels when she gets to be Lucia for the first time. Notice all the ways in which Molly shows her main character’s anticipation. She “springs out of bed,” her stomach is doing “flip-flops.” It’s like “waiting in line at the amusement park; waiting for hours and hours. But finally you get to go on the ride, and it’s the most amazing and exhilarating roller coaster that you will ever go on in your whole life.” And at the end of the story, we’re right there with Elizabeth as her “eyes fill with tears” and she feels as if she is “melting away into the bright candle surroundings, and everywhere is light.” Did your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents immigrate to the United States from another country? Has your family kept some holiday traditions alive from the old country? Think about what those traditions mean to you, then put pencil to paper (or keyboard to monitor). Give the reader the details he or she needs to feel what you feel, your excitement and joy, as your family celebrates in its own way.
Writing activity
Breaking the Rules and Making Your Readers Think
Is it ever OK to break the rules? The two main characters in “Life Among the Whispers,” the featured story from the November/December 2014 issue of Stone Soup, make us think about this question. Lise, a girl in her mid-teens, has always obeyed her parents and done the right thing. It’s especially important now, with her dad running for office. Tobias, a year or so older than Lise, may have come from the wrong side of the tracks, but he’s a good kid too. He knows right from wrong, but he can’t help himself. Eleven-year-old author Mathilde Fox-Smith, through her multi-layered story, helps us see that life is not black and white. Sometimes a case can be made for breaking the rules. Lise loves art. She takes a break from helping with her dad’s campaign to see an art show in a gallery. On her way out, she stumbles on a painting more beautiful than anything she saw in the gallery. She knows it’s graffiti, which is illegal, but how can something so beautiful be wrong? When she returns home, she doesn’t tell her parents why she’s late. And she keeps Tobias’s secret for the next few weeks as the two meet secretly and become friends. Is she wrong? Tobias is a born artist. He is driven to make art. He says he was tricked into painting graffiti when he was younger, but now he can’t stop. He sees a big blank wall and dreams of covering it with his artwork. Is he wrong? Laws are written to make our society work for everyone. Laws help keep us safe. They protect our rights and keep us from trampling on someone else’s rights. A law against graffiti prevents any-old-person from painting any-old-thing on a wall. It prevents people from doing damage, or painting something offensive. But this is not what Tobias is doing. In a perfect world, an art-friendly city might offer permits to artists to make murals on blank walls. Then Tobias’s artwork would not be illegal. But the world is not perfect. What to do? In general, it’s a bad idea to take the law into your own hands. It’s a bad idea to keep secrets from your parents. But Tobias isn’t hurting anyone or anything. And Lise’s silence isn’t either. And there you have the basis of a rich, complex story. Author Mathilde Fox-Smith has made us think. Maybe her story has sparked a discussion in your home or classroom. This is one of the powers of fiction. You think you’re reading an entertaining story about two people who become friends. But beneath the surface, big questions about life are raised. The next time you sit down to write a story, see if you can bring a deeper layer to it. See if you can make us think.
Twists and Turns
What makes a story interesting? Yes, it could be fun to read a story about a girl who spends two enjoyable weeks at summer camp, plays some archery, makes a few friends, and then goes home. But how much more interesting is it when those two weeks include a secret, two lies, a false accusation, a confession, and a mystery? Twelve-year-old Tatum Schutt wrote My Grandmother’s Earrings, the featured story from the September/October 2014 issue of Stone Soup. The story is full of interesting twists and turns. We want to keep reading to find out how it will all turn out. Cicile is the narrator of the story. Her beloved grandmother died recently, but Cicile doesn’t want anyone at camp to know because she doesn’t like to be pitied. She swears her archenemy, Jess, to secrecy before they both leave for camp. Jess agrees, but she can’t resist teasing Cicile at camp about her “old-fashioned” earrings. Cicile admits to the other campers that the earrings are from her grandmother, but, determined to keep her secret, she lies and says she doesn’t like them. The next morning, Cicile is frantic when she can’t find the earrings anywhere. She breaks down and tells her cabin mates the truth. But where are the earrings? Everyone thinks Jess must have taken them. Jess denies it and suggests that perhaps Cicile’s grandmother’s “ghost” took them. Cicile’s new friend, Nicole, speaks to Cicile privately, saying it must have been Jess. Then, on the last day of camp, right before she drives off with her parents, Nicole hands Cicile a note. She confesses that she is the one who took the earrings. The note tells Cicile where to find them and begs for her forgiveness. All is well, almost. Next to the earrings, taped to a bed frame, is a tiny bottle of her grandmother’s perfume. Come to think of it, Cicile caught a whiff of the perfume on the very first day of camp. Was her grandmother somehow watching this story unfold all along? The story ends with this mystery, as well as some other unanswered questions. Will Cicile be able to forgive Nicole? Will she patch things up with Jess, now that she knows Jess was not lying? We’ll never know for sure, and maybe it’s better that way. The story leaves us with much to think about. It draws us in and makes us wonder how we would have acted in a similar situation. Is it always better to tell the truth, or are there times when it’s OK to lie? Should we be careful not to accuse someone of a wrongdoing when we don’t have proof? Can we forgive a friend who is truly sorry for her actions? Think about Tatum’s story the next time you sit down to write. Ask yourself, what would make my story more interesting? How can I create believable characters? Real people make mistakes. Sometimes they regret their actions. Take us along with you as you explore the twists and turns that make life (and stories) interesting.
