Welcome to the Book Page for The Other Realm, a fantasy novel by Tristan Hui, age 14, winner of the 2020 Stone Soup Annual Book Contest, published on September 1, 2021 by Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc. Awards & Listings 2021: The Other Realm was announced as a silver medalist for the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in the category of Best Book by Youth Author (under 18). Launched in 2007, the Moonbeam Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to celebrate children’s books and life-long reading. Press, Interviews, & Events Interview with Stone Soup contributor Lena Aloise, 12 In this shorter interview, Lena and Tristan talk about the value of Stone Soup & all things The Other Realm, from where Tristan got her inspiration to her writing process to what she wants readers to take away from the novel. For a longer, more personal look inside Tristan’s process writing The Other Realm, click here. Reviews Review by Ismini Vasiloglou, 12 Tristan Hui’s The Other Realm is a story of family and adventure sure to enthrall even the most hesitant reader. After falling into a dimension parallel to her world, Azalea Morroe sets off on a quest to save the job of her eccentric father. Along the way, she befriends Sunny, a 15-year-old native in search of her older brother, and Sam, a 10-year-old ghost desperate to flee the unrelenting Prileidian Desert. Together, they make their way towards the city of Cambelt, facing numerous challenges guaranteed to capture the reader’s attention. The Other Realm is a quick but enticing five-star read. The prose is beautiful, rich, and vivid. From the “graying aspens” to the “glaring sun,” I felt as if I were trekking through the sweltering desert myself. Tristan writes, “Azalea was crouched on the hard, dry ground of an expansive desert, the air hazy and landscape painted in muted hues.” Tristan seems to have carefully chosen each word, making the landscape spring to life. Additionally, the plot is fresh and easy to follow, but complex enough that the reader constantly wants more. The characters are well-rounded, dynamic, and relatable. While this book is action-packed, much internal conflict occurs, and we see the characters evolve from start to finish. I also love how Tristan explores family bonds. I’ve had many moments these past few years where I’ve taken a comment or critique from my family too personally and ended up hurt or ignored. Through characters like Sunny, Tristan shows that no matter what blows are exchanged, the love of family trumps all. Not only that, the protagonist, Azalea, demonstrates how far she is willing to go to help her family as she continues to persevere to save her father’s job, despite all the challenges thrown her way. I would have liked to see more growth in the main character, but overall Tristan Hui’s The Other Realm is a must-read for lovers of fantasy, adventure, and magical realism.
Special Feature
Three Days till EOC by Abhimanyu Sukhdial
Welcome to the Book Page for Three Days till EOC, a cli-fi thriller by Abhimanyu Sukhdial, age 12, winner of the 2019 Stone Soup Annual Book Contest, published on September 1, 2020 by Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc. Awards & Listings 2022: Three Days till EOC was recognized by the 2021-22 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the novel writing category. As per the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards “This year the Scholastic Awards received nearly 260,000 entries nationally; 20,000 entries were from the Remote* Programs alone! In the Remote Programs, only 9 percent of all works received a Silver Key. And only 12 percent of all works submitted to our Remote Programs received an Honorable Mention. Receiving a Silver Key or Honorable Mention is an incredible achievement.” * Remote or Region-at-Large (RAL) is the regional level program for students who live outside of areas covered by Affiliate Partners. Abhi was recognized as Oklahoma recipient of the Young Promising Writer Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Promising Young Writer Awards, which specifically recognizes 8th grade writers. To qualify, students must first be nominate by their teachers, and they must submit 2 pieces of writing – a “best” piece no more than 6 pages, and a “theme” piece no more than 4 pages. Abhi selected an excerpt from Three Days till EOC for his “Best” writing and for his second piece, wrote a personal essay around the NCTE 2022 themed prompt: Exploring Boundaries. Oklahoma hadn’t had a student place for the last several years. Abhi was the sole honoree within the state this year. He was among 66 students out of total 116 nominated students in US/Canada and American schools abroad that were recognized with the Promising Young Writer Award for 2022. 2021: Three Days Till EOC was named the Honor Award Winner for the 2021 Green Earth Book Awards in the Young Adult Fiction category. This is a national award administered by The Nature Generation that recognizes children’s and YA literature that best promotes the message of environmental stewardship. As part of Abhi’s Honor Award win from the 2021 Green Earth Book Awards, he also recorded a riveting video in which he advocates for immediate climate action. You can watch this video, here. The NextGen Under 30 Oklahoma program selected Abhi as an honoree in the category of ARTS. The goal of the program is to mentor and nurture the next generation of achievers and leaders with the hope they will continue to give back to their local communities and the state. To be selected for such an honor is an incredible achievement in its own right, but Abhi’s inclusion as a teenager is especially rare! Enjoy these photos of Abhi taken at the NextGen Under 30 awards ceremony. The state of Oklahoma decided to reward Abhi and other 250 winners of the Next Gen Under 30 award with a grand event at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in Norman, OK. Enjoy a photo of Abhi and his assistant principal—also an awardee—below! 2020: Abhi’s book was selected for listing amongst the “books received in November” in Locus Magazine: it’s pretty cool to appear on a list that also includes Margaret Atwood, H.G. Wells, and J.R.R Tolkien! Reviews Adam Rex, author of The True Meaning of Smekday (2007), and the NYT bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (2006). Adam Rex wrote an enthusiastic and generous review of Abhi’s book, which you can read in full here. “…there’s something especially arresting about a story of global warming catastrophe written by an author who just may be young enough to see it come about in his own lifetime. Three Days till EOC is special because author Abhimanyu Sukhdial makes you feel an urgency he no doubt feels himself. And because, after walking you to that edge, he also has the wisdom to imagine a way we all might take a step back.” Zillah Bethell, author of The Shark Caller (2020), The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare (2017) and A Whisper of Horses (2016) “I was gripped from start to finish. Abhi is an extraordinarily talented writer and I look forward to following his career.” Dan Bloom, Editor, The Cli-Fi Report We mailed of a copy of the book to Dan Bloom, inventor of the term “cli-fi,” and he sent us a wonderful letter of recommendation. You can read his complete letter here, and the quotes below give you an idea of how much he enjoyed the book! “I couldn’t put the book down. It’s that good.” “Teens and sci-fi geeks will love it, and so will YA readers and adults, too. It’s a novella that combines science fiction with climate fiction, and I at the age of 71-going-on-72 enjoyed every single page. This is a young writer to watch!” “Bravo!” UNAI (United Nations Academic Impact) “Why We Care,” a review of the book by Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact. Available as a PDF: Why We Care – 3 September 2020 | Academic Impact; or at the UNAI website. Press, Interviews & Events Stillwater News Press Abhi’s selection as an honoree for the ARTS by NextGen Under 30 Oklahoma was publicized in the local paper. KOSU NPR Abhi was interviewed by KOSU, the regional NPR station, for an article and radio segment published on Earth Day 2021. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Stanfield / KOSU India Association of Oklahoma Meet the Author – interview and Q&A with families and students. Duke TIP Newsletter Coverage in the newsletter of Duke University’s Academic Talent Search program, TIP. Click the image to read the full article and review. Author interview with Stone Soup Intern Anya Geist Abhi and Anya have an in-depth conversation about Abhi’s writing process, the development of EOC, and the experience of writing for and winning the contest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-susnKavHLY&t=26s Morning Edition program on TV 31 Stillwater The link to Facebook below will take you direct to the video of the show on 29/10/20. The interview with Abhi runs between minutes 12:44
Stone Soup author Sabrina Guo starts PPE fundraiser for Long Island medical staff: support LILAC!
Sabrina Guo, a Syosset High School freshman from Long Island, NY–and a name that readers of Stone Soup over the past few years will recognize from her many contributions to the Magazine and blog–has risen to the challenge of COVID-19 in the Long Island community. In response to New York City Mayor De Blasio’s declaration on March 23 that hospitals would run out of personal protective equipment (PPE) in a week, she started a fundraising campaign: LILAC (Long Island Laboring Against COVID-19). This GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than $7,000 (at time of writing) to support frontline medical professionals, with local news coverage published in the Syosset Jericho Tribune. Great work, Sabrina! You can find the GoFundMe campaign here; and pick up news and updates via Instagram (Is@lilacovid_19). Stone Soup is proud to support this great initiative, and we hope our readers will consider doing so, as well. And, to all our readers–what local initiatives are you involved with during this crisis? Let us know so we can stand together, offer our support, and spread the word to the rest of the Stone Soup community!
