Nishka Budalakoti, 10 (Foster City, CA) Covid Memories Nishka Budalakoti, 10 I’ve been as confused As a dog who chased It’s tail and caught it I’ve been as angry As a crocodile Who just couldn’t catch A meek little mouse I’ve been as nervous As a small chipmunk In a group of bulls And yet I’ve been as Patient as a spider Waiting on its web And I’ve stood as tall As a giraffe in The African heat And yet I’ve been kind Even though I feel Like a cat who has Been woken from her nap When it is morning And yes, things have gone Wrong, yes, things have Changed, but still, but still, I am still the same Because even though We might forget the Normal times when we’re Old, we will never Forget the different Times, never, ever ever. What doesn’t kill you Makes you stronger, but Also makes the best Memories of all. The featured image for this piece was taken by BlueJay and accompanied her poem “Wild.”
Young Bloggers
Mexican Gothic Reviewed by Sita, 13
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s gothic horror novel Mexican Gothic is incredible. It has truly mastered the art of its trade, undertaking the ‘something-is-a-little-off’ family living in a something-is-quite-a bit-off house’ story without being cliché, melodramatic, or making the characters unsympathetic or unrealistic. The novel, set in 1950s Mexico, kicks off with its protagonist, 22 year-old Noemí Taboada, at a party with her boyfriend Hugo, when she gets called home by her father. Her father tells her that her cousin, Catalina, who is like a sister to her, had sent a letter to her after months of silence between the two following Catalina’s suspiciously quick marriage to Virgil Doyle. In the letter, Catalina says she hears ghosts in the walls and thinks that Virgil is going to poison her. Concerned for Catalina’s health and safety, Noemí ’s father asks Noemí to go to High Place, the manor in El Triunfo where Cataline lives, in the countryside of Mexico. At first Noemí refuses, but when her father promises to allow her to do a masters program in anthropology instead of simply getting married, she agrees. Once Noemí arrives at High Place, she discovers that the house is lit only by candles, that Catalina has tuberculosis, and that Virgil’s father, Howard Doyle, is interested in eugenics and believes in inferior and superior races. As her stay begins to lengthen, she starts having nightmares, sleepwalks for the first time since childhood, begins to notice that the family acts strange around her, and realizes that Catalina is no longer the lively young girl she knew so well just a year ago. The story is quite well-crafted. Noemí is a very interesting, likable, and believable protagonist. She stays in the house for a long time even though it creeps her out because of her love for her sister, her father, and her desire to get a master’s degree. She doesn’t immediately dismiss all the Doyles and her rebellious nature forces her to rock the boat even when it could be dangerous, just out of spite. Noemí, though, isn’t alone in being well-crafted. Each character is understandable, never acts out of character, is lifelike and heir actions are wholly plausible when meant to be, and the plot twists and secrets hidden in the book make sense in relation to the overall arc of the story. It is very hard to construct a haunted house-esque story without resorting to hackneyed tropes, making your characters unreasonable or implausible, or making the grand reveals too out of the blue to be believable or too obvious to be surprising. Yet Moreno-Garcia avoids all these pitfalls while weaving a masterpiece that caused me to tear through the book in mesmerized fear and spellbound horror. In other words, if you like horror, historical fiction, or gothic novels even the tiniest bit, to say that this book would be worth reading would be the universe’s most profound understatement. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Del Rey Books, 2021. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II, Reviewed by Brais, 12
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II, by Alan Gratz, is a historical fiction novel set in Nazi Germany, 1943. Michael O’Shaunessey, a 13-year-old-boy, is an Irish and German citizen and the son of the Irish ambassador to Germany. Because of Michael’s dad’s job, the family is living in Berlin during World War II. Ireland, while publicly neutral in WWII, is sending spies to Nazi Germany, including Michael’s parents. Things get even more complicated for Michael when he is required—as every German boy during the Third Reich—to join the Hitler-Jugend, or Hitler Youth. Michael’s parents advise him to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble to protect the family’s secret, but Michael has his own ideas. Throughout the story Michael develops his spying skills and his ability to blend in, while staying true to his convictions. As a member of the Hitler Youth, he needs to resist the powerful propaganda machine that tried to eradicate the Jewish people and their culture from Germany. Reading this book, I found the pervasiveness of the Nazi indoctrination stunning. One example in O’Shaunessey’s novel is a math problem given to the Hitler Youth, which forces problem solvers to equate Jews with aliens. The pace of this story is very good, with exciting moments happening in every chapter. I found Michael’s experiences as a newcomer in Berlin relatable because I have had to move a few times with my family and been in situations in which I hardly knew anybody. I also enjoyed learning more about WWII and what it might have been like to experience Nazi propaganda as a young person during the Third Reich. This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy action-packed historical fiction, especially set during war conflicts. As I have always been interested in historical fiction and the two World Wars, this was the perfect book for me. Another book I liked, also set in WWII, is The Last Mission by Harry Mazer. I recommend Projekt 1065 for middle schoolers and up. For younger readers, the I Survived series, by Lauren Tarshis, is an outstanding collection of life-and-death stories revolving around actual historical events, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the Titanic. (I was a big fan in elementary school and even got one of my books signed by the author!) Projekt 1065 is the first book by Alan Gratz that I have read, but he has written other historical fiction on topics such as 9/11 (Ground Zero), D-Day (Allies, Resist), and the refugee crisis (Refugee). I cannot wait to start my next one! Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II by Alan Gratz. Scholastic Press, 2016. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
