November/December 2001

Story·Elizabeth Mainardi, age 13 — A wizard named Zordex faces his enemy Yoleighwan in a standoff on a barren plain, then receives an unexpected visit from Queen Qyera seeking an alliance against dark forces.

Story·Leah Richmond, age 11 — A girl struggles with insomnia on a school night, trying various methods to fall asleep until the sounds of nature finally calm her racing mind.

Story·Shelley Noel McFatter — A river otter named Roscoe flees from hunters and is saved when an old beaver sacrifices his life to protect him, changing Roscoe forever.

Book Review·Sonia Levitin, Reviewed by Kat Clark — Dream Freedom by Sonia Levitin; Harcourt, Inc.: New York, 2000; $17 Dream Freedom is a beautiful book. As early as the foreword you can feel the anguish, the hope, and...

Story·Abigail Kelly, age 9 — A new fourth-grader navigates between popular girls who mock imaginative play and Phyllis, who plays animal games like her old best friend used to.

Story·Katie Russell — A girl recalls her baseball-playing brother who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.

Story·Rita Rozenbaoum, age 10 — In this Dogon retelling of Cinderella, orphaned Ligiri endures her cruel sister's abuse until her grandfather's spirit and magical beads help her win the Hogon's son's heart.

Poetry·Bradley Culley, age 11 — A boy's first hunting trip with his father becomes a moment of moral reckoning when he shoots a deer and collapses under the weight of what he's done.

Story·Melissa Smith, age 13 — A sixth-grader reluctantly rehearsing for his church's Christmas play gains new understanding of the shepherds' sacrifice when he postpones his birthday party to visit his injured elderly neighbor.

Story·Teresa Cotsirilos, age 13 — A girl recalls her baseball-obsessed childhood with her older brother Sammy, who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.