September/October 2008

Story·William Gwaltney, age 13 — In 1947 Roswell, a rancher finds mysterious metal debris and strange beings in his pasture, leading to government intervention and lifelong consequences for those who touched the fragments.

Story·Zoe Kayton, age 12 — A girl dreams she's flying as a butterfly on Halloween night, then wakes to find she's wearing the same costume in real life.

Book Review·Philip Reeve, Reviewed by Elena Chalfin Milin — Larklight, by Philip Reeve; Bloomsbury Children’s Books: New York, 2006; $16.95 Eleven-year-old Arthur Mumby, his sister Myrtle, and his dad live on an old spaceship called Larklight—until it is attacked...

Story·Gertrude Suokko, age 13 — After her parents die, Clara lives with her strict Aunt Helga until the arrival of the Hayward siblings brings friendship and the possibility of romance.

Poetry·Kelly Dai, age 12 — Thirteen sensory vignettes capture autumn through taste, sound, sight, and feeling, from gingersnaps to geese flying south to the mountain's sigh.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A Chinese-American girl struggles with her identity after moving from San Francisco to Boston, finding strength in her grandfather's wisdom about heritage and belonging.

Poetry·Ashok Kaul, age 11 — A five-year-old's fragmented memories of September 11th capture confusion through misheard words and the sudden absence of the towers.

Story·Catherine Babikian, age 12 — A girl runs thirteen miles home from the hospital where her mother is dying, haunted by the unspoken response to her mother's final 'I love you.'

Book Review·Lynn Cullen, Reviewed by Stephanie Murphy — I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter, by Lynn Cullen; Bloomsbury Children’s Books: New York, 2007; $16.95 How many of you know who Shakespeare or Beethoven were? Many of you, probably, but how...

Story·Kaylyn Kavi, age 12 — Two sisters visiting India reluctantly ride a rickety Ferris wheel at a deserted amusement park, transforming boredom into terror then exhilaration as they rock the unsafe cart.