Stone Soup Magazine

Book Review·Vera W. Propp, Reviewed by Sam Levin — When the Soldiers Were Gone by Vera W. Propp; G. P. Putnam’s Sons: New York, 1999; $14.99 When I first saw the book When the Soldiers Were Gone by Vera...

Story·Ryan G. Braun, age 10 — A 10-year-old recounts Hannibal's ambush of Roman forces at Lake Trasimene in 217 BC, detailing military preparations, strategy, and the devastating Carthaginian victory.

Book Review·Jessie Haas, Reviewed by Julia Schuchard — Unbroken by Jessie Haas; Greenwillow Books:  New York, 1999; $15 In Unbroken, Harriet Gibson becomes an orphan in 1910 when her mother dies in a horse-and-buggy accident. Now thirteen-year-old Harriet...

Story·Lisa R. Neher, age 13 — A nervous girl drives to her school play audition, battles stage fright, performs her monologue, and finds relief in having tried her best.

Story·Rosalie Schulick, age 13 — A six-year-old girl hatches a duckling from an abandoned egg, raises it as her best friend, then learns to let it return to its wild family at the pond.

Story·Christina Kells, age 12 — A twelve-year-old enslaved girl learns to read in secret, escapes to Massachusetts via the Underground Railroad, and becomes a teacher, reuniting with her childhood friend years later.

Story·Emily Villano, age 7 — A wild white mare evades capture through generations, teaching her foal survival before accepting her own mortality in the crystal mountains.

Book Review·Nancy Steele Brokaw, Reviewed by Amanda Claire Gutterman — Leaving Emma by Nancy Steele Brokaw; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 Having a best friend can make a kid feel like she’s on top of the world. I know,...

Story·Emma A. Lunbeck, age 12 — A city girl discovers freedom and friendship with wild-haired Robbie during a brief stay in the country, then must leave him behind.

Story·Emily Heninger, age 11 — A seven-year-old girl reluctantly tries water-skiing again on the Mississippi River and finally succeeds, discovering the joy she'd been missing.