Stone Soup Magazine

Story·Sharon Wang, age 12 — A mother tells her daughter about strangers who helped her stuck car in a blizzard years ago, and how she repaid their kindness by helping others on snowy roads.

Story·Jag Michael Stephens, age 10 — A feared substitute bus driver called 'No Mercy Mercer' turns out to be a gentle grandfather who uses his tough reputation to maintain order on the bus.

Poetry·Travis Wilkins-Smith, age 12 — A cacophony of crying baby sounds builds to overwhelming intensity until suddenly the infant sleeps and the house transforms into exaggerated silence.

Story·Asif Rahman, age 11 — A young pilot on the USS Yorktown experiences his first combat mission bombing Japanese carriers, losing his best friend and his romantic notions about war.

Poetry·Natalia M. Thompson, age 11 — A young writer captures the vibrant sounds of a Mexican fiesta through bilingual verse, celebrating mariachis, street vendors, and women making tortillas.

Book Review·Michelle Y. Green, Reviewed by Anastasia Apostoleris — A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson by Michelle Y. Green; Dial Books for Young Readers: New York, 2002; $15.99 I love baseball, and I have always...

Story·Nina Prader, age 13 — Two sisters leave their island home after a baby's drowning, sent to live with their aunt on the mainland while their mother recovers from grief.

Story·Madeline Johnson, age 10 — A girl loses her beloved tiger Beanie Baby at the beach, and the story alternates between her grief and the stuffed animal's ocean adventure before their reunion.

Story·Nora Rothman, age 11 — In 1850, a sixteen-year-old girl who dreams of more than housework meets a stranger who takes her poetry to a printing press, changing her life forever.

Story·Matthew Taylor, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old mountain biker crashes on Mammoth's Kamikaze downhill course, loses his memory temporarily, then reflects on why he continues despite the risks.