Stone Soup Magazine
— The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice; HarperCollins: New York, 2009; $16.99 What happens when someone you love betrays you? Well, in this book, The Year the Swallows...
— A girl covets a gold necklace at a shop but finds greater beauty in a silver flower from her backyard that transforms her reflection into something magical.
— Candyfloss, by Jacqueline Wilson; Square Fish: New York, 2008; $6.99 What would you do if your mom moved to Australia? This is just one question Flora Barnes, also known as...
— A teenage girl reflects on her brother's autism during a family lake trip, discovering that their imperfect family's joy matters more than being 'normal.'
— A girl in coastal Maine discovers a ferret she names Rumor at an abandoned lighthouse and saves it from a hawk, forming a brief connection before it disappears.
— An aspiring writer struggling with bills and rejection letters finally receives her first acceptance, learning the value of patience her grandmother taught her.
— A girl discovers through blocked-out papers with one word visible—PREGNANT—that she'll become a big sister, processing excitement and new responsibility.
— A reader abandons her book to follow the calls of wood frogs and peepers through her window onto the porch roof, where their chorus declares 'We are alive.'
— A father and daughter play frisbee at sunset, their throws and catches becoming a wordless conversation of connection and understanding.
— Two sisters navigate their relationship through midnight roof adventures, failed spy agencies, and garage sales of unwanted gifts, revealing the complex dynamics of sibling love.