Stone Soup Magazine
— Slept Away, by Julie Kraut; Delacorte Books for Young Readers: New York, 2009; $8.99. When I first picked up Slept Away at the bookstore, I expected it to be a...
— A girl delivering Christmas cake to her elderly neighbor discovers eight snow globes on the mantle, each holding a story from the woman's adventurous past.
— Three friends seeking relief from drought discover a mysterious river where a glowing woman lures one of them away, then wake to find rain has finally come.
— A whale mourns his sister's death at human hands, his mournful song misunderstood as beautiful by those who hear it.
— A boy transforms his backyard into an epic racetrack where he finally defeats his rival, the 'Dashing Devil,' in an imagined footrace through fall leaves and mud.
— A young writer celebrates the simple pleasures of a family camp by a lake—sailboats, loons, hammocks, and the feeling of being protected from the world.
— A daughter watches her baker father struggle with a crossword clue about happiness while he tells the story of meeting her mother at a farmers' market, ending with their reconciliation.
— A poem cataloging moments of joy and freedom — from fireside reading to summer swimming — before an alarm clock shatters the dream.
— A girl discovers a magical black horse that transforms into a ghost, learning his true name is Leeto before he gallops away to freedom.
— A fifth-grader reflects on the finality of elementary school's last day, from yearbook signings to the bell's final ring that marks the end of childhood routines.