Stone Soup Magazine

Story·Julia Condon, age 13 — A middle schooler abandons her best friend for popularity, falls for a cruel prank at a party, and discovers where she truly belongs.

Poetry·Kayla Walsh, age 13 — 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.

Story·Nina Lampert, age 12 — 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.

Story·Serena Alagappan, age 12 — A family's failed miniature golf outing becomes an unplanned beach walk, leading to a realization about the perfection found in spontaneous moments versus carefully planned ones.

Poetry·Olivia Smit, age 12 — A red fox crosses dewy ground at dawn, joined by his mate and kits who play in wet grass before vanishing, leaving only footprints as proof.

Book Review·Jason Cockcroft, Reviewed by Hayden Rasberry — Counter Clockwise, by Jason Cockcroft; Katherine Tegen Books: New York, 2009; $15.99 Have you ever read a book that has changed the way you look at your life? A book...

Story·Jack Taitel, age 10 — 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.

Story·Simon Brake, age 13 — Two cousins fight to survive after a storm wrecks their uncle's tourist ship, leaving them adrift in a lifeboat that eventually sinks, forcing them to float until rescue arrives.

Story·Emma T. Capps, age 13 — 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.

Poetry·Nicky Cannon, age 12 — A poem cataloging moments of joy and freedom — from fireside reading to summer swimming — before an alarm clock shatters the dream.