Stone Soup Magazine

Story·Marika Massey-Bierman, age 13 — A girl torn between joining the spring musical with friends or trying track discovers new friendship when she chooses the unfamiliar path.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 12 — A distant father and daughter walk to see Spider-Man; he secretly helps a man afford tickets and saves her from a dog, but she only notices the shirtless hero.

Poetry·Jacob Miller — A child battles nighttime fears during a thunderstorm, mistaking ordinary objects for monsters until exhaustion finally overtakes terror.

Story·Tatum Schutt, age 12 — A girl searching for something special in her life discovers a perfect miniature house by a stream in the woods, but must leave before exploring it.

Story·Isabella Reyes, age 13 — A six-year-old watches her parents' marriage dissolve on a summer day in Iowa and must choose which parent to leave with when her mother packs for Chicago.

Book Review·Gennifer Choldenko, Reviewed by Jacob Zacks — Al Capone Shines My Shoes, by Gennifer Choldenko; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2011; $6.99 Though I am fascinated with American history, including Alcatraz, I was drawn to the...

Story·Erin Trefny, age 11 — A middle school boy who loves dance faces relentless bullying until he decides to perform in the school talent show to show his classmates what dance truly means to him.

Poetry·Brooke Gillman, age 13 — A young writer climbs her favorite oak tree overlooking dark water, finding solitude and inspiration in the worn branches where she writes.

Story·Emma Caroline Duncan, age 11 — A mute girl in southern Africa discovers the feared Jago bird that terrorizes her village is protecting its silent chicks, finding her own voice through their connection.

Poetry·Tess Nealon Raskin, age 9 — A child dives into a warm pond where rainbow trout circle and bite toes, experiencing the underwater world as a distant, heavenly place.