Stone Soup Magazine

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.

Story·Chloe Montague, age 11 — A girl loses her cherished bracelet in the ocean and learns to value her cousin's happiness over material possessions when she imagines a fish wearing it.

Story·Trentin Lyle Stalnaker, age 11 — A boy accidentally shoots a squirrel with his BB gun, then desperately tries to save it, confronting his guilt and the reality of what he's done.

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.

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.

Book Review·Kristin Levine, Reviewed by Pamela Picerno — The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine; Penguin Young Readers Group: New York, 2013; $7.99 Have you ever read a book where you’re able to relate so much to...

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...

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.

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.