Stone Soup Magazine

Story·Jim Burch, age 12 — Eight years after their parents abandon them at an orphanage, Katherine must confront her lingering hope for their return with help from her wise younger sister Lily.

Poetry·Sonja Minge, age 11 — A young camper observes the sensory details of an autumn night outdoors, from the Milky Way to marshmallows roasting to northern lights glowing over the forest.

Story·Asha Baudart-Gehlawat, age 10 — During Diwali celebrations at her grandparents' house, a girl's joy turns to terror when her little sister's hair catches fire from a candle, transforming her perspective on what matters most.

Book Review·Megan Frazer Blakemore, Reviewed by Adelle C. Macdowell — The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill, by Megan Frazer Blakemore; Bloomsbury Children’s Books: New York, 2015; $7.99 In 1953 Hazel Kaplansky is a fifth-grader who wants badly to be a...

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 13 — A girl investigates a mysterious scream and white shape in the woods, leading her to reconcile with her best friend and discover a snowy owl.

Book Review·Kate Messner, Reviewed by Abraham Lawrence — Wake Up Missing, by Kate Messner; Walker Children’s Books: New York, 2014; $7.99 “The most terrifying thing about hitting your head so hard is when you wake up missing pieces...

Story·Nikitha Raju, age 11 — During a storm in Revolutionary War-era America, a girl defies her mother to fetch a doctor for her sick baby brother, evading horse thieves along the way.

Poetry·Ben Stieren, age 13 — A muskie hunt in Wisconsin waters builds through sensory details until the predator strikes, snapping the fishing line with the lure in its teeth.

Poetry·Gertie-Pearl Zwick-Schachter, age 12 — A drowsy afternoon in a garden becomes a meditation on the sensory pull between nature's beauty and the body's desire for rest.

Story·Eloise Wendt, age 12 — A California girl moves to snowy Minnesota after her parents' divorce, chases a coatless winter cyclist, and discovers an unexpected friendship with someone who feels just as out of place.