An update from our thirtieth Book Club meeting! On September 25, the Stone Soup Book Club discussed Beyond the Bright Sea, by Loren Wolk. Beyond the Bright Sea tells the story of twelve-year-old Crow and her search for her birth family after having spent her entire life on an isolated island off the coast of Massachusetts, with Osh, the guardian who rescued and raised her. There were ten Book Club participants in attendance from the US, England, and Dubai. We engaged in in-depth conversations about the book’s various themes as well as character, setting and plot. As always, we endeavored to unpack how and for what purpose each of these elements were crafted in Wolk’s development of the novel. We also participated in a couple of fun writing activities. We explored, in writing, the notion of home; what makes a place a home and what is it like to feel a sense of yearning for home? Participants could choose to share their reflections about home directly from their own perspectives, or to explore their ideas about home through a fictionalized account. We also engaged in a writing activity that allowed us to imagine a sequel to the book. In doing so, we discussed what aspects of the book’s current ending we would like to see preserved, and what aspects would be fun to disrupt! The overwhelming consensus of the group was that this was a great read with vivid, believable characters, an intriguing setting, and a fast-paced, exciting plot! Remember: if you attended book club and liked what you wrote for these activities, submit it through the Writing Workshop Submission Form and we will post it along with other stories on the Stone Soup website! At the conclusion of our discussion, we chose our October book and the December book was announced! Our Next Book, to be discussed on October 30: When Stars are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed We are excited to share that on, December 11th, our final Book Club meeting of this session, we will be joined by author and historian, Lucy Worsley, to discuss her book The Austen Girls!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Three poems by Kai Wells, 12
Kai Wells, 12 (Maryland) Black God created us hoping we would be equal Not knowing that some would be treated differently Killed Murdered Shot Black You turn on the news and someone was killed… AGAIN Police offering us to God as if we are chocolate Our voices shut down before they can be heard Say their names They all matter Black Lives Matter Trayvon Martin Tamir Rice George Floyd Phillip White Michael Brown Sandra Bland Eric Garner Mya Hall Breonna Taylor All people who died JUST FOR BEING BLACK All of them had families who cared Some had kids Some had siblings All expecting their loved one to come home Only to find they were murdered Imagine the tears Imagine the heartbreak Can you imagine that Or are you too busy trying to keep America safe from “threats” Trying to keep them safe from black people Because when do kids like me go from cute and precious To dangerous and a threat to their community Like MLK I have a dream A dream that sometimes feels like an unknown reality A dream that feels fake I dream for black men and women to walk freely Without the fear that their lives are in danger No one should have to feel that they are constantly being judged No one should have to feel that they have to watch their back every living moment No mother should feel that feeling You know that feeling When you feel that something isn’t right They shouldn’t have to feel that but they do and it’s ten times worse They shouldn’t have to worry if they send their child out to play They shouldn’t have to worry if their husband is late from work They shouldn’t have to worry that their loved one might get killed Imagine that pain Imagine that worry It’s real Every mother of a young black child has felt it Every child should be able to walk down the street not considered a threat Every child should be able to wear a hoodie if it’s cold outside Every young boy should be able to play with a toy gun if they choose to Every young girl should be able to express themselves freely and not be stereotyped as a mad black girl But you don’t care You never care Because all we are to you is A threat Different Lower than Black Ever since slavery there has always been that sense of hope That the next generation would have it better But deep down they know It never gets better for us They are afraid of us Who is us Black We need to stand up Rise up Stand tall Show them that enough is enough I dream that black mothers can one day let their child outside knowing they will be safe But for now We show them that enough is enough We show them that they can never tear us down Why Because we are black We are black on black on black And we will fight until this injustice is brought to a stop Dear Moma I am a human I live in this country I call home… ish I may look different I may have different hair I may have different ancestry I may not look like the people on tv unless they were from the news stories I may not look like my friends But I am human And every day I leave home my moma says she loves me I think it’s just a saying But it’s true For my moma she loves me She loves my heart and soul Even though people would kill Just to kill it I didn’t know what this love meant Until I heard the stories For people who look like me are illegal For I am out of my own control For I can, no, will be called an n- But I don’t care I block them out Cause there will be that day When that red and blue comes hand on that protection shield Protection from what, from me That protection is the same thing that sent so many to be with many more But I will come home tonight I promise Love— BANG!!!! Time stops buts speeds up at the same time The pain, as I slowly drown in a red storm Darkness Then light… the light P.S. I love you too, Moma Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum The sound of the music goes bum bum bum The beat keeping me on this planet goes bum bum bum bum Although people have the desire to end it mid-sentence But all these beats join the crowd in the sky But the beat of my soul goes on Even when people want me torn into shreds For being the illegal color that I am in this one-sided world It keeps bum bum bumming Forever The soul lives on And the beat keeps going Bum bum bum bum bum bum These poems were sent to us as part of our Classroom Submissions (for teachers only) Program. If you are a teacher of children 13 and younger and would like to submit your students’ work to Stone Soup, please do so via our Submittable.
Weekly Creativity #171: Design a Game, or Write About a Game You’d Like to Play.
Design a game, or write about a game you’d like to play. It could be a board game, a video game, or anything else!
