“Prisha! Pack your bag! We are going to the beach for your birthday!” My mom declares. It was true, my 8th birthday was coming up. I am always super excited for my birthday and wait for it all year long. This year, however, I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t meet my friends and celebrate with them due to Covid. So, when I heard we were going to the beach, I was SOOO excited! “Okay! I will!” I say, and take my luggage. My luggage is light brown, and has a car, blue and orange. In my luggage, I pack a LOT of books. I would guess about 20! And “Zoom!” A few days later, we headed to the beach. Tomorrow is my birthday! Finally, the 2-hour drive to the beach is over. We arrived at the beach. Aloha Beach! I can’t tell you how much I love beaches. I absolutely adore them. The beach sand was soft, almost like feathers, and relaxingly hot. The waves were the complete opposite, cold as a freezer. And the color. The sand was a yellowish gold, and the waves, more like a skyish blue. We stayed over for the sunset which is one of my most favorite activities to do on a beach – watching the sunset. The sunset was pink, red-orange and gold, and beautiful. It blazed across the sky. I am always spellbound by the beauty of sunset. I wish I could paint like that on a canvas. We walked along the beach, and lots of logs were there. But I didn’t mind. I was too excited. My birthday is tomorrow! Hours later… I open my eyes. TODAY is MY birthday. “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear…..” My parents sang the happy birthday song. Aloha day! Everywhere, there were decorations, and balloons. There was a banner that said 8 on it! My parents must have been awake all night, decorating for me! “Thank you!” I responded with a big smile. I gave my Mom and Dad a hug and peeked out to the terrace. It was indeed a gorgeous day. The sun was out and the waves were waving hello to me My ordered breakfast arrived. It was pancakes! I love them! I quickly ate them, and then we went to the Prehistoric Museum. The museum had a fossil area, a geode center, a crystal center, and the bones of ancient animals. It had lots of meteorites and petrified wood as well. There was a huge dinosaur skeleton near the entrance. When we reached the geode center, my dad said I could choose any birthday gift for myself from the museum shop if I wanted. I happily decided to get a Geode and to my surprise the cashier said I can crack it myself! In the geode center, there was a basket of geodes! SOOO many! I picked one, and went to a cracking machine. I put the rock-like geode in the machine, and pulled the lever-thingy and “Crack!” The geode cracked. Inside was a whole new world. Outside, it just looked like a plain rock, the kind you would think is just a normal rock and kick it aside. But however, tiny, black, and as pretty as a picture, crystals lay on the inside. It was so beautiful and dazzling inside and when the light fell into these crystals, they were shining bright. It looked like a galaxy of stars was inside the geode. And I’d say THAT is how geodes are related to us, humans. Some people, on the outside, may not look so good, like a geode. But, on the inside, they are beautiful, and they rock! After the geode experience, we had lunch. Fish and chips with my favorite clam chowder! On the way to our hotel, we got some campfire equipment and headed to the beach! A few hours later, we set up the campfire on the beach. But we couldn’t because it was too windy. Then I remembered a place in our hotel, where a fire pit was already lit! We went there, and no one was there! A whole place to ourselves! We opened the marshmallows and toasted them. My mom and dad taught me how to make s’mores with them! Even though I could not celebrate this birthday with my friends, I still had a memorable one. This shows that people should try to make the most of every moment even if it seems you can’t. I also learnt a very important lesson that just like a geode, no matter how people look on the outside, they are beautiful on the inside and we should try to look into it. I really enjoyed my birthday! It rocked!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Dawn and the Impossible Three, Reviewed by Jaya, 10
Two years ago I saw my friends reading a book and asked them about it. They said that it was called Dawn and the Impossible Three. It was the fifth book in an eight-part series. I soon bought it and started reading. This graphic novel is based on the story by Ann M.Martin, written and illustrated by Gale Galligan. The fifth book is about a girl named Dawn, who just moved to Stonybrook, Connecticut, with her mother and brother just after her parents divorced. Despite struggling to fit in, she finds a friend, Mary Anne. Mary Anne invites Dawn to the “Baby-sitters Club.” That’s where middle schoolers meet up and get paid for babysitting. Dawn thinks that, when she joins the Club, her struggles will be over. She was wrong. She is being closely watched by a member of the “Baby-sitters Club,” Kristy, who is certain that Dawn isn’t responsible enough to be in the Club. Dawn is determined to prove Kristy wrong by Babysitting three impossible kids. (Marnie, Suzie and Buddy), who have been all but abandoned by their mother. Mrs. Barret seems to be constantly busy. Her carelessness is always putting her children in harm’s way. The three kids become a priority for Dawn. As tough as it is with her friends, soon Dawn finds out that her mom and Mary Anne’s dad used to date! Even tougher, Dawn has to accept that they are going to start dating again. Given that Dawn’s parents are divorced, she has an ability to empathize with Marnie Suzie and Buddy whose parents are also divorced. As she tries to understand the Barretts, she finds out more about Marnie, Suzie and Buddy’s mothers divorce. Little does she know what’s happening behind the scenes. What follows is a series of unexpected events. In this story, Dawn has to hold everything together to let everything go. I recommend this book to people who like graphic novels and books about trusting your instinct. While we learn the importance of trusting your gut, we get caught up in this journey with Dawn as she juggles babysitting three kids with the challenges of friendships and family. At the end of the book Dawn discovers her inner courage and confidence. Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Gale Galligan. Graphix, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Untitled
Artist’s description of the piece (translated from Arabic): There is something hiding behind the painting. There is a ghost behind it. It is the ghost of someone. (Who?) (No answer to that.) It is not me (says the artist); it is another girl who is afraid. The ghost frightens people, but it does not hurt them. (What does the girl in the picture say?) The girl (in the picture) says the ghost came to her. (What does the girl say to you about the ghost?) She told me so we can help her. This artwork was published in the June 2021 issue of Stone Soup Magazine.
