Eva Ibbotson’s The Dragonfly Pool is a page turning adventure that you are on the edge of your seat for every minute. When Tally is sent to a boarding school in southern England she meets new friends and together they go on a trip to Bergania. There, Karil, the Crown Prince of Bergania, is faced with a terrible fate, and all he wants is to be a normal boy. When World War II stirs up drama and dangerous Nazis who are pursuing Karil he has to rely on his friends, and together they escape. Karil believes he is free, but falls right into the hands of his selfish, abusive grandfather. Karil leads a very dull life until it starts to go in the right direction. I didn’t just read The Dragonfly Pool for the sake of reading a book. I chose it because dragonflies speak to me personally at heart. My dad used to take me out into our backyard at twilight when I was little. Hundreds of dragonflies flew together across the soft, tall grass. Magical, graceful creatures, swooping in and out among the grasses of the meadow. Their glassy wings reflecting the moonlight. We called it “the dragonfly ballet,” which suits it perfectly. When I saw this book on a shelf at the bookstore, I just knew I had to read it. Now that I have, I am so glad that I did. It made me look at World War II, the Nazis, and the whole conception of royalty in a totally different way. For example, I understood the Nazis’ and the fear they instilled in people at a deeper level. I saw that just because you are royalty, doesn’t mean you are rich. You could actually be stuck-up and surviving off very little. Every time a character was worried, excited, or discouraged, I knew how they were feeling. Through all the hardships, and moments of triumph in the story, the author had a way of making you feel like you were experiencing the journey yourself. I was constantly sensing the impression that the words made on me. A positive impression, beautiful even. It was like the dragonflies back home were tugging on my heartstrings, but in a different way this time. It was an exciting, surprising, and tender read, filled with friendship, and pain. Read The Dragonfly Pool if you want to experience a book that you never have before. Read it if you want adventure and excitement. Read it if you want to feel the story in your heart. The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson. Puffin Books, 2009. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Weekly Creativity #147 | Flash Contest #30: Visit the Same Place Every Day for a Week and Document what You See
Visit the same place—precisely the same location—multiple times a day, or at the same time every day for a week. Document what you see through photography, other art forms, or writing! To be considered for the the April 2021 Flash Contest, visit our submittable site here and submit by Sunday, April 11 at midnight.
Saturday Newsletter: April 3, 2021
“The Fireflies” (Watercolor) by Audrey Champness, 12 (Green Cove Springs, FL),and published in the April 2021 Issue of Stone Soup A note from Jane At last—it’s April, and everyone can share the joy of reading The Trials and Tribulations of Swifty Appledoe by Ariana Kralicek! The first part of Ariana’s novella is published in this month’s issue, and the next two will appear in May and June. It’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s wise. Everyone involved in the production of Stone Soup magazine has been eagerly anticipating each episode (we have to run a few months ahead, so we have read the whole thing already!), and it’s wonderful that you can all now meet Swifty, Ariana’s delightful and memorable character. Print readers should visit the version on the website too: you can hear a recording of Ariana herself reading it aloud. You can’t beat hearing an author’s work in their own voice! Which reminds me to say, if you are reading this even minutes before 9 a.m. PDT on Saturday, April 3, come and hear our Writing Workshop students give live readings from some of their work from the winter/spring session. It’s free to attend, and everyone is welcome. Join us on Zoom, and then settle back to revel in listening to some great writing. For now, back to Swifty Appledoe. The novella opens with a quote from the poet, playwright, and novelist Oscar Wilde (1854–1900): “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” As you might expect from the quote, the main themes of the novella relate to exactly this—learning to be oneself. In the process of her intense and often hilarious attempts to transform herself into a popular, successful student, our hero Swifty learns to identify and relish her own unique qualities, value herself as she is, and thus find recognition, happiness, and friendship. I feel a lot of warmth and happiness in the gorgeous watercolor featured on this month’s cover too. Audrey Champness’s use of different tones is uplifting: her darker background colors are vibrant and joyful, not somber, and they make the lively focal point of the fireflies flitting around the bright jars just glow. She has captured the scene in a way that makes you think of balmy nights, candlelight or torchlight in the darkness, companionable chatter, and laughter. Both Ariana’s novella and Audrey’s watercolor made me think of this quote by Rumi (1207–1273), which a friend sent to me recently: “A warm, rainy day, this is how it feels when friends get together. Friends refresh friends, just as flowers do, in a spring rain.” What does friendship mean and feel like to you? How might you convey the warm, refreshing sensation of being among friends, understood, valued for yourself, in a lovely season of the year? Spend some time this weekend capturing that mood or feeling in an artwork or a piece of writing. And as always, send us what you produce so Emma can consider it for Stone Soup! Until next time, Writing Classes and Book Club Are you looking for classes to inspire, improve, and practice your writing with great teachers and a group of like-minded young writers and readers? Join us! We do charge fees for our clubs and workshops, but we try to keep them as low as possible, and we offer discounts to subscribers and scholarships to students who need them. Contact us at education@stonesoup.com with any questions. Writing Workshop: we have two new writing groups for spring/summer, starting April 17, that will meet via Zoom every Saturday except for the last Saturday of the month. Come write with us and share your work with your peers. Find out more and register for a workshop at Eventbrite. To see some of the great work produced by current workshop members, read contributions published at Stonesoup.com, or join us at one of our free public readings! Book Club: a book club for writers that meets via Zoom on the last Saturday of every month, with a new season starting on April 24! Find out more and register for book club at Eventbrite. Check out which books we are reading on our website. Young Author’s Studio Summer Camps: we are offering a wide range of classes through the summer jointly with the Society of Young Inklings. Each camp runs for two hours per day, Monday through Thursday. All details and bookings via Society of Young Inklings. Book Contest 2021 For information on submitting to the Stone Soup Book Contest 2021, please click here. To submit your manuscript, please visit our submittable site. Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Read Stone Soup 20-21 Intern Anya Geist’s Book Club write-up for a summary of last week’s Book Club and information on next month’s book. Iris, 11, wrote a review about the lasting relatability of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice Check out the powerful personal narrative “Life Without a Smile” by Margaux for an account of her return to in-person learning. Roger wrote an uplifting flash piece, “COVID-19 in the Ocean.” From Stone Soup April 2021 The Trials and Tribulations of Swifty Appledoe (Part One) By Ariana Kralicek, 12 (Aukland, New Zealand) “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” —Oscar Wilde Chapter 1 “And that’s exactly why you should try Milky’s chocolate ice cream!” I conclude, bowing as my excited audience showers me in a standing ovation. It’s Saturday night, and my parents are sitting on our squishy velvet sofa, watching me rehearse for the big advertisement audition coming up in a month-and-a-half’s time. It’s important that an actress is very prepared because, as they say, the show must go on. The TV is blaring softly behind me, showering me in a spotlight effect and bathing the living room in a cool glow. If I look down, I can see the glassy surface of the coffee table covered in a sea of audition papers, a lone clipboard floating at the surface. You see, when I grow older I want to become a famous actress. I want to go to the Oscars and win incredible awards, go to the Met Gala and wear a spontaneous-but-stunning outfit, pose and give daring looks to the press
