We sent Adam Rex, the author of so many wonderful books himself, a copy of Abhimanyu Sukhdial’s Three Days Till EOC, the winning work in Stone Soup’s Book Contest 2019, published last September. We were so thrilled to receive this incredible review of the book from him. Thank you, Mr. Rex, and congratulations, Abhi! There are a lot of stories about the end of the world, and almost as many fictional methods for bringing that end about (zombies, war, fairy invasion, alien planning committee to build a hyperspace bypass). Not a few of them are about the very real prospect that we’ll do ourselves in with global warming. That we’ll drown beneath the weight of all the stuff we thought we couldn’t do without. I’ve seen these stories before. Every one of them has been written by a true believer—an author who warns us that we have to change course for the sake of our children, or our children’s children. But there’s something especially arresting about a story of global warming catastrophe written by an author who just may be young enough to see it come about in his own lifetime. Three Days till EOC is special because author Abhimanyu Sukhdial makes you feel an urgency he no doubt feels himself. And because, after walking you to that edge, he also has the wisdom to imagine a way we all might take a step back. Climate scientist Graham Alison is one of only a thousand or so people left alive in the year 2100. And while his fellow humans are resigned to abandoning Earth and starting fresh on Mars, Alison remains hopeful that the coming climate cataclysm can be turned back. He sets upon a journey that’s equal parts survivalist adventure and classic science fiction, building upon the work of humanity’s best and brightest to travel through space and time. And when Alison finds you can’t change the course of a river by throwing a few stones, author Sukhdial leads him to a solution that could only exist in the most hopeful science fiction: a massive social media network that actually does what it’s supposed to do—make the world a better place by giving us a common purpose. At 12, Sukhdial already understands what many of us never learn: that often the only hope of reaching someone is to pull them close, find a personal connection, and tell a story. For hero Graham Alison, it’s how you save the world. But for author Sukhdial, it’s also the way to his readers’ hearts. Three Days Till EOC by Abhimanyu Sukhdial, published by Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc. (2020) Buy your copies at all good book stores, from Amazon, or from the Stone Soup online store here.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Stone Soup Author Interview: Shelby Miller
Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Stone Soup newcomer Shelby Miller, 11, about the inspiration she gets from her author grandfather, writing scary stories, and the lovely privacy of writing in her own room. 0:16 – How were you introduced to Stone Soup? 0:32 – Do you subscribe to Stone Soup? 0:39 – What have you submitted to Stone Soup? 0:45 – How did it feel to submit something? 0:55 – What was the poem you submitted about and what inspired you to write it? 1:18 – What did you like about the Writing Workshop? 1:29 – What was it like to join the Writing Workshop partway through the summer? 1:52 – Do you have any favorite books or authors you get inspiration from? 2:14 – Do you like writing scary stories? 2:24 – Do you draw on your own life for your writing? 2:42 – What is your favorite thing to write about? 2:50 – How do you make your stories scary? 3:11 – What inspired you to write scary stories? 3:30 – Do you ever scare yourself when you’re writing a scary story? 3:44 – What is your favorite thing about writing? 4:06 – What kind of character do you tend to create when writing a scary story? 4:40 – Do you have a favorite place to write? 5:14 – Is there anything else you want to say? 5:27 – Do you have any writing advice for your peers? 6:06 – What do you like about reading Stone Soup? 6:26 – If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?
Reckless, Glorious, Girl, Reviewed by Nova, 9
Reckless, Glorious, Girl by Ellen Hagan, is an original story written in an original way. It is a novel but written in verse. The narrator and main character, Beatrice Miller, is a twelve-year-old girl living in Bardstown, “voted most beautiful small town in Kentucky.” Beatrice’s Dad and Pawpaw died before Beatrice was born, so it’s always just been Beatrice, Beatrice’s Mom, and Beatrice’s Mawmaw. Mom, Mawmaw and Beatrice live together. They don’t always get along but they are there for each other. Beatrice also has two best friends from when she was younger, Mariella and StaceyAnn. The story starts the summer before 7th grade. Beatrice is nervous about starting school and fitting in. Many times in the book, Beatrice feels like she’s not enough. Pretty enough, fashionable enough, rich enough. She wishes to be like other girls who are more popular. Along with all that, she is starting to have drama with new and old friends, her Mom, bullies, and crushes. She misses her Pawpaw and her Dad and sometimes is furious at her father for going too soon. Beatrice also hates her mom’s new boyfriend. Beatrice is torn between wanting to stay a kid while being ready to be a teenager. She feels she should say goodbye to her old self but can’t figure who she will become. She tries too hard to impress the popular kids at school and gets into trouble, but eventually finds out a way to be true to herself. Something unique about Reckless, Glorious, Girl is that there are so many descriptions of yummy food all over the book. Pizza made from scratch, red-velvet cake, lemony pound cake, “cookies made with rolled oats & raisins, dark chocolate & walnuts.” My parents almost never give me sugar, so reading about all these treats made me jealous! I enjoyed the book, but as a younger reader I could not relate to Beatrice very much, except for her love of books, food, friends, and family. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers and up. My review is from an Advanced Reader Copy, and the book is coming out on February 23, 2021. Reckless, Glorious, Girl by Ellen Hagan. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
