Have you ever met a pig? Maybe you have. Have you ever met a pig that can see the future? The answer is almost definitely a no. It is just that, though, (a pig that can see the future) that begins the wonderful tale that is told within the pages of The Book of Three, which is the first book in Lloyd Alexander’s series The Chronicles of Prydain. Taran wants to be a hero. He wants a title, and a sword, and he wants to fight. But he is stuck at Caer Dallben, with Coll, and the enchanter, Dallben. He wants a title that shows his courage, and bravery, but instead, he gets the title of Assistant Pig-Keeper. It is part of his job to look after Hen Wen, the oracular pig that resides at Caer Dallben. But, when Hen Wen runs away, fleeing the terrible Horned King, it is up to Taran to get her back. He must leave the safety of Caer Dallben, and go into the wilderness of Prydain, searching for the pig. Along the way, he gathers to him a group of friends. First, there is Gwydion, who quickly becomes a hero in Taran’s eyes. Not only is he a prince in the House of Don, he is wise, and brave, and strong. Second, there is Gurgi. Gurgi is neither human nor wild animal. Taran finds him bothersome, and prone to complaining about not having enough food, but Gurgi becomes just as important to their mission as any of the others. Then, there is Eilonwy. When Taran first meets her, he sees only a scatterbrained, silly little girl, with not much respect for Assistant Pig-Keepers. But along the way, Taran realizes that Eilonwy is much braver, (and much, much more stubborn) than he had thought. Last, there is Fflewddur Fflam, the bard. Fflewddur is known for “coloring up the facts,” but his harp is enchanted, so every time he does not tell the truth, a string breaks, revealing his lie. The friends must find Hen Wen, but they also must be wary. The evil Arawn is at large in Prydain, and he has servants everywhere, the most fearsome of which is the Horned King… One thing I especially like about The Book of Three is the variety of characters. Gwydian, Gurgi, Taran, Eilonwy, and Fflewddur all have their own strengths and skills to add to their group, and together, they are very strong. The Chronicles are less well known than Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, But Lloyd Alexander writes in a way that sucks you in just as much as any other adventure story. Taran, Eilonwy, and the rest, feel real, as you read of their adventures. I would recommend The Book of Three and the rest of the series to anyone about eight and up. There are scenes that get rather creepy, but altogether, the books are wonderful reads. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. Square Fish, 1964. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Book Club Report: The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani
An update from our twenty-third Book Club meeting! At our first Book Club meeting of 2021, on January 30, the Stone Soup Book Club discussed The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani. The Night Diary tells the story of a half-Hindu, half-Muslim girl named Nisha during the separation of India and Pakistan, and is written through letters from Nisha to her mother, who died when Nisha was born. Our meeting consisted of over forty kids from across the US, Canada, and Europe, and we were very lucky to be joined for the first twenty minutes of Book Club by Veera Hiranandani, author of The Night Diary! We were able to ask her a variety of questions, from how she decided to be a writer, to the amount of research she had to do in order to write her book, to the impact of cooking and food in the story. She told us how she was inspired by her grandfather’s experiences in India, and how she herself feels that food can connect her to her culture. Thank you very much, Ms. Hiranandani, for joining us! After Ms. Hiranandani’s visit, we broke into small groups to discuss what we enjoyed about her visit, and then regrouped to have a conversation about the role of letters written by Nisha to her mother in the book. Overall, we agreed that the book was very good as an epistolary novel (that is, written through letters), and we talked about some of the challenges of writing that way, such as making sure the dates on the letters line up! Next, we went into four breakout rooms (led by myself, Laura, and two of our older participants, Maddy N. and Lucy) to talk overall about the book, including the characters, settings, and themes. We discussed the complexity of the characters, as well as how vivid some of the scenes were, and most of us agreed that before this book, we had not known much about the separation of India and Pakistan, and that The Night Diary had taught us a lot! Finally, we chose our next book, which is listed below. Our Next Book (to be discussed on February 27): The Thing About Jellyfish, Ali Benjamin
Weekly Creativity #139: Write a Story to Evoke an Emotion
Write a story designed to evoke an emotion. Maybe it’s a feel-good story, or a calming one.
