The Hate U Give, a powerful young adult novel by Angie Thomas, is an extremely relevant novel distinctly dealing with racism’s impact on society, as well as a moving read. After the death of Oscar Grant in 2009, Angie Thomas decided to write a book for teens about police brutality since she believes the teenage years are “a critical age.” The book, especially its title, which comes from the phrase, “THUG LIFE,” was inspired by the influential African-American rapper Tupac Shakur, born Lesane Parish Crooks. The Hate U Give has the overt message of how racism can cripple communities, and the undisguised theme of social justice, making it both timeless in its relevance and an especially fitting story today, due to the recent Black Lives Matter protests. In the book, sixteen year-old Starr Carter sees her best friend, Khalil Harris, get shot by a cop. He was just a teenager. He was unarmed. They were driving at night when a cop pulled them over, asking for their papers and license. When Khalil doesn’t do this and instead asks why he pulled the two of them over, Starr begs him to do exactly what the cops said; she knows not to disobey an armed cop. Khalil gives him his papers and license, after which the officer tells him he has a broken taillight, and tells him to get out of the car and put his “hands up, where I can see them.” The cop, suspecting there are drugs in the car, goes to search the car. Khalil comes over to Starr, opens the car door, and asks Starr if she is alright. The cop promptly shoots Khalil twice in the back. After Starr talks to the cops as a witness to Khalil’s murder, “on the Monday night news, [the media/society] finally gave Khalil’s name in the story about the shooting, but with a title added to it- Khalil Harris, A Suspected Drug Dealer. They didn’t mention that he was unarmed.” There are protests and riots speaking out against Khalil’s death, but the only way protesters can really let the public know that what happened to Khalil was wrong is by getting the “unidentified witness”-the one who was in the car with Khalil- to go to a public place, whether the TV or a televised protest, and speak about what really happened that night. But although Starr has said in the past that if she witnessed racially motivated violence, she would speak up publicly, now that her time has come, she is too afraid. The book continues by talking about how she is split between her majority-white school and black neighborhood, and how she finds her voice. The Hate U Give is a beautiful, inspiring book that, because of its theme of social justice and its connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, is extremely relevant and undoubtedly worth reading. Its message concerning speaking out against racism, police brutality, and social justice can be summed up by some of the book’s final words: “I’ll never forget…I’ll never give up…I’ll never be quiet.” The Hate U Give’s message is one that should be remembered always: keep fighting for what is right, never forget those who have been wronged, and always speak up when your words have the power to inspire change. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Balzer & Bray, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Plus, read another review of the book by a Stone Soup reader here.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Weekly Creativity #132: Write a Character Sketch of Someone You Know
Write a detailed description or character sketch of a family member or someone you know. How would you describe them to someone who didn’t know them? What details are important to include to properly capture them in writing?
Stone Soup Newsletter: December 19, 2020
“Bowl of Joy” by Ethan Hu, 8 (San Diego, CA) Published in Stone Soup December 2019 A note from Sarah Happy holidays from all of us here at Stone Soup. Just a note that if you are still looking for a gift for a young creative person, Stone Soup is a great option! Subscriptions and eBooks don’t require stressing about last-minute shipping and provide inspiration and joy for young readers. On the subject of gifts, I’m sure a lot of us are partial to giving (and receiving) books as gifts. I’d like to point you also to the treasure trove that is the Book Review section of our blog. There you can find young readers reviewing all kinds of books, from classics like Oliver Twist to recent releases like Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson (you can scroll down to the end of this email to read Samantha’s eloquent review of the book). If you haven’t spent any time perusing the Book Review section of the blog, I highly recommend that you do so. Not only can you get ideas of books to add to your to-read pile, you can also learn something from the many approaches taken about how to tackle a review. What goes into a book review? Surely some context is needed for the reader of the review, but it can be difficult to know how much plot summary is too much—you don’t want to accidentally give away any spoilers! The most important part of reviews is going further than just summarizing the plot, and articulating what stuck out to you about the book. In her review of Ways to Make Sunshine, Samantha writes, “Ryan’s story is also full of fun and laughter. I love her spirit and personality. Ryan’s experiences always make me smile and a lot of them make me laugh.” This is a nice detail that tells us about the tone of the book, and what Samantha found especially appealing. As an added bonus, Samantha also includes a note in her review about how she personally connected to the book: “Sometimes, as a girl and a person of color, I feel a little looked down upon. Although Watson doesn’t specifically mention it in the book, I wonder if Ryan has had to deal with this as well. I also wonder if that’s why her parents gave her such a strong name. She doesn’t give up, she doesn’t settle, and she believes in herself. That’s one thing I admire about Ryan: she stays strong and kind and herself. She inspires me to always do that too.” Of course, an emotional connection isn’t needed to write a review for a book, but it sometimes makes the writing process easier! As a weekend project, I suggest that you try writing a review. It may be of a book that you love, or even a book that you hate. It could be a movie or TV show. What was special about it? How did it make you feel? If you like your review, please consider submitting it. Happy holidays, Congratulations to our December Flash Contest Winners! Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Our December Flash Contest was based on our weekly creativity prompt #130, a wonderful creative challenge issued by our Stone Soup intern, Anya Geist, asking you to make a piece of art inspired by a family tradition. Needless to say, given the time of year, we received lots of entries based on holidays, including Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Navratri, plus some regular family traditions that go on all the year round. As well as encountering a diverse range of traditions, we also received works of art in many, many styles and media: collage, drawing, oil on canvas, knitting, models made in paper and clay, paper cut outs and digital art. It was really exciting to see the range of materials and cultures represented in these stories from your families. Well done to everyone who entered, and thank you for bringing us so much holiday cheer! And thank you Anya, for a great seasonal prompt! Congratulations to our Winners and Honorable Mentions, listed below. You can see and enjoy the winning entries for this contest (and previous ones) on the Winners’ Roll page at the Stone Soup website. Winners Rangoli by Prisha Aswal, 8, Portland, OR Family of Pirates by Paris Andreou Hadjipavlou, 7, Nicosia, Cyprus Knitting up Memories by Audrey Hou, 11, Portland, OR Chinese New Year Windmill by Sophia Li, 9, Redwood City, CA A Paper Chinese New Year by Serena Lin, 10, Scarsdale, NY Honorable Mentions Chinese New Year by Yuxuan Jiang, 11, Portland, OR Secret Santa with my Sisters by Lucinda Mancini, 8, Glenside, PA Soaring in the Sky by Jessie Zhang, 9, Portland, OR Christmas Chaos by Joycelyn Zhang, 10, San Diego, CA Paper Art by Alexis Zou, 13, Lake Oswego, OR Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Sita, 11, reviews Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller. Read the review to find out why Sita thinks it’s both entertaining and educational. “Christmas Carols,” a poem by Ashvant, combines a creepy, mysterious tone with typical Christmas scenes. For our COVID-19 blog, Natalie, 8, wrote an optimistic poem called “Attack of the Invading Virus.” She writes, “I just know there / will / be a day, / When everyone is outside, / Playing in a field, / Or whooshing down a slide.” You’ve probably read one of Vivaan’s travelogues for our blog before. Well, since travel has not been possible lately, Vivaan grapples with a lack of inspiration about what to write. Read his reflection, titled “Ideas,” on the blog. “If you like books that entertain and inspire you at the same time, you should definitely check out Ways to Make Sunshine.” Samantha, 11, reviews the book by Renée Watson on the blog. Check out this Stone Soup first—a discussion guide! Sofie, 10, came up with questions for each chapter of The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
