Enna Burning is the second book in the enchanting series The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. In the first book, The Goose Girl, the main character is Ani, and Enna is one of Ani’s friends. I was excited to see Enna in the spotlight this time and wondered where her story would take her. I was not disappointed! I thought it was utterly fantastic and highly recommended. I was captivated with Enna’s story, and ended up loving it. In the very beginning, Enna’s older brother discovers how to make fire through drawing on heat in the air and making it into flame. He is determined to aid their home kingdom, Bayern, in the upcoming war against a neighboring kingdom, Tira. Enna is intrigued to learn this power too, but is hesitant because of the danger it will cause. She realizes that if she is not careful fire will consume her, slowly burning her from the inside out. I loved reading Enna’s internal battle as she tries to figure out the right choice. It was one of the many things about this book that was spectacularly done. Anyone who has ever struggled with a difficult decision will be able to relate to her. I certainly did. Enna ultimately decides that learning fire power is best for her kingdom despite the risks. She can burn a path to victory… as long as she keeps the overwhelming flames inside her at bay. I was gripped by this time, both worried and excited for Enna. I expected her to choose this path, but all the same I was worried where it would lead her. Would she manage to win the war and control her power at the same time? Or will the fire kill her? After this, the real adventure begins. The book kept me entertained with many twists. I felt a range of emotions reading— I was scared, thrilled, relieved, intrigued, and sometimes downright disturbed by what Enna’s power could do. Enna was an interesting and complicated character. Sometimes she was very likable, and sometimes she did things she knew were horrible and wrong. I often wanted to warn her she was making the wrong choice, or yell at her for what she’d done. Still I couldn’t help rooting for her throughout the whole book, and longed for a happy ending. I was very intrigued by Enna’s fire power, and I thought the author, Shannon Hale, did an amazing job writing it. She really captured the complexity of fire, a thing brings life but it also brings death. It is beautiful yet terrible, all consuming and dangerous. In this world, fire power is similarly complicated. I could understand all of Enna’s decisions, even if I didn’t like them, because I understood the influence the fire had over her. Enna’s longing to set things aflame steadily increases over the course of the story, and it’s written wonderfully. In fact, I thought the writing in general was amazing. It was lyrical and almost poetic, and it flowed very nicely. It provided beautiful descriptions not only of Enna’s fire making ability, but of everything. The series is set in an enchanting world filled with magic and excitement, with a medieval feel. It’s brought to life vividly through lush descriptions. This world is divided into many kingdoms including Yasid, Kildenree, Tira and Kel, but it centers around Bayern. Overall, I highly recommended Enna Burning as a thrilling fantasy book, and the entire series too. Of course, you should read the first book before this one. It’s called The Goose Girl and is also a great story. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Quarantine, a poem by Shravya Sethi, 11
Quarantine Shravya Sethi, 11 The light, not of sun The clash of a noise Coming from the box It’s not quite a toy The smell of a cake wafting from the oven door you dive in and say “I really want more!” A mask of protection For others, not you So that when you sneeze The germs can’t get through Digging holes, making new life Planting more, watching them thrive Aching back, going to sleep Joyous cries, seeing them strive A flight past the houses I’m a blur, on two thin wheels pumping my feet, dirtying blouses The sensation is surreal And sitting at home On the couch, all alone This year we shall stare silently at our phones
Book Club Report: The War I Finally Won, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
An update from our twentieth Book Club meeting! Last Saturday, September 26, was the Stone Soup Book Club’s first Book Club meeting at its new meeting time: 9am PST on Saturdays. The Book Club ran for around an half-and-a-half and was attended by thirty participants from across the US, as well as in the UK. The book we discussed was The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, which is the sequel to our previous read, The War that Saved My Life. In The War I Finally Won, Ada and Jamie continue living under the care of kindly Susan in rural England during World War II. Our first activity was splitting into “ARTT rooms” which are social breakout rooms of three or four people. In these breakout rooms, people introduced themselves and were able to share out and talk about their favorite books. The ARTT rooms are a great way to get to know people! Next, we split into two groups, each of which discussed the similarities and differences between The War I Finally Won and The War that Saved My Life. It was really cool to hear what people thought of the two books, and which one they liked better! We then went into discussion groups to talk about the characters and settings in The War I Finally Won. It was great to get everyone’s perspectives on these topics (as well as to hear who their favorite characters were!), and to explore how all of the people and places in the book are connected. We also talked about themes in The War I Finally Won; we discussed what elements of the book impacted the themes, such as places, actions, and people. Some of the themes we came up with are these: bravery, trust, friendship, acceptance, and finding a home. Finally, before we chose our next Book Club book, we read an email interview that author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley did- just for us! When we discussed The War that Saved My Life, we sent her ten questions about the book. Then, we were able to send her three more about The War I Finally Won. We read out the answers to all of these questions in our meeting. It was extraordinarily cool to hear Ms. Bradley’s thought process on different parts of the book, as well as her advice about writing; and of course, we thank her immensely for answering our questions about the book! Please, if you attended this Book Club meeting, we would love it if you would write a thank-you note to Ms. Bradley. You can send them to me at anya@stonesoup.com and I will forward them along to Ms. Bradley. Lastly, we chose our new book. There were ten options, and the one we chose is: Keeper of the Lost Cities (book 1) by Shannon Messenger. We will be discussing this book at our next meeting on 10/31. And, since that meeting will be on Halloween, we are inviting all of our Book Club participants to dress up as their favorite book character for Book Club (and bring candy, if they wish)! Our Next Book (to be discussed on 10/31): Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger Special Halloween Book Club Activity! Since our next meeting is on Halloween, we are inviting all of our Book Club participants to dress up as their favorite book character for Book Club, and bring candy, if they wish! The Stone Soup Book Club is open to all kids ages 9-13. We will meet on the last Saturday of October and the first Saturday of December at 9am PST via Zoom. Registration is required. It is $10 per class–and half off for all subscribers. You can sign up for Book Club here.
