When you pick up a fantasy book, you may think, “ugh, another book about the typical fantasy story.” This is what most people assume after reading countless books with the same type of characters, plot, and setting. The Girl Who Drank The Moon is different. Written by Kelly Barnhill, the unique introduction, plot, setting, and characters wrap a magical enchantment around anyone who reads the book. Be ready to be sucked into the world of the Protectorate where every kind of magic is possible. Chapter One, “In Which A Story Is Told,” is where the adventure starts, an adventure unlike any other you have ever seen. Every person who lives in the Protectorate believes and agrees on one thing: a murdering evil witch lives in the woods. This witch steals babies away from families, leaving them in sorrow and misery. That’s not at all. The witch who lives in the woods, Xan, is a wise, elderly, and kind woman who was born magical. She lives with some friendly magical creatures, a dragon named Fyrian, and a magical sea creature named Glerk. She never knew the baby that was put under the tree every year was only offered to her because they were scared of her; Xan had thought that they just offered these babies because they were unwanted. She would raise them to an appropriate age, then she would give these children to the other side of the forest, the Free Cities. Now, the Free Cities were safe and happy cities, unlike the mixed up Protectorate. The families of the Free Cities were ever so grateful for the witch and thought her a kind and compassionate witch. One year, Xan was “offered” an ordinary baby. This baby’s mother, once the baby is taken away, goes mad. The mother is locked up in a tower, and not allowed outside. When Xan arrives safely back at her house, she makes a mistake she had never made before: feeding this baby moonlight, instead of starlight, turning this baby from an ordinary baby to an extraordinary one. She decides she has to raise this magical child herself. She names the baby Luna, and begins on her journey to raise her. Luna grows as fast as a baby could grow. First she’s three, then six, then seven, nine, twelve. Meanwhile, in the Protectorate, crazy things are happening. A young man by the name of Antain has announced that he will kill the witch, or die trying. That’s not the only crazy thing that the author decided to add. A volcano, dormant for centuries, has decided to plot some revenge. Filled with chapters of excitement, adventure, and magic, this book perfectly describes the unique story of the most unique characters, in the most enchanting setting. Even though the book has many great elements, it also has some faults. After reading the book, I felt like the content was just a bit overloaded. I tried to summarize it, but I couldn’t summarize it without reading the whole book. The order of events was confusing, and it was an easy mistake to mix up the events and switch parts around. I also want to know how Luna’s mother, at the end, suddenly became normal. That aspect was kind of confusing to understand. The book’s brilliance outshines the faults though, and not just marginally but significantly. This book is highly recommended not to just a few types of readers, but all readers. The enchantment is just too strong to hold back, and before you know it, the book will mesmerize you, and you’ll never forget the magical feeling the book gives you. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin Young Readers, 2019. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
The Whale Child, Reviewed by Ava, 10
If I ever had to swim beside a whale, I would be very nervous. This book taught me that whales are actually very like humans (in mind, not in shape – that is if you take away the difference in SIZE!). Having read this book, I wouldn’t mind swimming beside a whale because I understand that we all make up the earth and that whales are part of it. We meet Shiny, the Whale Child who is magically turned into a boy. He then goes on land to explain to a little girl, Alex about the ways of life. He teaches her about climate, pollution of the oceans and how humans can help. For me, the best thing about the book were the illustrations. They were beyond words: wonderful, beautiful, …musical. They showed me what was really happening, the talking, the silences (try Alex looking thoughtful and alert on page 28). And I really liked that Bufflehead the duck could talk! One other thing I liked was that in Chapter 1 we learn about Shiny’s life, in Chapter 2 we learn about Alex’s life and in Chapter 3 these two main characters meet. The way that Shiny (aka the Whale Child) was drawn confused me a little. He looked too much older than Alex. For instance, on page 51, he towers above Alex. The settings for the story change very quickly—I found this a bit disconcerting. Alex lives in the Pacific Northwest near the sea, the perfect setting for a Whale Child to come ashore. But one minute, they are in a town with a horrible factory and the next, they are in the mountains with a mountain lion. I guess that’s the way things work in a magical novel. At the start, I wondered why the authors had Alex’s mom have a dream that Shiny was coming. Shouldn’t it have been Alex who had that dream? And I’m glad that there weren’t too many adults—I love books which are just about kids. Overall, this book was very enjoyable and very educational. I hope that gives an important message to everyone who reads it: save our planet! And I really hope there’s going to be a sequel. The Whale Child by Keith Egawa and Chenoa Egawa. North Atlantic Books, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Spring-20, a poem by Patrycja Wanat, 13
Patrycja Wanat, 13Rajsko, Oświęcim, Poland Spring-20 Patrycja Wanat, 13 Kite tails should be in the sky, Bees are flying by. Spring has arrived! Everyone should be bright, But not this year, Because we’re all filled with fear From COVID-19, We are waiting for a vaccine. Somehow we have to cope, And we can only have hope, That this coronavirus will go away. We pray Everyday That everything can go back to the way it was Because People are losing jobs, People are losing something everyday And that is not okay. Coronavirus if you’re reading this, please stop doing this!
