“Lilly knew it promised to be an amazing read.” Illustrator Tina Splann, 11 (Providence Village, TX) for “Words,” by Elia Smith, 10 (Santa Monica, CA). Published September/October 2014. A note from Jane Levi We know that our Stone Soup readers and authors are kids who love words! Every kind of word lover is represented in the world of Stone Soup: engaged readers, thoughtful reviewers, poets and storytellers, topical writers, and entertaining speakers and dramatists. This week’s writing selections from the current issue and the archive are focused on the power of words, in all their forms. From the July/August issue we are highlighting this week a review of The Book Thief, contributed to by Ananda Bhaduri (see below). Besides giving us an excellent example of a book review that makes you want to read the book for yourself, Ananda also got me thinking about the power of words. They can be used to manipulate and persuade as well as transmit information and develop learning. I’m sure you can think of examples in your own lives when particular words have had an impact larger than themselves. This book is a great reminder that the more we know about words (and the more words we know!), the better we can understand the truth of what others might be saying to us. In Elia Smith’s story “Words,” from the Stone Soup archives, a girl’s love of words helps her to engage with and enjoy a nursing home volunteering project. But words don’t just help to move the action forward. They provide the expression of the characters’ personalities, and they skillfully move us through the arc of the story. The hero, Lilly, is a girl of whom one might say, “She’s swallowed a dictionary,” which means that the story is richly peppered with splendiferous words. But one of my favorite things about the story is the way that in the end (and in contrast to the rest of the story) Lilly’s real feelings are best expressed in just a few, very simple words. It’s a lovely piece of writing that skillfully highlights the importance to writers of choosing just the right words to express emotion as well as meaning, and how to place them for maximum effect. There are so many ways to express a love of words, and the power of words, and so many ways to use those words to express ourselves and to enrich our experience of the world. When you have something you are proud of—a poem, a play, a story, a reading, a blog post idea—share it with us. We always want to know how you are playing with words. Until next time, Contest, partnership & project news We’re in the final days of our current contest: finish writing that book! Keep working on your entries for our summer contest: book-length writing in all forms and genres by kids aged 14 and under. The extended deadline for entries is Aug. 21, so you still have a few days left to work on perfecting your book, whether it is a novel, a collection of poetry or short stories, a memoir, or other prose. There will be three placed winners, and we will publish all three winning books in various forms. Visit our contest page and Submittable entry page for full details. Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Do you know about light pollution? This week on the blog Thee Sim Ling, 12, gives us an overview of the phenomenon and what you can do about it. Continuing our interviews with former contributors, this week we talked with Grace McNamee, whose story “Pennsylvania” was originally published in Stone Soup in summer 2007 and was the featured story in our July 13 Newsletter. Grace now works as an assistant editor at Bloomsbury Publishing. Check out her answers here. Looking forward to next week on the blog We promised to publish the commended and winning stories in our recent Podcast contest on the website, and we’re excited to say that they will start appearing on the Blog next week. Check in through the week using this link to read all five brand-new stories on the theme of climate change. From Stone Soup July/August 2019 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Reviewed by Ananda Bhaduri, 13 (Guwahati, India) A snow-clad cemetery in Germany a few months before World War II. A girl cannot believe her brother has just died, as she and her mother witness the burial. A black book drops to the snow without the owner’s knowledge. The girl picks it up and clings to it. Her debut in the career of book thievery. Some hours later, the girl and her mother go their separate ways. The girl goes to her new parents. She does not know where her mother is going. Liesel Meminger (the aforementioned girl) is adopted by Hans and Rosa Hubermann of 33 Himmel Street. The Hubermanns are not rich. They decide to raise Liesel because they are getting an allowance for it. Despite this, Liesel could not have a better father than Hans Hubermann. Hans comes to Liesel’s room after her frequent nightmares and comforts her, or sometimes plays the accordion for her. The same cannot be said of Rosa. Though she loves Liesel, she is constantly addressing her as “pig,” often accompanied by a beating. Liesel soon adapts to life in Himmel Street, befriending Rudy Steiner, one of her neighbors. Liesel and Rudy play football with the other kids, go to school together, and also go on thieving adventures. (Their loot mostly consists of food and an occasional book.) It is Hans who discovers Liesel’s first stolen book. (She was lucky it wasn’t Rosa!) Liesel never learned how to read, and Hans has little education. Yet, they manage to finish the book, with Liesel learning how to read in the process. Perhaps these reading sessions develop a love for reading in Liesel. And perhaps this is the reason Liesel feels a compulsion to steal books. The narrator of The Book Thief is Death. What does Death have to do with a girl stealing books, you
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Former Contributor Interview: Grace McNamee
Editor’s Note: our Former Contributors Interview Project showcases former contributors of Stone Soup and the wonderful things they’ve gone on to do. Grace McNamee’s story “Pennsylvania” was published in the July/August 2007 issue of Stone Soup, and was the featured story in our Saturday Newsletter on Saturday July 13, 2019. SS: What are you doing now? GM: During the day, I’m an assistant editor at Bloomsbury Publishing. I acquire and edit a combination of literary fiction and nonfiction and also help with the list for the editorial director for fiction. It’s an amazing job. I love working closely with authors, reading books before they’re published, and being aware of upcoming trends in books. I’m also continuing to publish, recently essays in Electric Literature and Vol. 1 Brooklyn and a short story in Joyland Magazine. SS: What did Stone Soup mean to you? GM: Stone Soup was the first time someone, other than my parents, took my writing as seriously as I did. It was the encouragement I craved, and it provided me with the confidence to keep working on my fiction. I loved seeing my writing in print, and with such beautiful illustrations, and to this day, I continue to be so proud of that story and of my first ever publication. SS: Do you have any advice for the current readers, writers, and artists who contribute to Stone Soup? Keep writing! Keep reading! Keep submitting! Are you a former Stone Soup writer or artist and interested in being interviewed? We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to sarah@stonesoup.com for more information.
Can You See the Stars? by Lucinda Chu
Illustration by Leigh McNeil-Taboika, 13, for Ella Jane Lombard’s story “Bright Star,” from Stone Soup’s Nov/Dec 2011 issue Stars have long been an important part of human culture and science, from astronomy to fiction to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” However, one-third of humanity may never be able to see the cosmos, according to certain studies. On June 10, 2016, Italian and American scientists published a global atlas on light pollution. According to the report, one-third of humanity, including 80% of Americans, will never be able to see the Milky Way! (Gasp!) According to the online global atlas, most of the major cities in the U.S.A., Europe and the southeastern part of Asia are affected by this problem. Light pollution is a little-known environmental issue caused by artificial lights in developed countries that swamp the night sky with a luminous fog, covering the many beautiful constellations and stars that many kids hope to see. (You can’t exactly wish upon a shooting star to see them either, ‘cause they’re covered too.) And not only we are affected. Unnatural light confuses and exposes wild animals such as insects, birds and sea turtles, often with fatal consequences. Moths keep swarming the porch light, night birds can’t navigate properly, and the poor sea turtles are misled by all those bright bulbs you put at your beach houses. Of course, we caused all this, so we reap what we sow. But if we don’t stop this, soon nobody will ever see the stars again. So take a few simple steps to reduce light pollution and spread awareness about this problem. Turn off the lights when you’re not using them. Shield your garden lights to the immediate area, reducing the amount of light to the minimum needed. You don’t need to light up your whole house with a ridiculous amount of bulbs—even if you are afraid of the dark. Talk about this with your local town committee. Host fund raisers. And just wish upon a star. Thee Sim Ling, age 12
