“Jenna would love it here, Adrian found herself thinking” Illustration by Ashley Burke, 13, for “The Baseball” by Katie Russell, 13. Published in Stone Soup, September/October 2006 & in The Stone Soup Book of Sports Stories (2018). A note from Jane Levi This week’s featured story is actually one of a pair of stories, both published in Stone Soup more than 10 years ago, about the same character—a girl called Adrian—and telling the story of the same event—a baseball game in the park—from different perspectives. In “The Baseball,” we learn about Adrian’s inner life and the story of her family, especially her troubled older sister, who gave her the baseball of the title. The other, “Adrian,” tells the story of the appearance of this new girl, Adrian, in the baseball game being played by a group of friends. In that story, we learn about the girls in the group, their response to Adrian’s arrival in their game, and how wrong we can be when we jump to conclusions based on superficial, surface appearances.* Originally, we published these two stories in the order the author sent them to us: “Adrian” first, “The Baseball” second. Presented in this order, Adrian is the titular hero from the beginning, but she is actually as much of a mystery to us, the readers, as she is to the group of baseball-playing girls. We are left at the end of that first story wondering where she came from, how she got to be so good at baseball, and whether she will become friends with the rest of the girls. It is only in the second installment that we start to understand who Adrian is, what she is going through, what baseball means to her, and how she came to that baseball game on that particular afternoon. Re-read some of your favorite books and you will see how often authors use this device—switching perspective—to help their readers develop intimacy with the hero of the story, and how frequently they will imply who the hero actually is by giving you insight into their minds earlier in the story, or more often. When we chose these two stories for The Stone Soup Book of Sports Stories, we had to think really carefully about which order to present them in. It was an interesting dilemma, because the story works both ways, but the reader’s perspective on the wider tale changes with each part. Sequentially in time, the second story actually comes first, and in it we learn more about the lead character than the other characters know. We almost reversed them in the collection, but in the end kept the original publication order. Reading them again now, I still wonder whether we should have flipped them around and subtly changed readers’ experiences of the stories. When you write stories with several characters, how do you decide what to reveal about them, and at which stage of the story? When you read these two specific stories in a different order, does it change the way you feel about the story? If these stories were chapters in a book about Adrian, which order would you put them in? If you think you would have made a different editorial decision for The Stone Soup Book of Sports Stories, please write and tell us why! Happy reading, *The other girls made some harsh judgments about Adrian, based on her clothes, which are described (and illustrated) in the 2004 story “Adrian.” In the 2006 illustration for “The Baseball,” her green nail polish is shown because it is mentioned in that story, but the illustrator invented the rest of her clothes. Our spring contest and partnership news Write for a podcast: Closing date April 15 Our current contest, in partnership with the By Kids, for Kids Story Time podcast, to write a short story about climate change or other environmental theme. Your work could become a dramatized reading, broadcast on the podcast, and be published in an issue of Stone Soup! All the details about entries and prizes are on our website contest pages. Summer writing mentorship program for 9th-graders and up: Application deadline April 15 We’ve partnered with The Adroit Journal, a literary magazine for teens. The applications for their Summer Mentorship program, which takes place from June to August, are open now. This program pairs young writers in grades 9 through 12 with an experienced writer who helps them learn more about the creative process. We know this is for an audience older than ours, but if you are a former reader or contributor, or know any teenagers who are aspiring writers, encourage them to apply! Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Mirembe, 12, reviews Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, the third graphic novel in a series by Alexis E. Fajardo. Here’s the start of the review: “Attention! Calling all young readers! Are you an adventurous middle grade reader (ages 8 to 11) who would love to travel throughout the middle ages? Do you find medieval battles thrilling? Do you want to fight for justice? If so Alexis Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid might be perfect for you.” Read more of Mirembe’s thoughts on the blog. (Plus—keep an eye out for an interview of the author we’ll be publishing soon!) From Stone Soup, September/October 2006, & The Stone Soup Book of Sports Stories (2018) The Baseball By Katie Russell, 13 Illustrated by Ashley Burke, 13 Adrian stared at the ball in her hand. It was old, obviously well-used and well-loved. Dirt and grass had been ground into it, its once shining whiteness now a muddy, undetermined brown. The laces had been worn down, rough and rusty red. When Adrian held the ball, her hand could feel familiar bumps and dents that had come from years of use. Adrian could remember when her sister, Jenna, had first handed her the ball and taught her how to play baseball. The ball had been new then, just-bought-from-the-store new. Its creamy outside had promised exciting adventures that the two would face. Adrian loved the ball. It had been years since Adrian last
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, Reviewed by Mirembe, 12
Attention! Calling all young readers! Are you an adventurous middle grade reader (ages 8 to 11) who would love to travel throughout the middle ages? Do you find medieval battles thrilling? Do you want to fight for justice? If so Alexis Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid might be perfect for you. The Rise of El Cid is the third comic book in the Kid Beowulf trilogy. It begins with a captivating prologue about the well accomplished warrior, Rodrigo, who became nicknamed “El Cid,” because he won so many battles. The prologue is beautifully hand inked, watercolored, and written in the format of a poem, but from the start of chapter one, the graphic novel is digitally colored, and written in prose. The Rise of El Cid takes place in many different parts of Spain, as it shows different characters’ journeys around the country. Each of the sub-plots has different characters who display different temperaments and goals (some good, others evil). All of the characters are in some sort of trouble: some are lost, others are in danger of being murdered. Although the graphic novel includes lots of battle scenes, it has some humorous ones, too. For instance, one of the Ibn Al-Fajar has a pet lion who provides comic relief, by giving people such a shock that they jump into each other’s arms. One of these sub-plots focuses on Beowulf, an adventurous boy who travels with two loyal companions, his brother, Grendel, and friend, Hama (a piglet, whom I love dearly.) After a battle between two (unknown) groups of people, Beowulf gets into a fight with a warrior. They begin to tumble down a mountain and off a cliff. Grendel and Hama try to come to Beowulf’s rescue, but in the commotion they, too, fall off the cliff. The three travelers are lost, and very far away from where they started. While attempting to navigate their way home, Beowulf, Grendel, and Hama and run into serious trouble. Will they be able to safely return to the High Pyrenees? Of the many characters in The Rise of El Cid, I found that Beowulf and I have lots in common. He wants the best for himself and his peers, but at times can be bossy and stubborn. For instance, Beowulf refuses to take Grendel’s advice. This provokes a big argument that could possibly be deadly. Will Beowulf and Grendel ever forgive each other? Will Beowulf or Grendel murder each other due to their strong rage? When Beowulf behaves this way, he reminds me of myself. Occasionally, when my parents and friends try to give me advice, I am too stubborn to take it, but later on realize I should have listened to them, because the situation I am in is terrible, due to the fact that I was unwilling to compromise, and too caught up in believing I was right. Another important character is Rodrigo Diaz, a young man from Spain who finds himself waist high in trouble when he strongly defends what he believes is ethical. When Count Gormaz (a well established warrior) is going to murder his unarmed, and knocked-out, prisoners of war, Rodrigo stands up to him by shouting, “Count Gormaz! Sir! You’ve got to stop! These men are unarmed! They’re no threat to us!” Count Gormaz responds by ordering Rodrigo to leave the field. Rodrigo disobeys, and their quarrel quickly escalates to Count Gormaz saying, “I’ll kill you instead!” Rodrigo’s desire to stick up for justice, reminds me of activists today who had the courage to speak out, in opposition of the government, or people in power. For instance, Rodrigo, who lived in the middle ages, reminds me of a male version of Malala. I find Malala and Rodrigo very similar, because both of them had the courage to voice their opinion, even if it meant taking a life-threatening risk. The many characters and scenes in Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, remind me of current day events and people, for many reasons, some silly, others serious. If you want to know who lives, who dies, who loses friends, and who returns home, read The Rise of El Cid. Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid by Alexis E. Fajardo. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
Saturday Newsletter: March 23, 2019
“Wheat in Heaven” Photograph (Nikon D3400) by Delaney Slote, 12. Published in Stone Soup, October 2018. A note from William Rubel The Podcast Contest is accepting submissions until midnight, Pacific Time, April 15. That is only three weeks away! You will find details in the Partnership and Contest News section below, as well as on our website. Please look down to the “Highlights from the past week online” section for some news about Stone Soup contributor and blogger Sabrina Guo. William’s weekend project: photography I’d like you to look at Delaney Slote’s photograph, featured in our newsletter this week, from a technical point of view. There are only two objects depicted: the wheat and the sky. The wheat is much closer to us than the sky. This is a photograph that is exploring visual planes and space—the distance between the two planes. In this photograph there is foreground and background, but no middle ground. It thus shares a strong structural similarity with the photograph of umbrellas we used for the cover of the February issue. I wrote about that image in the February 9 newsletter. Delaney also explores blurring. The distant clouds are blurry. This helps focus our attention on the wheat in the foreground. But the wheat itself is also on multiple planes. The wheat has depth. Notice that some of the wheat is sharp and some blurry. Delaney’s camera offers fine control over what is called the focal plane—the precise distance from the camera where the image is sharpest. The focal plane is flat, like a piece of paper or a piece of window glass. You might even imagine your photograph as being composed of two painted parallel pieces of glass set far apart from each other. Your camera may or may not let you play with blurriness. If it does, then experiment with the feature. In the case of “Wheat in Heaven,” the contrast between the wheat that is sharply focused and the wheat that is a little blurry provides a feeling of depth and movement. Walk around your house or go outside looking for objects that you can imagine as being arranged on two parallel panes of glass but set very far apart from each other. You can also look for situations in which the planes are not parallel, where the imaginary panes of glass meet each other at an angle. As always, if you are super pleased with what you have done, then upload your submission to our website for editor Emma Wood to review. Until next time, P.S. If you happen to see the current issue of Mother Earth News in a magazine stand, then turn to page 26. You will find an article I wrote on vegetable gardening. You can also read the article online at the Mother Earth News website. Partnership and contest news Don’t forget about our current contest, in partnership with the By Kids, for Kids Story Time podcast, to write a short story about climate change or another environmental theme. Your work could become a dramatized reading broadcast on the podcast and be published in an issue of Stone Soup! All the details about entries and prizes are on our website contest pages. We’ve partnered with The Adroit Journal, a literary magazine for teens. Now in its seventh year, The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program is an entirely free and online program that pairs experienced writers with high school and secondary students (students currently in grades 9–12) interested in learning more about the creative writing processes of drafting, redrafting, and editing. The 2019 program will cater to the literary genres of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is open for student applications March 15 through April 15. Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Abhi Sukhdial reviews the book BRAT and the Kids of Warriors by Michael Joseph Lyons. Find out what he thinks are the strengths and weaknesses of the adventure novel. Frequent contributor Sabrina Guo recently won a Scholastic Art & Writing Award for her Stone Soup blog post about the organization Another Kind of Girl Collective (in addition to a few other awards!). Congratulations to Sabrina! Read more here. From Stone Soup November 2018 The Legend of the Leaves By Marcus R. Bosley, 10 Long, long ago, in the days when dinosaurs roamed, and the Earth was filled with lush, green grass, the first people were born. The gods shaped them from the mud of the Earth, dropping them on the soft ground and giving them shelter from harsh weather. In the time before humans, the gods were lonely. They would eat and sleep and occasionally play bingo at the top of a volcano. But they never experienced joy or happiness like we do today. So they created humans. The gods would make houses and villages for the people to live in. They would give food to the people when they were in need. The gods were so generous they gave the people the most valuable resource of all. Leaves. Now, when you first think about it, doesn’t it sound a little silly? But, back then, they didn’t have the same animals as we do today. They wouldn’t be able to make clothes or blankets without the soft animal skins we have now. The gods saw the humans in distress. They were cold at night and made clothes out of tough alligator hides. So they took action. The gods thought up something that would solve the problem. Something common, that could be found everywhere. And so they created leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. The people used the leaves right away. They made soft clothing to wear that was a million times better than the scaly lizard skin. They stuffed pillows with them. They even used sticky tree sap to glue them together and make roofs. The gods gave them everything. But, the problem was, the humans were still not satisfied. They demanded more from the gods. Better food. Nicer homes. More recipes for Italian beef stew. The gods were astounded. “They must be put under control. They
