Following the tragic death of his female guardian, Jack Starbright, Alex Rider moves from his home in London to San Francisco to live with his friend, Sabina Pleasure. However, a few weeks later, Alex receives an email that makes him believe that Jack might be alive after all… The Alex Rider series, by Anthony Horowitz, has never lost me once. The books get better and better, every time! Never Say Die, the tenth book, didn’t break the pattern. The series is about a fourteen-fifteen year old boy named Alex Rider. Alex’s parents died when he was a few weeks old, and he was sent to live with his uncle, Ian Rider, who’s secretly an MI6 agent. When Alex is seven, Jack is hired to be his caretaker, and she stays with him even after Ian dies on a mission for the British Intelligence agency. Now MI6 has taken an interest in Alex because Ian had bragged about “training” Alex. They use him in many dangerous missions, against his own will. In Alex’s most recent mission, Jack is killed by the enemy, leaving Alex more alone than ever, though MI6 seems to be finally done with him. Never Say Die brings Alex back into the action, when he finds out that Jack might be alive after all, but realizes that finding her isn’t his only problem. The search takes him to the Sahara Desert of Egypt. There, he learns about twin criminals who might be linked to Jack. They are about to carry out “Operation Steel Claw”. If Alex doesn’t stop them, the lives of fifty-two children could be at stake. There are several reasons why I like this series. For one, Alex always tries to remain calm, recollect his thoughts, and come up with a solution even in the most stressful situations. In the seventh book, Snakehead, Alex’s organs are about to be sold on the black market! I don’t think I would be able to even think straight if I were in his position! I admire how Alex can immediately think up a way to get out of his seemingly impossible predicament. This leads to another reason why I like this series so much. There is suspense on every page, with one adventure leading to the next. Even at the end of each book, there is always a hint that Alex isn’t done yet. However, if Alex was too smart for the criminals, it would get boring. So, Anthony Horowitz pits Alex against very intelligent and creative antagonists, who will do almost anything to get what they want. In the sixth book, Ark Angel, the criminal sends a space hotel hurling into the Pentagon in order to erase his records. Reading Alex Rider’s ongoing adventure is like listening to Tchaikovsky, with a lot of dynamics: quieter, more peaceful parts and louder and exciting parts, all put together to make a great masterpiece. I would recommend this series for readers as young as 9. These books also appeal to 14 and 15 year-olds because Alex’s age progresses from 14 to 15. I really enjoy Anthony Horowitz’s writing because of his creative plots and lifelike characters. Once I outgrow the Alex Rider series, I will still be excited because there is a great selection of adult books by Anthony Horowitz, too. I hope you will give this series a try and enjoy it as much as I do. Alex Rider: Never Say Die by Anthony Horowitz. Walker Books, 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!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Saturday Newsletter: October 20, 2018
I held them like they were a bouquet of yellow flowers Illustrator Anna Dreher, 12 for Frustration, Happiness, and Pure Amazement by Isabella Widrow, 12. Published November/December 2015. A note from William Rubel Mushrooms! Chanterelles! Delicious and commonplace wild foods for the taking! How I love foraging. Berries, fruits, mushrooms, watercress, wild lettuce, dandelions—it is rare that a week goes by when I don’t bring something back from a walk. All these wild plants and more can provide creative inspiration, and some of them even something to eat. Now, I want to say right away that you must learn about wild foods and think very carefully about the conditions you found them in, before eating anything you pick. The rule for all wild foods, especially mushrooms, is the same: “In case of doubt, throw it out.” Mushrooms come in many colors: red, yellow, orange, grey, black, brown, white, and even green. I think of mushrooms as the flowers of the forest floor. The carpet of yellow chanterelles depicted in Anna Dreher’s drawing is realistic—but this is also the find of a century! I’d be talking about such a find for years afterward. When you collect wild foods, whether those are apples from a city tree that overhangs a sidewalk, watercress in a neighborhood stream, or dandelion from a lawn or piece of disturbed ground in a parking lot, you bring home a story. For this weekend, I’d like you all to at the very least take a walk in your neighborhood. You can expand your quest beyond edible plants and fruits to include flowers. (I am not talking here about picking from your neighbors’ yards, or from rare collections of special plants, of course!) Keep your eyes peeled for herbs, fruits, and flowers that are growing in the public part of streets and lots. You will be surprised at what you find once you start looking. But to write about what you bring home, to talk about the bouquet of yellow flowers from wild lettuces—something I am pretty sure you will find in bloom right now—you need to be able to recognize what you find. Novelists and story writers, like historians, often have to do research to support their stories. When you write about mushrooms or plants, it is helpful to be particular. “We walked through a forest” is less evocative than “We walked through a pine forest.” Just being able to say “pine” helps readers visualize the shape of the trees, imagine walking on trails covered in needles, and smell the unique smell of pine. So go out foraging this weekend. Ideally, go with someone who has some knowledge of plants and fungi, and check with an adult before you pick anything. Look closely at what you find, and learn about it. You can draw the plants you find and press leaves and flowers to dry them. And you can write about it. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of capturing everyday experiences in writing. Finding wild foods and flowers to pick and bring home is a completely different experience from going to the grocery store to pick up fruits, vegetables, and a bouquet. Everything you forage yourself comes with a story. I want you to record this weekend’s foraging stories; then, when you are writing fiction, think back on this exercise to find something you can use to bring life into your fictional story. Until next week Seeking new bloggers and reviewers! We love the book reviews and blogs that we have been publishing lately. We see this work as being on the same level as what’s published in Stone Soup. The blogs let you, our Stone Soup writers, write in genres and styles that don’t quite fit into Stone Soup the literary magazine. We are always looking for more bloggers, so if you are interested, please submit a sample of what you have in mind by going to our online submissions page. I’d like to encourage teachers and homeschooling parents to submit sample pieces too; we are also looking for adult bloggers. Up to this point the online book reviews and blogs have been free for anyone to view. We have just submitted the work order to our programmer to fold the book reviews and blogs into the Stone Soup paywall which will limit the number of free views. By doing so, we are saying to you reviewers and bloggers that your work has value and that it is an important part of the work we publish. The 2018 Stone Soup Annual is nearly ready The 2018 Stone Soup Annual is in production and will soon go to the printer. Sarah Ainsworth has made the selections of reviews and blog posts to be included in that volume. Impressive work. Congratulations to all our artists, writers, reviewers and bloggers! Thank you! Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at stonesoup.com! Are you excited about Halloween? Thinking about your costume? Do not miss Antara’s post with 4 incredible ideas for Halloween costumes you can make yourself. We particularly love the jellyfish (though they are all terrific)! As we move into fall, we also look back at summer with some colorful, inspiring pages from Claire R’s summer journal. Plus, we have another guest post from an adult blogger, this time art history student Sarah Lynn talking about ‘No Boundaries’, the beautiful work of art by Christian Goh, age 9, that we used as our May 2018 cover. From Stone Soup November/December 2015 Frustration, Happiness, and Pure Amazement By Isabella Widrow, 12 Illustrated by Anna Dreher, 12 How I Found Chanterelles Rain splattered against ice-cold windows, and fat, foggy, clouds hung low. I was in my dad’s twenty-one-year- old Honda Accord, zooming along the highway. It was four-thirty, and I had just gotten out of the two-hour Chinese School that I attend every Sunday. My dad, sister Mia, and I were on our way to a place in the middle of nowhere to find… mushrooms. Chanterelles, to
Guest Post: No Boundaries in Art
by Sarah Lynn “No Boundaries” is exploding with color, something I particularly love in artworks. The blues, purples, and greens of the piece are relaxing and seem to flow in and around the image, while the peaches, yellows, and reds of the picture break up the scene in a way that only enhances its beauty. This beauty itself does not take one form—the piece is abstract. It can visually represent any number of things. I, for example, see a garden or a village celebrating some special event. Another person may see a lake or an underwater scene. What makes this piece unique is that the interpretation of the piece is different for each viewer. I also love that this piece has no rhyme or reason in the direction the paint travels. It needs no explanation for its being. The artist, Christian Goh, calls his work “messy art.” Goh, who is on the Autism Spectrum with dysgraphia and dyspraxia, says he likes this type of art “because there is no right or wrong, no confusing rules to follow, and I do not need words to express Me.” His art is a form of escape from the rules that society imposes on everyday life. This, I think, is the reason art was created. When creating art allows the artist a moment to breathe away from the pressures of normative society, it has achieved its purpose. Just by looking at the image, you can tell the artist was letting his paintbrush move, not dictating where it went, but instead letting it tell him where to go. I personally relate to this method of producing art. When I have too many things on my plate and just need a mental reset, I draw. Knowing I can take time to produce something created only for me to see and engage with is comforting. Drawing allows me to mentally step back, go on autopilot, and just zone out until the things cluttering my brain have left and I am able to refocus. Just like Goh, when I create art, I feel free to ignore the binary of right and wrong, ignore the rules society poses, and create without words. “No Boundaries” speaks to this need to distance yourself from societal standards. The painting is also a visual reflection of empowerment for Goh. Self-empowerment in today’s society is so important. You can’t let anyone else tell you what to do, who to be, or how to act, or else your life is being dictated by another person. One of the boldest things you can do in life is stand your ground and insist on doing things your own way, as Goh has done in his “No Boundaries.” He combined colors and shapes in ways that he saw fit, to reflect his decisions as an artist without needing permission from society. While Goh’s art appears similar to other historical types of painting, like impressionism or abstract impressionism, the fundamental beliefs behind his “messy art” are different from artists belonging to those movements. Both art forms were borne from artists’ dissatisfaction with society at the time of the art’s creation as well as dissatisfaction with past art forms. However, Goh’s “messy art” is borne from a much more personal need: to express himself in a way in which he feels comfortable. It is a prime example of self-empowerment: Goh is able to make his own decisions and create something which he enjoys and takes pride in. I encourage you to learn from Goh’s work. Today, go create a piece of art that frees you up inside. Create something just for you that you think is a reflection of yourself. It should be up to you to decide what object, icon, or shape(s) represent you. Discover what drives your art like Goh has in “No Boundaries.” About the Author: Sarah Lynn is a student at UC Santa Cruz studying art and art history. She has made art all her life and encourages Stone Soup readers to always follow their creative passions in life.
