I glided up the side of the bowl to show Tim how well I could do a hard flip ‘I glided up the side of the bowl to show Tim how well I could do a hard flip’ Illustrator Alicia Betancourt, 12 for Skate Disaster by Alex Chan-Kai, 11. Published July/August 2001. A note from Emma Wood We have been working our way through the many excellent submissions we received for the short, short fiction contest and are planning to announce the results shortly—thank you to all who shared their work! For this week, though, we are excited to announce our next contest: concrete poetry. A concrete poem is simply a piece of art in which both the visual and written element are essential. That means, if you just see the image, without the words, you lose something. That also means, if you just hear the poem, without seeing its layout on the page, you lose something, too. A concrete poem is one you need to see, not just hear! ‘Swan and Shadow’ by John Hollander (1969) A concrete poem can be a poem that takes the shape of its subject Many readers might understand a concrete poem to be a poem that takes the shape of its subject—a poem about a swan in the shape of a swan, for instance. You can see in this in the poem, “Swan and Shadow,” by John Hollander. ‘A Sonnet in Motion’ by Paula Claire A concrete poem can also be a piece of abstract visual art Though I encourage you to experiment with this first kind of concrete poem, and to submit them to our contest, I also hope you will experiment with another type of concrete poem—one with a different relationship to space and shape. In the examples below, the words and letters do not take a recognizable shape. But the piece is visually interesting, and the relationship between the words, letters, and the layout creates a piece of art. The deadline for this contest is August 15, 11:59pm. You can read the full details on the Contests section of our blog (from tomorrow), and read further details and submit as usual via Submittable, here. Until next week More great writing at stonesoup.com Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at stonesoup.com! Antara’s 10 Fun Things To Do This Summer Nina Vigil’s book review of Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldregde Abhi Sukhdial’s book review of The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Plus, if you missed Editor Emma’s interview talking about what makes a great submission, you can also check that out at our blog. As I continued to stare out onto the empty street, I noticed something very strange From Stone Soup July/August 2001 Skate Disaster By Alex Chan-Kai, 11 Illustrated by Alicia Betancourt, 12 I woke up as a small gap of light beamed into my eyes from a hole in the curtain. I opened my bedroom window to see what kind of a day it was. The sun was radiating on my face, but the only thing I could feel was the heat. There was not even the slightest breeze in the air; it gave me a strange feeling. My house is near the ocean, so I was accustomed to early morning breezes. But today the air was as still as a stagnant pond. I continued to look out my bedroom window, and I was pleased to see that there was not a cloud in the sky. I knew that it would be a perfect day for skateboarding. Even though the day was nice and sunny, something tugged at my mind, but I could not put my finger on it. I had an uneasy feeling that seemed to consume my thoughts. As I continued to stare out onto the empty street, I noticed something very strange. Usually on a Saturday morning, all the dogs on the street are barking, wandering around, or even terrorizing a few cats. Today, not a bark could be heard, or a single dog could be seen. I could not imagine where all the dogs could be hiding. It was almost like something was going to happen, but I could not figure out what. Despite my uneasy feelings, I was determined to have a good day. I jumped into my favorite pair of cargo pants, threw on my blue Tech Deck shirt, and slipped into a comfortable pair of black Emericas. I tossed the cat over my shoulder, and we both bounced down the stairs to get a bite to eat. As I was shoving a bacon-and-cheese breakfast sandwich into my mouth, I flipped on my favorite television show, “Junkyard Wars.” I was just getting settled into my chair when a news flash rudely interrupted my program. A reporter appeared and announced that several small earthquakes had rattled a town, just twenty-seven miles away. He said that these quakes measured 4.1 on the Richter scale…/more Stone Soup’s Advisors: Abby Austin, Mike Axelrod, Annabelle Baird, Jem Burch, Evelyn Chen, Juliet Fraser, Zoe Hall, Montanna Harling, Alicia & Joe Havilland, Lara Katz, Rebecca Kilroy, Christine Leishman, Julie Minnis, Jessica Opolko, Tara Prakash, Denise Prata, Logan Roberts, Emily Tarco, Rebecca Ramos Velasquez, Susan Wilky.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
The Crossover, Reviewed by Abhi Sukhdial, 10
Have you read a 200-page book full of poetry? Well my guess is no. but if you WANT to read one, I have the perfect book for you! It’s the one and only The Crossover, a novel in verse. I am a big fan of basketball; I sometimes shoot hoops during school recess. Based on my own experience, I know basketball is not just about winning. It’s not easy to do basketball; it’s not easy to do anything. Even if you are the best of the best. The Crossover follows the story of Josh Bell (aka Filthy Mcnasty) and Jordan Bell (aka JB) as they play basketball and go on with their normal middle school lives. Each is talented in his own way, but together they’re unstoppable. When they were young, they were the best of brothers and friends, but over the course of this novel, their relationship becomes strained. But even if they argue or are mean to each other, they are still brothers. And their dad, a former professional basketball player, wants his sons to follow in his footsteps. This book is about friendship and grit. Josh emulates the kind of courage we would all like to have – the courage to fail, and to believe that it is OK to lose. Josh doesn’t give up; he just gets up the next day and practices even harder for the next game. But for a really good book, there are also some cons. This book mainly focuses on basketball, which is not always a good thing, unless you REALLY understand the language of basketball (e.g. swish, swoop, crossover). In addition, the novel in verse format is challenging – you have to pay attention to the sounds of the words, the way the words are written on the page, and the way one poem flows on to the next. This book is also pretty sad at times (I don’t want to give more details because that would be a spoiler!). Finally, one of the problems I have with the story is that it is ONLY told from Josh’s perspective—if some of the poems were written from the father’s or JB point of view, then I would be able to better understand their emotions and that would make the story more interesting. This book was written by Kwame Alexander in 2014 and won the Newbery Medal in 2015 (Yay!). One of my favorite passages is: “I watch the ball leave his hands like a bird up high, skating the sky, crossing over us.” So if anyone is looking for an emotional, but exciting book to read, try The Crossover. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014. 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!
Evangeline of the Bayou, Reviewed by Nina Vigil, 11
At 7:30 PM one night, although I was only in the middle of the book, I set out in determination to finish Evangeline of the Bayou. I ended up reading so ardently that time didn’t seem to be passing at all. But it was, and when I finally finished it was 9:30 PM. That’s how amazing it was. Evangeline Clement is a haunt-huntress-in-training living with her grandma in the Louisiana bayou. What’s a haunt huntress? Well, they’re women who protect people from supernatural creatures like bayou banshees, dixie demons, and graveyard ghouls, among many others. Evangeline is very excited to become an official haunt huntress and for her familiar to arrive. But what if she’s not a real haunt huntress, but just a middling? The story begins when Evangeline and her Gran are called to New Orleans to solve a case involving a strange illness. This one is like nothing Evangeline has ever seen before. And soon, she’s gotten herself mixed up in a mystery that quickly gets very frightening and very dangerous. The best part of this book is the clever and innovative plot, and the combination of mystery, adventure and fantasy. I also loved the different creatures. My favorite was Fader, the four-eared cat who is Gran’s familiar. I enjoyed learning about all of the magical elements. There are spells, magical items, talismans, voodoo, and more. The blend of cultures in New Orleans is a lot like the gumbo Evangeline loves. In addition to that, I liked the realistic characters. Take Evangeline-like many people, she aspires to be something (in her case, a haunt huntress), but the problem is that in order to be approved as a haunt huntress, she has to prove that she “has heart”, and she’s worried she won’t be deemed worthy. Being a haunt huntress connects Evangeline to important women like her Gran and her dead mother. From the start, you’re rooting for her. Evangeline of the Bayou is a wonderful, exciting and fast-paced book that I recommend for just about anyone, in particular mystery fans and avid fantasy readers. I suggest you immediately get this book. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldredge. Balzer + Bray, 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!
