For the past 13 years, John (Jack) Buckles has lived an ordinary life, with an ordinary family. Except for one thing. Jack sees things differently from other people. He can even see things that other people can’t, like ghosts and the past. Jack’s father goes missing and is pronounced dead on a “business trip.” Jack, his mother, and his 8-year-old sister, Sadie, rush to London searching for him. When Jack and Sadie are left alone in their hotel room and Sadie runs off, Jack follows her. The two end up in a mysterious building called, The Lost Property Office. The suspenseful, action-packed story that ensues is about friendship and never giving up hope. This book made me think of The Hunger Games Trilogy because of its unlikely heroes and strong-willed characters. It also reminded me of I am Malala, because no matter how many times Malala Yousafzai was told she couldn’t do something or was in danger, she never backed down. Now Malala is a huge role model to people everywhere. I like to run, and I do cross country at my school. I’m not amazing at it, and I can’t run 4 minutes miles, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. A couple months ago, I had a really big meet. I was a little nervous because I was running with kids that were older than me. I was tired, and about to just give up, but I heard my coach yelling, telling me to keep going. Despite the pain, I ran as hard as I could. I finished in 10th place, and beat almost 80 girls. Best of all, I got my first medal! What I experienced then reminded me of what the characters in the story were going through. If you feel like you don’t fit in, or like you don’t have the power to change anything, this beautifully written book will prove you wrong. Filled to the brim with clever plot twists and compelling characters, this story is sure to change the way you view the world, and how you see yourself. Although this book was written for young readers, I think that many adults would take something away from it as well. I would rate this book a solid five, and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for an engaging novel that will have you eager to turn every page. The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
The Book of Boy, Reviewed by Vandana Ravi, 11
Every kid has, at some point, wished for nothing more than to fit in. This is just the case with Boy, a young hunchback boy living in 1350, the year declared as a Holy Year by the pope of Rome. Boy is used to being an outcast from society – for no more reason than the lump on his back. He is daily called a monster, a fiend, or a devil’s companion, and accepts this as part of his identity. Father Petrus, the priest who christened him “Boy”, taught him the rules of life and ways to hide his differences. The Father is an important person in Boy’s vague, mysterious past. Boy has his own private life inside the bubble of loneliness that he is set in by everyone else. He is not completely alone, however, because he has the power of talking to animals. They accept Boy, for what animal would care whether a human stands straight or crooked when judging him for a companion? One chilly March day, a cloaked pilgrim shows up near Boy’s home. Impressed with the hunchback’s climbing and jumping abilities, he recruits Boy as a servant on a strange quest. The pilgrim, named Secundus, pulls Boy into a journey across Europe to collect seven valuable relics of Saint Peter – a rib, tooth, thumb, shin, dust, skull, and tomb. The pack in which Boy carries the relics hides his hump – so for the first time, he is treated normally. With great pleasure, he tells jokes to a brown-eyed girl and shares his joy with hounds on the street. Secundus and Boy journey from one holy spot to another. Tales of cripples dancing away from the shrine, dead babies coming to life, and sudden cures of incurable diseases pervade the minds of hopeful pilgrims around them. As the pair move, Boy begins to discover astonishing things about himself and his companion. Through the fast-paced, gripping action, tiny clues have been adding up. They finally point to the idea that Boy’s hump may not be a lump of evil, but a ball of divinity waiting to unfold its wings. And as for Secundus and his motives in collecting the relics – it is possible that he is the true fiend, though his body is not disfigured in any way. Bit by bit, Boy discovers just how far the magic of his hump extends; and realizes that if he keeps a confident smile on his face, he can do what he always wished to do – help people – without being labeled as either an angel or a monster. And with this, he fulfills his wish of being treated normally while staying the same person that he always was. I think that this book, though told in a medieval setting, really applies to modern day. Everyone is different. Although most kids have been told this many times, we still tend to single out the people who are very tall, very short, who have learning problems, who look different. We look at someone and judge them, forgetting hidden under everybody’s metaphorical disfigurement, there is a mind that thinks and feels just like we do. Everyone has, at some point, felt that they don’t fit into the norm. It’s hard to realize that our differences might actually be assets. When you are singled out or made fun of, it’s difficult to put a smile on your face and show the world that you may be different, but you have your own special powers. When you do, however, you are given wings for your personality to fly free. The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Harper Collins, 2018. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!
Escape from Aleppo, Reviewed by Claire Rinterknecht, 13
Nadia’s family had a plan. If ever their house was bombed they were supposed to meet at the dentist’s office. But Nadia is terrified of leaving her house because she already knows what it feels like to live through a bombing and the shrapnell in her leg is a constant reminder. So when her sister wakes her up one night to leave because the bombing is getting close Nadia hesitates a moment too long and is thrown out the front door by the force of the bomb. Her family leaves her for dead. But she’s not dead and when she regains consciousness she makes her way to the dentist’s office where she finds a note from her grandmother saying they are on the way to Turkey. So Nadia sets out on the long journey alone. But she doesn’t stay lonely for long. Along the way she meets an old man with many identities and his donkey, Jamila. They travel together to the old man’s friend’s house where they meet two orphaned boys who join them. But hiding from the Syrian Army, the rebel groups, bombers and snipers make their journey to the border very long and perilous. Last year I made a friend who was Syrian and who, five years before had fled from the war when her kitchen was bombed. This book helped me understand a little better what she went through and what other refugees are still going through today. I did not enjoy this book very much because I did not like the style of writing and it was very hard to like the main character, Nadia. She was a one dimensional character who didn’t have much personality. She was self absorbed and did not seem to realise that having perfect nails in the middle of a warring country did not matter. However, by the end of the book she became more likeable but I never really liked her enough to worry about whether she would get to the border. Even though I did not like the main character or the style of writing, Escape from Aleppo gave me a clearer picture of what is happening in Syria. I also learned a lot about Syrian culture and how and why the war started in the first place. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about what is happening in Syria but not to someone who wants a good story with a strong main character. Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2018. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!
