Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists

Unceasing darkness. Eternal light. Both? Not possible without serious repercussions. “What, then, will happen…to those animals…born during the eclipse?” Mez’s Magic is set in the otherworldly rainforest of Caldera, an alternate reality divided between daywalkers and nightwalkers. All animals naturally fall into one of the two groups, or veils, based on their species. Only the ants walk between veils. And the animals born during the eclipse. A young panther named Mez is one of these “eclipse born”. These “unnaturals” are able to go between groups. They are blessed (or cursed) with special powers, enabling them to see and do things that regular animals can’t. Mez is an older sibling to her sister, Chumba, and she is motivated throughout the entire story by a desire to protect her little sister from harm. While she generally does an excellent job of this, eventually, Chumba is happiest protecting herself. I have an older sister who similarly looks out for me. But like Chumba, near the end of the book, I too prefer it when I sometimes have the opportunity to “fight my own battles”. And though I am a younger sibling, like Chumba, I sometimes even help my older sister out with hers. I think that is one of the most important parts of a sibling relationship. Figuring out when it’s your turn to give the support, or to get it. Throughout the story, I also came to appreciate the strong sense of loyalty that made up a dominant part of Mez’s character. She pushes herself as hard as necessary in hopes of saving the other eclipse-born animals and all of Caldera itself from the evil Ant Queen’s destructive power. Caldera is a world that is cosmetically very different from mine. While I live in flashy downtown Toronto, surrounded by light pollution, sometimes the rainforest of Caldera gets so dark that you can’t even see directly in front of you, and animals use other senses to navigate their surroundings. I come home to a hot meal made by my mom, while Mez’s whole family relies on each other for hunting help in order to eat and survive. But these unfamiliar elements, along with the more relatable ones, combine perfectly to create an interesting experience that would not be possible if the whole world of Caldera was exactly like my own. Throughout the entire book, author Eliot Schrefer mixes a shimmering rainforest setting with intriguing characters until the reader can’t help but be inspired by what the rainforest has to offer. But once the magic power component of the eclipse penetrates the plot and characters start betraying each other, the story changes from a gently moving animal fable to a fast-paced adventure that leaves you dying for more. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging animal story, spiced up with magic, and heartwarming sibling relationships. It’s about looking beyond the superficial, finding friends in unexpected places, and working together to defeat some really bad ants. Enjoy! The Lost Rainforest: Mez’s Magic by Eliot Schrefer. Harper Collins, 2017.  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!

Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes tell the stories of nine teenagers connected by one powerful poetry class. It describes the teens’ hopes, dreams, and ambitions and how each is working to achieve his/her goals against all odds. While some books can be confusing when told from multiple perspectives, Grimes simplifies things for the reader by changing grammar and style to reflect each character. She also employs a unique structural element. Almost every chapter ends with a poem, reflected upon by the main character, Darrian. This helps keep the reader intrigued, amused, and on track. Reading Between the Lines greatly deepened my understanding of the purpose and power of poetry. It shows how strong friendships and one common interest (in this case, poetry) can help youth overcome life challenges. It also provides a glimpse into a world of immigration struggles and stereotypes, an unjust foster and legal system, dysfunctional families, and an unplanned child born to an unready mother. Between the Lines gives multiple examples of how you can never truly know what’s going on in a person’s life. Empathy and compassion, however, are the bonds that unite us. While I have not read any book similar to Between the Lines, I have watched a movie with a similarly oppressed main character. American Violet tells the story of a young woman living in a neighborhood under siege. She is offered a plea deal even though she is innocent. She refuses, battles the system, and rights an unconstitutional wrong. The father of one of Between the Lines main characters is not so lucky. He accepts the plea bargain in order to return to his family, but as his son says, he does not return the same. He is angry that he cannot get a decent job, that his children are hungry, and that his family has been forced to move to a smaller apartment even though he has done nothing wrong. The author comments on the complexity of the judicial system and how it plays out for poor Black and Brown males, in particular, whether innocent or guilty. Despite these heavy themes, I greatly enjoyed Between the Lines. It tells the truth but in such a way that I felt empowered not overwhelmed. Between the Lines is a book that is sure to lift your spirits, to make you feel like you can accomplish anything, all the while teaching you valuable life and history lessons. Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes. Nancy Paulsen 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!

Mimi Yoshiko Oliver is not your typical protagonist. She is a half-black, half-Japanese girl who is unusually independent. She is also a stereotype-buster. When she moves to Vermont in 1969 as a middle schooler, the snowy state has few to no black people or Japanese people—only white. Mimi’s parents are not surprised that the neighbors ignore them, but Mimi doesn’t understand. When Mimi starts school, no one understands or accepts her. It seems that every time Mimi does something, all the others seem to have a certain thought about it, and soon Mimi feels like an alien, just not fitting into this brand new town. Not only is Mimi not accepted because of her race, but also because of her interests. Mimi tells her teacher that she wants to be an astronaut. As soon as she says that, the whole class bursts out laughing thinking that she just told the funniest joke. This is the usual behavior when it was in the 1950s because at that time, women had to do housework, while the men earn money. The day drags along until she requests to take the Wood Shop, instead of boring, old, Home Ec, yet the teachers seems surprised that any girl would ever say that and refuses to let Mimi join the boys in Wood Shop. Months pass, until finally the Science Competition comes. When Mimi’s project is selected to go onto the next round of competition (Group A) and a classmate’s is put into the runner -up group, “Group B,” the classmate starts to bully her. When Mimi goes to the bathroom, that classmate steals one of the major components in her project, getting Mimi moved down to Group B, and the child is moved up. Mimi feels different, left out, day after day. Each day people stare at her and ignore her because of her skin, but her math teacher actually seems to understand her. Telling Mimi that she also dreamed of becoming an astronaut once but couldn’t. Finally, after being alone for several months, a girl named Stacy befriends Mimi. But as Stacy’s birthday party rolls around, Mimi isn’t invited. As it turns out, Stacy’s mother, didn’t want a “black girl” at the celebration. But in spite of all this, Mimi stays strong and refuses to back down, showing grit and determination. Mimi’s journey, in the two years is incredible. She learns how to be proud of herself and never lose her dreams. From some of the student’s comments about her color and even teachers, Mimi come around and accomplished one of her many goals. From being able to something else changes to, her classmates respect her and now doesn’t tease her. In these several years, Mimi changes from being that little girl in the corner to a outgoing teenager, with a lot of friends. The theme of this book is grit and determination because without these characteristics, Mimi would never had been able to reach her goals and accomplishments. An unusual aspect of this book is that it is all written in free verse.When reading this book, I noticed a important part of the story was following your dreams. This is because without Mimi’s strong desire to be an astronaut the story wouldn’t be as influential. She never let the critic’s voices get in her head, and kept on believing in her ideas even when no one else would even think of them. The fact that the author was able to show all these meanings and words through free verse is incredible. Full Cicada Moon is a story that will last you your entire life. It teaches you about the 20th century with stories of a young girl. You will want to fight for Mimi, and help change those cruel students. It is an amazing journey with Mimi, from the first year in Vermont to high school. So go to your local library and read Full Cicada Moon! Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Penguin Random House, 2015. 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!