Rothko Mountain (acrylic) by Dongeun Lucy Rhee, 13; published in the September/October issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello, everyone! I chose Dongeun’s incredible painting of a mountain, in the style of Rothko, for this newsletter because in this past month, I feel as if I have scaled a mountain; earlier this month, we moved for the fourth time in the past three years—with a three-year-old and a one-year-old, only a week before Conner and I both started new jobs as writing professors at Xavier University in Cincinnati. I’m still in survival mode, and am starting to suspect I will be for a while, but Cincinnati is a wonderful, welcoming city with lots of wonderful parks, and we love our new neighborhood. Everyone is happy to be here and adjusting well! There have been a lot of transitions at Stone Soup in these past three years as well—a new operations manager, a new director, three new board members, and now, a new editor for the magazine and books as well as a new editor for the blog. Change can be invigorating and exciting—it forces change and growth. It helps us see more clearly. But, it can also be exhausting and destabilizing. I am feeling hopeful that as my life stabilizes, the life of Stone Soup will as well, and I am excited to help make that happen. This month, we are all back to school—and my three-year-old daughter Margot will be starting preschool for the first time. Class will soon be back in session for Stone Soup, too; Conner Bassett will, for the first time, be leading a novel writing workshop, starting September 16th! To ring in the new school year, we’re offering 30% off annual print + digital subscriptions. Use code BACK2SCHOOL30 at checkout! Only three spots left! This fall, we’re offering an all new course: Novel Writing! Class begins Saturday, September 16th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time, and seats are filling up quickly, so register today! Join us this fall for Novel Writing, a multi-week, virtual course instructed by writer, translator, and professor Conner Bassett that will teach you how to write a novel. We will focus on the basic techniques and tools of good storytelling: voice, description, setting, character, plot, conflict, and dialogue. The course will consist of brainstorming activities, in-class writing exercises, readings, and workshops. By the end of our time together, you will have a complete novel draft. Register now! Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Saturday Newsletter: September 2, 2023
Island of Thieves, Reviewed by Jeremy Lim, 10
I plucked Island of Thieves off the shelf absentmindedly when I visited the library on a borrowing-spree, and admittedly, I wasn’t expecting anything much. In fact, I had borrowed it for my little brother, who is an eight-year-old. However, our paths crossed sooner than I expected, as before a piano lesson I glanced at the relatively interesting cover and decided to bring it along. A decision that I both would and wouldn’t regret. This mild thriller and mystery by Josh Lacey, though a little off my age and reading level, was enjoyable from the start. From the perspective of twelve-year-old Tom Trelawney, the pace is set quite early in the book, with the story quickly jumping from place to place as the adventure progresses to the more exciting parts. Reminiscent of Gordan Korman’s action-packed novels, the story brings unknowing Tom into a world of gang leaders, fake painting sellers, and long lost treasure. The action and plot are relatively simple and understandable and the mystery is mostly laid out in front of you. However, with the addition of a few complicated parts here and there, this is still an intriguing story to read. Similar to the likes of Spy School and The 39 Clues, this book packs adventure and a treasure-hunt-style mystery together in one package. This book is a great stepping stone to see if you like the genre, from which you can progress to more intense and deeper stories in the young adult section, or prominent series such as City Spies. However, for younger readers, this book will be action and adventure at its best. The mystery is also so-so, but is also the reason I like it, because it can be cracked quite easily, at least compared to most other books in this genre. However, it still is quite interesting and fun to read the clues and figure it out as the story goes on, imagining yourself in the position of the main character and his uncle, relying on the mystery to keep themselves alive. They will have to follow the clues to find the treasure within an afternoon—or else get ditched by the gang leader. So all in all? What did I think? Well… For me, the book wasn’t extremely special in its category, with so many other great books, but was ultimately worth a read. However, as I have said multiple times before, the book is highly recommended for readers ages 5-8 as it is a relatively rare thriller for that age group. So, if you are looking for a random read, nab this book and in the comments below, tell me what you think! Island of Thieves by Josh Lacey. Clarion Books, 2013. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
