A Beautiful Abundance of Birds | Sophia Swanson, 11 (Novato, CA), published in Stone Soup November 2021 A note from Emma I’m so excited that in just a few days, Anya Geist’s novel, Born on the First of Two, which I selected as “editor’s choice” in our 2020 Book Contest, will be published! You can preorder it here, and you’ll be able to read the first few chapters in our December issue. As I read through the entries for last year’s contest, I knew I was in trouble. The pandemic has been a grim season for our country and the world, but those early lockdowns clearly created a pocket of time and space for so many of you to sit and work on a sustained creative project. I immediately knew I couldn’t pick just one winner and even choosing the two was incredibly difficult. But reading Anya’s novel simply sucked me into another world. It literally takes place in another world—a fantastical one with a land in the clouds, mysterious prophecies, special powers, and time travel—but its story also is a world. I was so invested in the characters that I remember spending some nights awake with my then-infant daughter, poring over my iPad to find out what was going to happen next. It is a gripping and moving fantasy adventure novel that I am so thrilled to share with you all. Please support Stone Soup and Anya by buying her wonderful book! From the many contributions she’s made to the magazine, to her work with us as an intern (which included co-teaching a summer workshop!), and finally, her book, Anya has been an integral part of the Stone Soup family and truly a valuable member of our team. Anya, we are so proud of everything you have accomplished; it has been a pleasure seeing you grow and progress as a writer, artist, thinker, and so much more! Lastly, I’d like to provide a second, gentle reminder that our annual open house is on Tuesday, November 30 at 4 p.m. PST / 7 p.m. EST. Everyone on our team will be sharing a few words, and we hope to hear from many of you about what Stone Soup has meant to you. We look forward to seeing you! I hope you had a warm, festive Thanksgiving holiday. Emma Other News Book Club On Saturday December 11, at 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern, Book Club will be hosting Lucy Worsley, author of The Austen Girls. Don’t miss out on a terrific opportunity to speak with a published author and sign up, here! Fall 2021 Workshop Reading Also on Saturday December 11, at 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern, we will be hosting our end of term event in which our students read aloud some of the incredible work they’ve written this fall. Please come and support our students by signing up, here! Highlights from the past week online Special Features Sabrina Guo introduced the Crossing Borders Pen-Pal Program, Direct Aid for Migrants via El Pueblo Nola, the establishment of Girl Pride Chapters like Girl Pride Samburu, the Ambassadors Scholarship Program, which supports girl’s scholarly endeavors, and asked that we join her foundation—Girl Pride International—in their next endeavors, all in conjunction with the Stone Soup Refugee Project! From Stone Soup November 2021 China is Left Behind By Alisa Zou, 12 (Concord, MA) I can’t stop myself From looking out there. Like something is Controlling my eyes, Pulling my head towards The airplane window Again and again Seeing America Below us. Ladies and gentlemen, Please go back to your seats and Fasten your safety belts. Thank you. Continue reading here… 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’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.
book club
Book Club Report: When Stars Are Scattered, Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
An update from our thirty-first Book Club meeting! On October 30th, the Stone Soup Book Club discussed When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. When Stars Are Scattered is based on Omar’s life in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya and his journey to resettlement in the United States. The story is told in the form of a graphic novel. When Stars Are Scattered was an immensely popular read among our twelve book club participants, as was evident in our lively and dynamic Book Club discussion. Many participants remarked on how moving they found the book and how it compelled them to dig deeper and learn more about the plight of refugees. As a group we found it equally compelling how vividly the more mundane, everyday experience of life in a refugee camp was portrayed. We learned that Dadaab is such a big camp that it almost feels like a city-with makeshift restaurants and even internet cafes-but it is a city in limbo with no permanent structures. This sense of limbo was captured in the rhythm of Omar’s daily life-the monotony of chores and the weight of responsibility for his brother’s care, the angst over first whether to start school and later how to remain there, and the ebb and flow of friendships all helped to capture Dadaab as a place in flux. We spent time reflecting on what questions we would want to ask about life in a refugee camp and what we found most surprising, interesting, and confronting about Omar’s life. Following this discussion, we listened to an interview of a boy named Muzamill, about his daily life in Dadaab. The questions posed about Muzammil’s life were posed by young people in the United States. The interview was informative, eye opening, and funny! In parallel to our discussions about life as a refugee, we also spent time thinking about the graphic novel format and the various ways in which it enhanced Jamieson’s portrayal of Omar’s life story. Even those who’d never read a graphic novel before are now converts to the genre! We tried our hand at telling an aspect of our own daily routine in graphic novel format and shared these with the group. Remember: if you attended book club and liked what you wrote for this activity, submit it through the Writing Workshop Submission Form and we will post it along with other stories on the Stone Soup website! At the conclusion of our meeting, we had the chance to explore some of the creative works by young refugees through the Stone Soup Refugee Project. If you have not yet done so, check it out yourself, here. Finally, we are so excited to share that on, December 11th, our final Book Club meeting of this session, we will be joined by author and historian, Lucy Worsley, to discuss her book The Austen Girls! Please join us and come prepared with questions for Ms. Worsley!
Book Club Report: Beyond the Bright Sea, Loren Wolk
An update from our thirtieth Book Club meeting! On September 25, the Stone Soup Book Club discussed Beyond the Bright Sea, by Loren Wolk. Beyond the Bright Sea tells the story of twelve-year-old Crow and her search for her birth family after having spent her entire life on an isolated island off the coast of Massachusetts, with Osh, the guardian who rescued and raised her. There were ten Book Club participants in attendance from the US, England, and Dubai. We engaged in in-depth conversations about the book’s various themes as well as character, setting and plot. As always, we endeavored to unpack how and for what purpose each of these elements were crafted in Wolk’s development of the novel. We also participated in a couple of fun writing activities. We explored, in writing, the notion of home; what makes a place a home and what is it like to feel a sense of yearning for home? Participants could choose to share their reflections about home directly from their own perspectives, or to explore their ideas about home through a fictionalized account. We also engaged in a writing activity that allowed us to imagine a sequel to the book. In doing so, we discussed what aspects of the book’s current ending we would like to see preserved, and what aspects would be fun to disrupt! The overwhelming consensus of the group was that this was a great read with vivid, believable characters, an intriguing setting, and a fast-paced, exciting plot! Remember: if you attended book club and liked what you wrote for these activities, submit it through the Writing Workshop Submission Form and we will post it along with other stories on the Stone Soup website! At the conclusion of our discussion, we chose our October book and the December book was announced! Our Next Book, to be discussed on October 30: When Stars are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed We are excited to share that on, December 11th, our final Book Club meeting of this session, we will be joined by author and historian, Lucy Worsley, to discuss her book The Austen Girls!
