A few days ago, something happened. If it had not happened, it wouldn’t have been told. What happened was this: I picked up The Story That Cannot Be Told at the library. I did this without knowing that this book would be so very fantastic that I want to learn more about Romania, and of course, get my own copy! The story focuses on a very relatable ten-year-old girl named Ileana. She acts a lot like I feel I acted as a ten-year-old, though of course, I didn’t experience any of the things she experienced. Ileana lives under the hand of the “Leader,” as she calls him throughout the whole story. Ileana writes of how life was back when the “Leader” wasn’t in power, though she’s only ever heard about it in the stories her parents tell. Ileana loves stories, and writes them in her “Great Tome,” not knowing that her life will soon be turned upside down. When her uncle is presumed dead for writing poetry against the “Leader” and his regime it becomes dangerous for Ileana to stay with her family. She is sent to the grandparents she has never met, in rural Romania. Ileana knows nothing of her grandparents and their town except for what her mother has told her. When she arrives she meets a new friend and learns how to farm with her grandparents. As time goes on, Ileana grows close to this town and must fight to defend it with nothing but bravery, her friend, and the power of stories. This book also carries a story within the story, the story of cunning Ileana, for whom Ileana was named. Cunning Ileana must go against her own sisters to survive in a world that is against her father, whom she dearly loves. This book, like all good books do, made me angry at many of the characters, and some parts made me eager to see what happened next. As a plus, the cover is lovely. Ileana’s character development is noticeable, as she transforms from a little girl who loves to write stories, to an older, braver girl, who still loves to write stories! In the end, The Story That Cannot Be Told is a spectacular tale about family, courage, and the power of stories. Everyone between the age of 8 and 800 should read this book, especially people who love history and stories. The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
book review
Spaced Out, Reviewed by Arjun Nair, 11
“There’s nowhere to hide on the world’s first moon base. After all, it’s only the size of a soccer field.” Yet, this doesn’t stop misfortune from rendering someone missing. With the Moon Base Alpha (MBA) base commander, Nina Stack, nowhere to be found, chaos spawns between the residents on the moon. Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs is an astonishing novel where the mystery never ends. At only twelve years of age, Dashiell (Dash) Gibson is the best detective they’ve got. No one on the base has found footsteps darker than he has. While this confounding enigma takes place, an alien from a distant species, Zan Perfonic, remains in contact with Dash. Rather than traveling to the moon in an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), Zan “thinks” itself to the moon. Zan connects its mind to Dash to project an image of itself before him, but no one else can see it. The only other human being that Zan had come in contact with before was Dr. Ronald Holtz, a brilliant scientist who played a key role in the creation of MBA. Unfortunately, Dr. Holtz was murdered by a fellow resident on the moon because of his contact with an alien. Despite this incident, Zan communicated with humanity again, an action that the rest of its species did not approve of. On the other hand, the people at MBA were beginning to believe that Nina had ventured out onto the lunar surface. Due to MBA’s small size, she could hide nowhere. After discovering more and more clues about Nina’s mystifying disappearance, Dash and the other Moonies began to get closer to unraveling a seemingly never-ending riddle. Once they solved the puzzle, they realized that the answer was hiding in plain sight. This book reminded me of the Chandrayaan-3 space mission, an Indian rocket sent to the moon recently. Unlike many that have been sent to the moon in the past, the rocket went to the south pole of the moon, a place that is yet to be explored by the human race. This mission is similar to Spaced Out because it shows that humanity is one step closer to eventually creating a moon base in real life, just like Moon Base Alpha (MBA) in Spaced Out. Overall, Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs is a spectacular novel that exceeded my expectations. The author did a brilliant job creating this book, and I recommend it to other middle-aged readers around 10-14. Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Fever 1973, Reviewed by Zoe Li, 12
Laurie Halse Anderson’s historical novel Fever 1793 takes place in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever epidemic. Nearly 5,000 people died from yellow fever, and those who could afford to leave town fled to safety. Like the recent global COVID-19 epidemic, chaos reigned, and majority groups started accusing minorities and immigrants for spreading the sickness. Yellow fever struck fear in the hearts of the people in Philadelphia as everyone was petrified of catching the fatal disease. Oftentimes, sick people were denied entry into hospitals, homes, and towns. The infected were left to fend for themselves. Matilda Cook tells the story of a 14-year-old girl who lives with her widowed mother and grandfather. Matilda’s mother owns and operates a coffeehouse with only the help of her cook, Eliza. Eliza is a free African American woman who is part of the Free African Society, a group of people who help with taking care of the sick. Matilda’s grandfather, a Revolutionary War veteran, takes on her father’s role and brings humor and color to the story. Matilda is a strong female character who is lovable, smart, and caring. Teens, especially girls, will relate to Matilda as she expresses her independence from her mother on her way to adulthood. She grows and matures from a lazy kid to an independent and hardworking teen. Hints of romance are dropped along the way, but the partnership is not the main point. Matilda is a very dramatic character who must change her personality if she wants to survive. The separation of social classes presents another challenge that Matilda faces in addition to death. As the deadly plague spreads throughout the town, only the rich can afford to leave, while the less fortunate must stay. Matilda faces many dire situations and problems that could potentially end her life. While reading this book, I felt Anderson wanted to inform readers about yellow fever. She did an excellent job! She filled the book with information. Before reading Fever 1793, I knew nothing about yellow fever. I did not even know that Pennsylvania had a pandemic. When reading this book, readers will learn the details about the role African Americans played during the Yellow Fever epidemic, the strange medical practices that “treated” patients, and the controversy that surrounded doctors at the time. Although Fever 1793 is a great book, there are other historical fiction books that I would recommend more. The plot did not fully engage me at all times, and the author had not developed strong enough characters to make me have to keep turning the pages. The plot was predictable, and the suspense was not emphasized enough so it was not always a page turner. All things considered, it was one of the easiest historical novels that I have read. Not only does this book follow a chronological order, which is easy to follow and understand, it also did not leave out any key elements. Everything that I needed and wanted to know is conveyed in the book. The only thing I would do differently, if I was the author, is fully develop the minor characters. When a character goes through something bad or unfortunate, I wanted to feel empathy for that character but instead, I did not care about them. Generally speaking, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is good, but not a must read book. If you are looking for an easy historical novel to read that is interesting and relatable, this is the perfect book for you. If you like this genre, then what are you waiting for? Stop staring at your screen and start reading! Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
