Stone Soup contributor and 2020-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Book Club facilitator and member of the Stone Soup Honor Roll Lucy Rados, 13, about the Writing Workshop, the process of submitting to a contest, and the inspiration of nature. 0:18 – How were you introduced to Stone Soup? 0:41 – How long have you subscribed to Stone Soup? 0:50 – Have you submitted anything to Stone Soup? 0:56 – What have you submitted? 1:03 – What was it like to submit to the magazine? Was it your first time submitting your work? 1:36 – What was it like to write a manuscript for the book contest? 2:27 – What is your favorite thing about the Writing Workshop? 3:12 – What is your favorite part about Book Club? 3:56 – Which Stone Soup Summer Camp did you do and what was your favorite part? 4:45 – Are there any specific books or authors that inspire your writing? 5:50 – What else inspires your writing? 6:24 – What do you tend to write about? 7:00 – What is your favorite thing to write about? 7:37 – What genre do you most like to write in? 7:50 – Which Writing Workshop was your favorite? 8:55 – Do you think what you like to read is similar to the style you like to write in? 9:44 – Do you think there is a difference between the writing you do for fun and the writing you do for school? 10:37 – How long have you been writing? 11:09 – Do you feel like your writing has evolved a lot over the years? 12:07 – Do you have a preference between prose and poetry? 13:16 – How much time do you think you spend writing? 14:34 – Do you have any writing advice for your peers? 15:23 – What is your favorite thing about writing? 16:00 – If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?
reading
Little Women, Reviewed by Ashley, 13
Living in New England in the nineteenth century around the time of the civil war is the seemingly perfect, amiable March Family. In the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, we follow the lives of the March Family. The four sisters are Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth. They live with their beloved mother and father. This novel mainly surrounds the lives of the four sisters who are newly living in poverty after their father gets drafted into the army. They help each other grow up as they make the transition from girls to women. They befriend Laurie, their energetic and once lonely neighbor who lives next door to the Marches with his grandfather, Mr. Laurence. The girls and Laurie go on many adventures together and take him in like a brother. The girls navigate their way through life and hold on to each other through love, loss, trouble, trauma, and laughter. One of the many things I enjoyed about this novel is the strong feminine presence. Especially since,This book takes place during a time when women were very much in the background of society. The March sisters adhered to what was expected of them as young women, but also paved their own ways. Jo March, the second oldest sister and the main protagonist of the novel does not fit the classic stereotype of the women of the time, she’s outspoken, does not care for fashion, has a passion for writing, and does not plan to get married at a young age. Jo develops into a complex, loving character and makes the novel the amazing story that it is. We also get many historical facts about life in the nineteenth century, such as the clothing people wore, the modes of transportation, and how people went about their daily lives. One of the most memorable moments of the novel is when Jo is confiding to her mom and seeks her advice. This is something the girls do continuously throughout the story when they are at a crossroads or are feeling sad. Jo finds herself having trouble managing her anger. This is a problem she struggles with early in the book. She goes to her mother and learns that she too has an anger issue. Together they work through it and Jo gains a new perspective on the problem. “I hope you will be a great deal better, dear, but you must keep watch over your ‘bosom enemy’, as father calls it, or it may sadden, if not spoil your life. You have had a warning. Remember it, and try with heart and soul to master this quick temper, before it brings you greater sorrow and regret than you have known today.”‘I will try, Mother, I truly will. But you must help me, remind me, and keep me from flying out. I used to see Father sometimes put his finger on his lips, and look at you with a very kind but sober face, and you always folded your lips tight and went away. Was he reminding you then?’ asked Jo softly. ‘Yes. I asked him to help me so, and he never forgot it, but saved me from many a sharp word by that little gesture and kind look’”(86-87). We see the sympathetic dynamic between the girls and their mother and how greatly they look up to her and hold on to her words. Overall, this novel was very inspiring and interesting to read. Although it’s lengthy, it is still worth reading until the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read classic American literature. This book teaches us that family and close friends are of utmost importance. With a strong supportive network of family and close friends any challenge can be tackled and any obstacle can be overcome. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Puffin Books, 1868. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
A Wrinkle in Time, Reviewed by Daniel Zhu, 10
Imagine living in total peace, but being mind-controlled every minute of your life. The book A Wrinkle in Time describes such life in Camazotz; being controlled by IT, which is a brain that tries to drag you in, absorb your life force, and control you. Honestly, I don’t think that is a fair trade for peace and order. I think that, while there might be advantages to Camazotz, it is still, overall, a bad place to live in. First of all, what are the advantages of Camazotz? You get peace and order. There are no conflicts, for a simple reason: no one has any opinions, because they are all controlled by one brain. Opinion is the root of war. For example, the trade war started because Trump thought that other countries were making too much money importing to America, but China thinks the tariffs are unjust. The keyword here is “think.” Conflicts start because two sides, in this case, America and China, have different opinions, thoughts, on a certain subject, which in this case, is tariffs. However, in Camazotz, everyone is controlled by one thing, thus everyone has the same thoughts and opinions. Nevertheless, there are still many disadvantages. While you may be tempted by the good things Camazotz has to offer, keep in mind that there are many bad things about it too. First of all, you have no freedom. You are possessed every day, sometimes involuntarily, by IT. In other words, you are brain-dead, a zombie. Also, you can’t experience the fun of life, because, technically speaking, your life is not yours; it’s IT’s. This means that you are basically slaves. Even though IT isn’t doing anything bad with the people on Camazotz right now if IT wanted to wage war, I could just use the people of Camazotz for soldiers. Personally, I think that is one of the most inhumane and wrong things that could ever be done. All in all, three words: Camazotz is bad. I mean, look at how willingly people are willing to rebel for freedom. The American Revolution. The Civil War (of America). The Yellow Scarf Rebellion (in China). Humans strain and strive to be free; it’s in their nature. Yet IT is taking this freedom away and turning humans into playthings, puppets.Is it really ideal to live under a “leader” like this? To have your own body, your own legs, your own feet, your own head…but not your own brain? Even the bad things that happen in the world are human will. We get to control our own life here. But on Camazotz, you have no control over anything, even your own life. What kind of world is that? However, as much as I am firm in my saying that Camazotz is not a good place to live, it is still my own opinion. What about you? After hearing this, would you still like to live on Camazotz? Perhaps, just like Madeleine L’Engle envisioned the bizarre world in A Wrinkle in Time when many stunning scientific breakthroughs that relate to the book were not made yet, you can envision the good in Camazotz. After all, there is a good side and a bad side to everything; the world is a delicate balance between right and wrong. As Angelina Jolie said, “[Everything] has two sides, a good side, and a bad side…We must embrace both.”
