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Your magazine is one of my favorites and includes art and writing that fascinate me!
Caleb Clayton, 10, Deltona, Florida

A story to me is like a river: you never know when it’s going to stop or get better, or completely change direction. When you read a story from someone else’s thoughts, it’s like you are almost in their river, and you are carried by the current into a pond—this is where the story ends—or a lake, and at this moment, you let out your feelings about the story, and so the pond becomes yours to share with other people who flow with the river. Stone Soup is wonderful because it allows the average person to express his or her feelings in a way of his own. Catherine Babikian did this in A Different Kind of Light [September/October 2008], showing her sorrow for death. Even if this never happened to her, she’s Amy and she’s feeling the pain of losing her mother, and so Catherine explains how she feels with the excellent story. Our Morning [July/August 2008] is one of my favorite stories because I love how Bonnie Cruser showed the happiness in herself as she rode her horse: “our spirits are rejoicing and the wind is whipping us into immortals.” The art was also beautiful, and inspiring. I’ve noticed, though, that there are some writers that stand out in the crowd. William Gwaltney is an “imaginary” writer. His stories give Stone Soup a twist, and really make all the different words by all these different people flow together in a never-ending sea. When I look at Stone Soup, I see something really nice. It’s like a big field of flowers, and every flower is different, and special, and grows in its very own speed. Amazing.
Tabata Viso, 12, Seattle, Washington

I wanted to write and thank Anna West Ellis for her beautiful and thoughtful review of my novel, Louisiana’s Song [November/December 2008]. I have heard from so many people who now have read the review and took the time to write to me. My agent couldn’t believe she was only eleven. It’s the most sensitive and thoughtful review of any of my books. Thank you very much for your beautiful magazine. I do a lot of writing workshops with kids, and I always encourage them to submit to Stone Soup.
Kerry Madden, author, Los Angeles, California

I have been reading your magazine for several years and really enjoy it. Usually I read the whole magazine the first day I receive it.
Milo Keller, 13, Graton, California

I want to thank Leah Wolfe who wrote the book review for Hurt Go Happy [May/June 2008]. I don’t usually read book reviews, but for some reason I read this one. Then I asked my mom to look for it. She got the book and I read it. I really liked it. It made me cry a few times, but I still liked the book a lot. Thank you, Leah. I am recommending this book to my school’s library.
Rachel Silverberg, 9, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Leah’s new review is on page 16 of this issue.

Corrections: Keysun Mokhtarzadeh, who illustrated The Forgotten Fort in the Janauary/February 2009 issue, is from Tehran, Iran. On the cover of the same issue, muskrat was misspelled.

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as well as specific comments about stories and illustrations we have published.