Every time I get Stone Soup in the mail, I rush up to my room and read all of it. I especially liked Big Dreams for Number Seven, by Emma Dudley [March/April 2008]. I was totally absorbed in the story, and I felt all of Alicia’s feelings as if they were my own: her despair and at the end, her hope. I love how the story has a moral: to never give up on your dreams. I also loved the artwork by Daria Lugina. I liked how realistic the shadows were, and the way it seemed to flow off the page.
Rhiannon Grodnik, 12, San Francisco, California
Rhiannon’s poem, Sunset, was published in the January/February 2008 issue.
As a young girl whose favorite thing to do is write, I have to say how wonderful it is to read the fascinating tales decorating the pages of the Stone Soup magazines!!! I love to read your magazines!!!! Publishing my work as a child really inspires me. My dreams when I get older are to write a book series and win the John Newbery Award for one of my books, or I would like to work for Stone Soup!!!
Molly Collins, 11, Deerfield, Illinois
I am a teacher at Colegio Trener, a bilingual school in Lima, Peru. We have visited your Web site in order to encourage our students to produce written texts. We will have a writing contest for our fifth- and sixth-graders and we will use your Web site in order to motivate our students. We value and appreciate Web sites such as yours that encourage and motivate students and teachers to have new projects.
Patricia Rhor, teacher, Lima, Peru
To motivate myself to keep writing, every time my stories don’t get picked, I tell myself that my stories almost got published, but then you liked another one better, even though it’s probably not true. But I do hope I get picked! And even when I don’t, I enjoy reading the stories that beat me. By reading others’ writings and bestselling books, I get better. Thanks for—in your own way—helping me achieve my dreams through practice and hopefully someday publishing!
Katiana Fischer, 11, Fairmont, Minnesota
I am a writer and a full-time tutor who uses your wonderful publication to inspire my students with the knowledge that they, too, have the chance to find their work in print. Thank goodness for Stone Soup!
Jon Sindell, San Francisco, California
I’m always glad when I get Stone Soup so I can read it cover to cover, but I was really impressed with the May/June 2008 issue. Memories of Moon, by Abbie Brubaker, was so touching and well written that it had me in tears at the end. Voice of Sorrow, Voice of Joy, by Katie Senter, was realistically written and very enjoyable from start to finish. And finally, I really liked The Nickname Game, by Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, and the illustrations by Nancy Yan. I may be too old to contribute to your magazine, but reading stories like these inspires me to keep writing no matter what.
Bailey Ross, 15, Everett, Washington
Send us a letter! We’d love to hear your general comments about Stone Soup and the Web site,
as well as specific comments about stories and illustrations we have published.
