Issue: December 2008

Red Land Yellow River: A Story From The Cultural Revolution

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

When Mao’s Cultural Revolution took hold in China in 1966, Ange Zhang was 13 years old. He lived with his family in Beijing, he attended school and excelled in drawing, and his father was a famous writer whose “Yellow River Cantata” was widely considered to be the anthem of the revolution. Yet soon, Ange’s life [...]

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Roots and Wings

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

GRACE’S GRANDMOTHER HAS died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. But Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few mysteries, like who her father was, why her mother and grandmother moved from St. Petersburg to Pennsylvania, where they’re the only [...]

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A Bridge to the Stars

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

12-year-old Joel lives with his father in the cold northern part of Sweden. At night he often sneaks out of the house to look for a lonely dog he has seen from his window. On the bridge across the icy river he starts a secret society and has adventures. But one night he discovers that [...]

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The Inferior

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

STOPMOUTH AND HIS family know of no other life than the daily battle to survive. To live, they must hunt rival species, or negotiate flesh-trade with those who crave meat of the freshest human kind. It is a savage, desperate existence. And for Stopmouth, considered slowwitted hunt-fodder by his tribe, the future looks especially bleak. [...]

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The Entertainer and the Dybbuk

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

One night, the Great Freddie, a young ventriloquist, is possessed by a dybbuk, a Jewish spirit. A scrappy demon who glows as if spray-painted by moonlight. The dybbuk is revealed to be the ghost of a twelve-year-old boy named Avrom Amos, a victim of the Nazis during World War II. In a plucky [...]

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The Magician’s Apprentice

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

It’s summertime 1874 and Jago Stonecipher is tired of being pushed around. The penniless apprentice of a mean-spirited magican, Jago dreams of a better life. It seems his wish is granted when he finds a mysterious message in a watch, which unexpectedly sets off a dangerous chain of events.

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Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Emily is a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York, end of story. Her mother has family in Puerto Rico, but Emily has never had any contact with them–not until she’s forced to go to the Caribbean for her grandmother’s funeral. Pampered Emily wants nothing to do with her Puerto Rican heritage– until a [...]

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Chicken Feathers

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

A talking chicken! Josh knows it sounds ridiculous, but that’s just what Semolina is. And she’s not just a talking chicken. She’s a spirited, sarcastic, sassytalking chicken. And with Josh’s mom in the hospital about to give birth to his sister, Josh needs Semolina more than ever, even if she will only talk in front [...]

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Medusa Jones

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

In ancient Greece lived a little girl called Medusa Jones. Medusa was a Gorgon, but apart from that, pretty normal. So she has snakes for hair instead of gorgeous blond ringlets like Cassandra. So her best friend is half horse. Is that any reason for the popular kids to be SO mean? Medusa’s sure [...]

Posted in Fantasy, Greece, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Myth, Primary (ages 6-9), Scotland (UK) | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beware of the Frog

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, so it’s a good thing that she has a pet frog to protect her. Too bad for the Greedy Goblin, the Smelly Troll, and the Giant Hungry Ogre, who don’t take this little amphibian seriously!

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