Stone Soup is the international literary magazine and website publishing writing and art by young people under the age of 14. Founded in 1973, we have published more creative work by children than any other publisher, selecting the very best from thousands of submissions every year.

The 41 stories and poem in this volume were written by authors between the ages of seven and 13, selected for publication in Stone Soup magazine. Since its beginning in 1973, Stone Soup has published art, poetry, and short fiction springing from the imaginations of young writers and artists. What could express the imaginative powers of our writers better than fantasy stories?

In this collection our young authors take us to fantastical lands ruled over by dragons, wizards, and princesses, and reveal strange happenings in mythical castles, secret gardens, and magical forests. We meet powerful unicorns, wicked barons, handsome princes, mysterious strangers, fearsome creatures, and armored knights (male and female). From ghost stories to fairy stories, these tales on the borders of dreams and reality both fit the mold of the classic fairytale and break the rules with their unexpected turns of imagination. Come with us to be bewitched, bedazzled, and entertained: Once upon a time . . .