This book was...fine. I can't really put my finger on why it only rates as "fine". The narrative style was maybe a little too simple, even for the target age range. It was a fairly typical "leaving home and finding your true strength" story. There were some interested situations and vivid descriptions, but in the end, there was nothing particularly memorable.

The premise of the book was shaky and unfortunately, the execution was not too interesting. Perhaps would appeal to kids looking for a predictable adventure.

This was a surprisingly unique take on a middle grade fantasy. An excellent adventure with new ideas and a good message.

A girl made must go on a journey away from the only home she’s ever known if she wants to save herself and her friends. Along the way she’ll encounter new people and creatures and learn the true story of her heritage. Author Sarah Beth Durst offers middle grade readers a sweet story that, unfortunately, drags in places in The Stone Girl’s Story.

Mayka is unlike any other 12-year-old girl in the entire mountain range. At least, she might be. Carved entirely from stone by her loving father’s hands, Mayka has never left the cozy cottage on top of the highest mountain. The magic in her father’s hands allowed Mayka and her stone creature friends to come to life, and Father made sure to carve special symbols into each of his creations so they can share their stories with others.

It’s been quite a while since Father died, however, and Mayka and the creatures have taken care of themselves and one another. They miss Father, but they have all they need to continue living in what they consider to be the most beautiful place in the world. Then Turtle stops moving, and Mayka realizes a terrible fact. If someone doesn’t re-carve the markings that have begun to wear away, all of the stone beings—including her—will cease to move. They’ll still exist, but they won’t live. Worse, no one will know their stories.

She discusses the problem with all of the other creatures, and two of her best friends, the stone birds Risa and Jacklo, decide to accompany Mayka to the valley city of Skye. Father never shared details of his time living in the city, but the friends reason that other stonemasons must live there. Perhaps, if they travel down the mountain and ask with enough kindness and respect, one of the stonemasons will come back to their cottage and re-carve everyone’s marks.

Because they’re made of stone, Mayka, Risa, and Jacklo don’t need to worry about stopping to eat or sleep, but they still run into their fair share of challenges. People in the city don’t always say upfront what they mean, and many of them seem interested in Mayka in a way that makes her uncomfortable. They keep telling her she’s a rarity, that a living girl made of stone hasn’t existed among them in years.

On top of everything else, the entire city has begun preparations for the Stone Festival, a holiday Mayka has never heard of, and many are too busy to talk. She finally meets Garit, the apprentice to a stonemason. When Garit takes Mayka home to his master stonemason, however, Mayka learns a startling truth that just might threaten her and her friends forever. She’ll have to find a way to save Risa, Jacklo, herself, and all the new stone creature friends she’s made if she wants to go home again.

Author Sarah Beth Durst tells her tale in a gentle tone. Not once will readers ever doubt Mayka’s safety. She encounters strange people, yes, and some of them are rude to her or gruff in their response. Despite all that, Mayka seems to travel through the city of Skye—and the entire novel—within a bubble of relative safety.

While some parents might appreciate the sweet tone of the book, readers in the target age group who enjoy adventures of higher stakes might find themselves getting impatient. Mayka doesn’t even meet Garit until almost the halfway mark, and the action takes its time well beyond that to rise to the climax. Durst spends a disproportionate amount of time describing how Mayka descends from the mountain and her first impressions of the city. On the structural level, her approach makes the book a little lopsided. Less tolerant readers might stop reading long before they get to the end.

Still, the book does offer many positives. Mayka’s unshakeable loyalty to her friends and her father’s vision as well as her willingness to help others are timeless lessons. At one point, the book feels reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, a sort of adventure pursued by a group of unusual friends, albeit on a much quieter scale. And Durst does manage to keep a surprise or two tucked away at the end. For those reasons, I recommend readers Borrow The Stone Girl’s Story.

This was an enjoyable read, but not one that's gonna stick with me. It was cute and I liked it, but overall I want to say it's just "okay." It's probably a case of "it's not you, it's me" and it was just my mood getting in the way of my enjoyment. I've liked the other Sarah Beth Durst books I've read before so maybe I'll try to revisit this one in the future.

Perseverance and Friendship!
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review The Stone Girl’s Story by Sarah Beth Durst! Mayka, a twelve-year-old girl carved out of stone, lives on the mountain with other stone creations carved by her father, a famous stonemason. Her father is no longer alive and when the markings on the stone creatures began to fade and when Turtle no longer moves, Mayka decides to leave the mountain to find a stonemason who can carve the markings anew. She finds greed and danger but also loyalty and friendship on her search and Mayka learns and grows more than she ever realized she could. The Stone Girl’s Story is a sweet tale of hope, friendship and perseverance! 4 stars!

The strong feminine title character will have a draw for the right age and temperament of audience. The mythology and allegory inherent in the novel may be off-putting to many pre-adolescent readers.

This such a great book. It's really original, and managed to surprise me a lot. There's a charming cast of characters, a wonderful focus on how stories define you and who gets to tell those stories, but still incorporates high stakes and tension. It's about courage and autonomy and family, and it does it in my favorite middle-grade way: keeping it short and simple enough to be an easy read, but without dumbing it down.

DISCLAIMER: I have met the author of this book at various book shows and she has come to our store to do a book signing before, so I already have a positive feeling towards this author. She is sweet and nice and funny and while I am sure that plays a part in her writing ability, that doesn't sway me in this review. This book stands on its merits and not on the author's sweet personality. : )

This book was really amazing. It's geared towards middle grade readers, but had me at least three times gasping in suspense. (I admit, I am a chicken when it comes to suspense. So that may not be all that impressive!) I actually put the book down once because I was too chicken to continue! But once I picked it back up, it had me for good and I couldn't put it down if I had tried!

I love it when a good character grows. I hate it when a character is written as a bad/stupid/mean person, just so their growth is apparent to the reader. This was not the case here. All of the characters grew and learned and wanted to. Even though they were stone and couldn't physically grow, they all grew in knowledge, wisdom, personality and talent, just like a flesh and blood person would.

I also loved how inventive the world was. Stone could come to life, with the right story and symbols on them. It could be sentient in the form it was carved. It could feel, love, fear, and want to do good. It could be innocent, and have that innocence shatter. It could recognize evil and act to stop it.

Slight quibble with how only the flesh and blood humans were good or evil. All of the stone creatures seemed to be naturally good. But it is a small issue. I kind of want to think that all humans have a core of good to them, so why not have stone creatures show it?

This book also raised a VERY big question, to me at least.

Which is worse, doing evil and KNOWING it is bad, or doing evil and THINKING you are doing good? To be so mixed up that you think you are being a savior instead of really being the bad guy the world needs to be saved from? Where does intent come into it as a mitigating factor? Does intent make it better or worse? Is it easier to fool people into thinking you are good when you truly believe it or if you know you have to hide the bad? Can the misguided bad guy be saved or are they as doomed as the bad guy who knows he is evil?

Ok, that was actually a lot of questions, but that's one of the things I LOVE about this book, it makes me think and ask questions, deep questions. Questions that, unfortunately, matter today more than ever.

So this book gets 5 full stars from me. Excellent characters, great world, awesome storyline and while some reviewers didn't like the epilogue-like ending, I LOVED it. I felt it fit and flowed well and it gave me the closure I wanted. Highly recommended, for young readers on up to adults. Great book!

My thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group Clarion Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I really liked the strong female lead character and how she finds the power she needs is actually within herself - a great message for young girl readers. There were a lot of extra characters

What if you were carved from stone, but alive? What if you slowed and eventually went to sleep as the carved marks wore away with time? This is what had begun happening to Mayka's friends. Their father was a stonemason who carved them all, but now there is no one to keep the marks fresh and clear.

Mayka begins a journey to find a stonemason who will come to help them. She heads down into the valley and toward the great city looking for someone who can save her friends. Everything is new and different. As she travels down the mountain she echoes Sam Gamgee's words as he follows Frodo out of the Shire: “This is it,” Mayka said, “the farthest down the mountain I’ve ever been.” As she and two of her friends cross the valley they meet another stone creature who would like to find a mason to change the marks and make her more than a decorative figure. When this little creature asks, "“Do you think . . . Could I . . . Maybe I could ask him to recarve me?” it reminded me of Dorothy's friends in The Wizard of Oz as they each join her quest to see the wizard and ask him for a favor.

It's not surprising that so many other stories seem to cast a reflection here and there in the book, the stories carved onto each stone creature are what brings them to life - so readers know that the author understands the value of stories. Those glimmers of other books show how many stories have soaked into her own skin. As Mayka talks to one of the humans in the city, he tells her that he doesn't have a story. "Did all flesh creatures deny their part in their own story? Doing that didn’t exempt you from having a story; it just meant other people would shape your tale for you. You have to seize your story, Mayka thought. That’s what stone creatures do."

I won't tell you what happens anything else, we should all experience stories in our own way. I will say that if you are a lover of stories, you will enjoy this one. There are themes of friendship, courage, love, and claiming our strengths to live our story to the fullest. As Mayka would say, "We make our marks our own."

Readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, friends joining together for a good cause, and a bit of magic will love this book. Highly recommended for middle grade and early YA readers.

What a wonderful story! A few years ago I read a few of Sarah Beth Durst's books; Into the Wild and the Girl Who Could Not Dream; and completely loved them; her way of telling a story appeals to the fantasy world I believe in as a child. When I saw The Stone Girl's Story I had to request it from Net Galley and was excited to be given a copy to read in advance.

Stone Girl does not disappoint. Mayka has been carved from mountain stone by Father. He has also carved into life her friends Risa and Jacklo; two adventurous little birds, Turtle, who recently faded from existence, stone fish, rabbits, and a hedgehog. Father dies, and as time passes, all of the stone souls marks are fading; soon all of her friends will fade from life as Turtle did. Mayka decides she needs to go to the valley where Father originally came from to ask a stonemason to re-carve the marks that bring them life. Risa and Jacklo accompany Mayka, and their adventure takes them to the distant city of Skye, the home of all stonemasons. Mayka discovers that not all those made of flesh and blood care for the stone creatures, however, when she meets a Stone Master who promises to accompany Mayka back to her home and help her friends. At first her relief is immense, until she reads the story of his stone creations and realizes his intentions are not to the benefit of those made of stone. Mayka discovers her own strength and her own ever-changing story. With the help of her old friends and new friends made along the way, Mayka discovers her true purpose and her own wonderful story.

This story made me smile all the way through it. Mayka's character is such a good example of honesty and kindness. I love the fantasy and wonder to be found in the words of this story, and think it is a true adventure for children of all ages, but it is also contains character lessons in kindness, empathy, loyalty, and integrity. When the book is published I will not hesitate to purchase it for my own library. I can see sharing it with children old enough to read it, but also, I can see sharing it as a read aloud to those a bit younger. Mayka and her friends stories are a true hero's quest for young readers.

This such a great book. It's really original, and managed to surprise me a lot. There's a charming cast of characters, a wonderful focus on how stories define you and who gets to tell those stories, but still incorporates high stakes and tension. It's about courage and autonomy and family, and it does it in my favorite middle-grade way: keeping it short and simple enough to be an easy read, but without dumbing it down.

Mayka, our main character, is a twelve-year-old-girl carved out of stone who must leave her mountain home to find a stonemason to re-carve the magical marks on her stone friends, before they fade and become nothing more than statues. But in the city where she hopes to find a stonemason she also finds a terrible threat to stone creatures everywhere.

First of all, I like how the fantasy aspects of this world are revealed. I know the blurb hints at some of it, but I'd forgotten the blurb by the time I started so I wasn't even sure if Mayka and her stone friends were an oddity in their own world, or if stone creatures were common. Discovering the nature of the living stone people and animals in this world, at the same time Mayka was discovering what the relationship between flesh-and-blood creatures and stone creatures and stonemasons is outside her mountain, was a really fun experience.

One of the first stone creatures we meet after leaving the mountain is a small dragon named Si-Si who wants to be re-carved so she can fly, and I love her so much! (There's a definite cute factor to the book, although it can be perfectly serious) Mayka is surrounded by a cast of characters who have their own goals and personalities, and that makes the journey so much more fun.

Also, I know I said this was an easy read, but I was legitimately stressed out at times. The book does not shy away from raising the stakes, and it's based on a really interesting backstory that you learn along the way with Mayka.

I love that the backstory/history is another example of how stories change depending on who's given the power over them. The interpretation of stories is kind of a huge thing in this book, because stone creatures are brought to life by magical marks that tell a story — who they are, their personality, what they want to do. And if you're thinking that that gives the person who carves the stone creature a lot of power over them, that could potentially be taken advantage of... then you're on the right track with this book.

There are only two things that I feel the book didn't do as well as the rest of it. First of all, as the blurb tells you, Mayka needs to realize "the savior she’s been searching for is herself" — which is true, and a great message, but it could have used more focus. I think Mayka's realization could have used more set up throughout the story to be a little more powerful when it happens. But there is also so much else going on in the story that it's forgivable that this got less focus.

I also felt like the very end, just the last page or two, could have been clipped a little shorter; we didn't need to know that much about twenty years in the future. Which the author clearly knows, because that part is very quick, but I think she could have cut it off a little sooner.

To end on a good note: the writing is beautiful, and I have so many quotes highlighted in my ebook. This is exactly the kind of whimsical middle-grade I love to read.

The Stone Girl's Story is another wonderfully magical story by Sarah Beth Durst! I absolutely loved this story! I cannot wait to buy this book for my elementary library to share with students.

This is a fantastic middle grade fantasy with a strong female lead! A very enjoyable read!

My name is Mayka, and my father has died. The etchings on our stone bodies are fading, and the marks are what give us life. I'm leaving our home on the mountain for the first time, and I must find a new stonemason to fix the carvings. I'm happy that Risa and Jacklo are with me. The stone birds can fly ahead to warn me of danger, although Jacklo tends to get distracted and off course. We've met a small, stone dragon named Si-Si, and she's helped us find the city of Skye. Unfortunately, the Stone Quarter is closely guarded, and Jacklo didn't returned from exploring behind the wall. We've now managed to sneak inside and found a highly-skilled stonemason who fixed Jacklo's wing! However, I've examined the new carvings used to heal my friend, and something isn't right. I fear the stonemason has discovered a new mark that will bring terrifying consequences to every stone creature in Skye!


I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley, and it was an exciting surprise. Parts of the plot reminded me of The Wizard of Oz, as the creatures searched for a mysterious man who would grant their greatest wishes. Mayka was a wonderfully adventurous and naive character, driven by her will to help other stone animals. She had an ability to read the stories etched on the animals she met, and the author allowed her to share their short tales throughout the book. Everyone has a story that defines them. On a deeper level, the creatures were seeking their independence without being controlled by others. Free will and individual choice were key issues. The main characters were kind and caring, and they were able to maintain these traits throughout the story. Amazingly, the author was able to resolve a destructive and violent climax in a relatively peaceful manner. Overall, I highly recommend you read this book. It's an inspiring, magical story!

Yes, the themes of stories and storytelling, family and friendship, kindness and compassion, are all central here, and definitely make The Stone Girl’s Story a Recommended Read. Certainly they, and the wonderful characterization, are what endeared the book to this reviewer.

Yet there are also deeper currents to be found in Ms. Durst’s well-crafted world, as well, where Carvers can breathe life into stone by inscribing words onto it’s sculpted surface. Questions of of free will, the right to self-determination, and how much control a creator has, or ought to have, over an intelligent creation are bound to arise.

Such issues are, of course, as old as parenthood. Certainly in an age of increasingly sophisticated technologies that have the potential to make true artificial intelligence a reality, they are never too early to begin contemplating. Nor are narratives of the struggle for freedom and belonging ever unwelcome, or unneeded.

There are many reasons to pick up this book—for readers of all ages.