Children's books and book reviews - reading resource for kids, teachers, librarians, parents

Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students




*The Creative Collection of American Short Stories* by Yan Nascimbene- young adult book review
 
The Creative Collection of American Short Stories
by Yan Nascimbene
Grades 9+ 272 pages Creative Editions September 2010 Hardcover    

Ray Bradbury introduces 17 of the finest examples of American short stories in this elegant offering from Creative Editions. Aimed at a young adult audience (high school and up), it’s equally suitable for the grown-ups who remember with fondness many of these tales from high school literature class. The Creative Collection of American Short Stories is one of those books that should be in every home and made available to every young reader.

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Black Cat” kicks off the set, dripping with dread and pulling the reader into the mind of a man whose addiction drives him to madness and murder. “A&P” by John Updike, on the other hand, gives us a protagonist who quietly observes a single and seemingly unimportant event yet recognizes that his own ethical code is being tested. Most readers will certainly remember Shirley Jackson’s best-known story, “The Lottery,” a piece that made a lasting impact on teens of my generation with its hard-hitting depiction of an average community engaged in mindless and brutal tradition.

“The wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end,” writes Stephen Crane in “The Open Boat.” Like that wind, the author’s voice flows over the reader with the weight of the characters’ fates. Curiosity and empathy for the title character combine in Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” leaving us uncertain whether the denouement is the best or the worst of outcomes. Katherine Anne Porter’s deft handling of stream-of-consciousness tells, in a few short pages, of a life’s worth of pain and grief in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.”

Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Alice Walker, Rick Bass, and Bradbury himself are among the authors gathered in The Creative Collection of American Short Stories. There is humor, horror, and history in these stories, as well as examples of truly outstanding writing ability. More importantly, there is a glimpse into the bare naked soul of human beings in each tale.

Not to be outdone by these masters of the form, illustrator Yan Nascimbene designed exquisite artwork to perfectly complement the stories. Every detail is in place, words and graphics balanced upon each other to create an all-around and thoroughly satisfying experience for readers.
 
Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students

click here to browse children's board book reviews
click here to browse children's picture book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young adult book reviews
click here to browse parenting book reviews
 
web reviews
  Deborah Adams/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book  






For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)