Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural [Hardcover]

Sarah Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

In one startling moment, ordinary people may catch a glimpse of a world they never knew existed. The expected happens to everyone, just as it happens to the characters in this spine-tingling collection of stories that deal with the unexplainable.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10. Ordinary young people go about their everyday lives...until something extraordinary happens. The fine line between reality and otherworldliness is delicately and expertly walked in these chilling selections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. The dozen stories in Ellis' collection will remind readers of William Sleator's best work. They begin firmly anchored in real-world problems, which are always resolved by the stories' end. Somewhere in the middle, however, they slip neatly off into another dimension, where time is skewed and even Mr. Potato Head can be a savior. Ordinary objects and problems become extraordinary: a superhero doll is an agent of healing in "Fix"; an Internet chat room encounter saves a life in "Net"; a long-lost gift resurfaces in "Knife"; and mystical, riddle-telling campers help a girl edging toward death in "Visitors." The stories are consistently well written, and Ellis seems to have had a wonderful time creating 12 intriguing, completely different views of the supernatural--from the playfully weird to the truly eerie. The attractive jacket will immediately capture browsers; its striking cover photo glows with an unearthly green light that perfectly matches the tone of the stories. From beginning to end, this is a top-notch collection that will delight readers. Chris Sherman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689814844
• ISBN-13: 978-0689814846
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,595,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars back of beyond, November 18, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

As I read Back of Beyond by Sarah Ellis, I found myself asking myself why this was supposed to be stories about supernatural events, because as far as I could tell these stories mainly included lonely kids whos parents were either divorced or just didn't exist in general. Most of these short stories were about strange appearances of someone or something or strange disappearances of people or things. As far as I could tell there weren't any aliens or supernatural life involved in any of the short stories. These kids in every story just seemed to happen upon something while they were moping because they were depressed or angered about their "destructive" families. The even weirder part was that at the end of the story, after all of their strange happenings most of them were still sad and/or upset. Oh and if you were wondering this is in the genre short stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious stories that really gets you thinking, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

I think that this book is simply one of the best books that I've ever read. When I first started reading it I thought the stories were totally "weird". But when I got to the story about "Mr. Potato Head" my thought changed into "unusual". Which is good. I mean, I think reading normal plots and stories and just really boring. This book really got me thinking. For readers who likes unusual surprises, here's a perfect book!

3.0 out of 5 stars I thought the book was okay, but it was not my best read., December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

I was intrigued by some of the stories in this book; many had some either very twisted endings or did not really end. Many of the stories, however, flew right over my head, and were not very clear to me as far as the plot of the story. I would possibly recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that don't have traditional endings or usual plots. I would also say that if you frequently have trouble understanding plots, this book may not be for you. I don't think this book was really for me.