Amazon.com Review
In a third collection of riveting young adult short stories, following
Night Terrors and
Trapped!, Lois Duncan draws on her experience as the award-winning author of more than 40 young adult suspense thrillers to put together a choice selection of tales about being on the brink. A dozen stellar teen novelists--including fresh new talents Ellen Wittlinger and Gail Carson Levine--have each contributed an original story in which a young person is on the edge mentally, physically, or psychologically.
In Graham Salisbury's "The Ravine," a boy teeters on the cliff of a high jungle waterfall, but then proves himself by refusing his friends' challenge to jump. In "Fine?" Margaret Peterson Haddix brilliantly depicts a young girl's sense of alienation from "normal" life as she waits in the hospital for a diagnosis of terminal illness. Alden Carter displays previously unsuspected comic talent with "Pig Brains," in which a boy goes way out on the edge to vanquish a bully with a well-planned gross-out. William Sleator, in "Unbalanced," makes us hope for more stories drawn from his experiences as a rehearsal pianist for the Boston Ballet. Terry Davis crafts a heartbreaking scenario for a cinematic episode about the flight of Hmong refugees from the Pather Lao. Other stories by Pete Hautman, Liza Ketchum, Winifred Morris, Gloria Skurzynski, and Rich Wallace explore different aspects of brinksmanship, in a collection (perfect for reading aloud) that will have teens tracking down the novels of these authors. (Ages 10 and older) --Patty Campbell
From Publishers Weekly
Readers drawn to this book's provocative title and jacket or to Duncan's (I Know What You Did Last Summer) reputation for suspense may be a little disappointed by the mixed bag of short stories found inside. Often straining to express the preordained theme of being "on the edge," the 12 selections offer eclectic interpretations but usually follow similar formats, mostly tracing an adolescent's response to a shocking event. Author commentaries following each work of fiction help fill in gaps in the story lines, providing needed insight into characters and circumstance. Pieces strong enough to stand on their own literary merit include Gail Carson Levine's "Pluto," which convincingly relates the frustrations of a "good" girl competing with her flamboyant, rebellious sister for their parents' attention; and Graham Salisbury's "The Ravine," in which a boy is prodded by his friends to make a dangerous jump but comes to realize that he is in control of his own fate. The hardest-hitting story, Terry Davis's "In the Valley of Elephants," combines folklore with gritty realism to express the sad heritage and the terror of a 17-year-old mother fleeing her native Laos. Readers may do well to skip to the second half of the volume, where the more accomplished fiction appears. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
