Customer Reviews

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray ... So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Mcsweeneys)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What more can one say about a book that sports brand new, fresh-off-the presses stories by the likes of Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman and Jon Scieszka?

Plenty.

How about an introduction by Lemony Snicket, that starts: "An introduction to a book of stories is like a warning printed on a bottle in a medicine cabinet....," with funky illustrations by Brett Helquist?

What if Lemony Snicket has also written, on the inside of the dust jacket, the beginnings of a story that, when completed and submitted by some lucky reader, will be eligible for a grand prize? The dust jacket is designed so that it can double as an envelope for your submission, but I really wouldn't want to do that if I were you, since this book is going to be a collector's item. Actually, I wish I hadn't told you about any of this, since I'm going to be buying up as many copies as I can get my hands on.

My two favorite stories are "Seymour's Last Wish," by Sam Swope, and "The ACES Phone," by Jeanne DuPrau. The former features a young lad - the hapless Seymour - whose mother favors cats over him, until a fairy grants Seymour three wishes and his options expand; the latter introduces the reader to a cell phone found on a playground that has unusual spiritual powers with respect to canines.

Want to know more? Well, for starters, there used to be a Sixth Borough in New York City. There's an explanation and a fold-out map in case you're wondering what happened to it.

There is also an Excessively Difficult Crossword Puzzle, for those who like such things. I suspect Mr. Snicket had a hand in this crossword puzzle, crafted by David Levinson Wilk, but you'll have to make up your own mind on that one. And if the answer to one of the questions is "Count Olaf," I certainly didn't tell you.

I told myself I bought this book for my son but actually planning to keep it for myself. It is a great collection, all of the stories are charming, fun and interesting.
However, I wasn't allowed to keep it for myself as my 7 year old son loved it even more than me. He read the Neil Gaiman story first but then got sucked in and spent last Saturday morning reading it - I don't think you can ask for a more ringing endorsement than that.

Take some excellent, renowmed writers, have them write a collection of stories for kids, and this is what you get. An eclectic, fun, sometimes creepy mix of tales that those of all ages are likely to enjoy.

While writers like Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman contribute, the best effort comes from Kelly Link, in his tale titled, "Monster." Although written for children, this is one of the funniest short stories I've read in quite some time - funny, scary, straightforward in its telling - and it's the highlight of an outstanding collection.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that there are a couple of weak stories that hurt the overall collection. Still, I'd highly recommend this for readers of any age. You might not like every story, but I guarantee that there will be several that catch your fancy.

The general impression is that it's a collection of stories that the authors would have like to read when they were kids. Some of them may be scary to the announced age group (4-7) but most are just sweet. For the adult many of them will remind the reader how it was to be a kid. And for the kid, this will make them feel vindicated for many injustices they suffer, like the loud mean boy that everybody likes, over-controlling parents, and having to play sports when they really don't want to.

The funniest part was the introduction by Lemony Snicket. I'd like to know how Paul Revere did wrong by him.

what a fun collection. not only was there a terrific neil gaiman story, but grimble was fantastic! and the art's great. love books aimed at kids that are as much fun for the (semi) adults who know and love them.

This is a great book. I'm 29 and am addicted to smart kid lit like The Series of Unfortunate Events, Artemis Fowl and Coraline and really, who is not a fan of McSweeney's? So I was all excited when this book came out and ran down to the store (well; ran, sat on metro, ran to store, bought book, walked home quietly with nose firmly planted.) Not only does it feature incredibly awesome stories but the cover alone is worth the price of it. And I'm not talking about the dust jacket, which is one of the best ideas ever, but the cover itself should be framed somewhere. (go ahead take a peek, you know you want to!) And it got my neices and nephews excited when I took it out of my bag to read it to them that night. Isn't that what a cover's supposed to do? Oh and they liked the stories too, but they only get one a night when I'm babysitting them. (there's 5 of em from 3 yrs old to 9) So, read this book because its a great read and because it helps a great cause.

After hearing Nick Hornby read his short story "Small Country" on NPR, I had to pick up this book. I was not disappointed. The stories are odd, humorous, and a bit-off center, but they are also immensely enjoyable. The themes are geared primarily towards younger readers (stories about parents leaving for Peru, monsters at summer camp, over protective fathers - you get the idea), with a tongue-in-cheek parody about them that is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket (who, in fact, wrote the introduction.)

Most stories are sure to be a hit with the grade 3 - 6 crowd; the final story by Jonathan Safran Foer ("The Sixth Borough") is a bit less kid-friendly, but the collection as a whole is a fun read. Highly recommended for young readers.

Here's an interesting and diverse collection of short stories - not an essential book to get but one that is certainly enjoyable. There are some solid stories by Neil Gaiman and Nick Hornby in particular, but my favorite was by Kelly Link. If you haven't read any of her work, I would greatly recommend Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners. Kelly Link must be from another planet - but I am glad she took the time to learn our language. (Her story details the blob mentioned in the title, but it was a blob I found to be rather friendly or at least talkative so perhaps they should retitle it).

I was a bit confused with Grimble and the story by Foer, both of which seem to be excerpts or pieces of larger books. Why not take the time to write an original piece? This seems more like advertising, trying to get us to buy their other works. Foer's story fell very flat for me, so I'll definitely be avoiding his book.

There's also a crossword puzzle made with clues related to the stories, and Lemony Snicket started a story and wants us to finish it in the most nontedious manner. This contest is the biggest reason why I'm glad I got this book, since now it has given me some motivation to try some nontedious writing. Maybe Foer should give it a shot too :)

Although I haven't finished the book yet, I want to express my great pleasure with this really exciting collection of short pieces edited by Ted Thompson, with Eli Horowitz and published by McSweeney's Books. There are a bunch of popular and skilful authors -- some readers might not have associated with children's or ya fiction -- here, such as Neal Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, Nick Hornsby, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jean DePrau and Sam Swope (the only alliterative author in the group, though noteworthy in many other ways as well), and lots of great illustrations by a variety of artists and illustrators working in different media (not to mention a brief graphic short story by James Kochalka) as well as a very cunning crossword puzzle (particularly suited for those of us for whom Wednesday sadly marks the premature end of the crossword work week). Gaiman's piece, which will probably garner the most attention here, is an extended satire on gross adult appetite entwined with a satire on a very plummy kind of adult language, which works out into an amazing riff on revival and rebirth. At least, I think it is. Gaiman moves unexpectedly from a familiar kind of postadolescent irony into myth (or, mythic myth in the sense that it is not camouflaged but contextualized as myth) in a way that erases conventional divisions between child and adult reader. Sam Swope does a very satisfying job of working a new variation on an old (and beloved) theme, one of the most challenging--and exciting--ways of writing children's fiction. Heinrik Drescher, whose collages serve as illustration, provides what might be the most accomplished detrital artwork in the book, illuminating the theme and not the narrative of this wonderful piece.

I initially picked this up because of Neil Gaiman and Nick Hornby, but I fell in love with the whole collection. The stories are fun, entertaining, and well-written (but what else do we expect from McSweeney's?). These are stories that won't make kids feel like they're being talked down to, and these are stories that grown-ups can get just as much pleasure from. Definitely pick it up!