From Booklist
Wild, funny, and thought-provoking, this anthology's stories, contributed by well-known authors for teens, challenge readers to reconsider their notions of beauty. Several stories are fantasies. In Lauren Myracle's hilarious "Bad Hair Day," a homecoming queen sprouts a stubborn, vine-like chin whisker just before her crowning ceremony. Many realistic characters echo Jamie Pittel's narrator, who pierces her nose, dyes her hair blue, and wonders about "the difference between who you really are and who you're supposed to be, like, according to your family." Ellen Wittlinger's beautiful narrator chooses to become a photographer's assistant rather than the model her mother wants to her to be. Several stories, including Mary Ann Rodman's "Farang," set in Thailand, confront racism and cultural ideals of beauty. Each story shows a universal ache for self-acceptance. Jacqueline Woodson's pre-teen narrator talks about a "longing to be-long. Not to my friends or my block, but to me." When teens talk about beauty, they talk about their lives; this strong anthology, which includes a reader's guide, is a great place to begin the wide-reaching discussion. Engberg, Gillian
Product Description
With stories by acclaimed and exciting new YA writers:
Louise Hawes
J. James Keels
Ron Koertge
Chris Lynch
Norma Fox Mazer
Lauren Myracle
Jamie Pittel
Anita Riggio
Mary Ann Rodman
Ellen Wittlinger
Jacqueline Woodson
Tim Wynne-Jones
A stellar line-up of young adult writers examines our relationship with beauty in stories that haunt, amuse, stir, and fascinate.A beauty queen with a chin-hair problem, an aspiring model who would rather take pictures than be in them, a boy in love with the gorgeous nurse he’s never seen, a girl named Beauty who feels like anything but—the teenagers in these dozen stories feel the power of beauty, whether it’s to trap, save, torment, or comfort. In an era when image seems to have triumphed over virtue and reason, this timely, discussion-provoking collection asks young readers to think about what is truly beautiful.
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