From Publishers Weekly
Urban teens take center stage in a pair of edgy short story collections. Waifs and Strays presents 15 previously published works by Canadian fantasy writer Charles de Lint, including "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" from The Essential Bordertown and "There's No Such Thing," which appeared in Yolen and Greenburg's anthology Vampires. In its first appearance, "Sisters," tells of precocious 16-year-old Appoline, a vampire ("Yeah, I drink blood. But it's not as gross as it sounds. And it's not as messy as it is in some of the movies") who plans to wait until her sister, Cassandra, turns 16 before turning her into one, too. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-Mythic fiction is at its best in this anthology of stories of memorable heroines, rooted not in a secondary world but in an urban environment. The author introduces each selection, providing insight and interesting biographical information. The subject of two stories is a 16-year-old vampire named Apples who receives "the Gift" from a stranger during a Bryan Adams concert. She hopes to "turn" her sister Cassie when she is older, if she agrees, so they can live together forever. Poking fun at the television version of a teenage vampire, the heroine offers a more pragmatic view of her lot in life as she avenges evil doings in her neighborhood. In the section "Bordertown," where magic and reality coexist, an elf named Manda saves the life of a Harley-riding black man who is the neighborhood peacekeeper in a city rife with prejudice and violence. Elements of Robin Hood, Merlin, Native American mythology, and Celtic music weave through each story. Some of the heroines are humans who briefly tiptoe into a magical realm or are skeptical about its existence. De Lint's characters are often lonely and intelligent misfits whose self-discovery triumphs over plot. Described as "urban fantasy," these stories represent a hybrid genre for readers who only want one arm through the door into another world.
Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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