Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
McSweeney's (2005), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 208 pages
Description
A collection of stories for wise young people and immature old people! A collection of stories for wise young people and immature old people, written by today’s best authors spinning new tales. Each story features fullcolor illustrations by artists including Barry Blitt, Lane Smith, David Heatley, and Marcel Dzama. The collection includes previously unpublished children’s stories from Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), George Saunders (CivilWarLand in Bad Decline), Kell Link (Stranger Things Happen), and Jon Scieskza (The Stinky Cheese Man).
User reviews
LibraryThing member SatansParakeet
This is an interesting collection of short stories that are almost designed for young readers. I say almost because nothing would prohibit children and young adults from reading the book, but there are certain unsettling moments and complex themes that may be a little much for young readers.
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Personally, I bought the book for the Neil Gaiman story and I was not disappointed. His story alone makes the book worth a perusal. Show Less
LibraryThing member SharonGR
What a wonderful book. Aimed at about a preteen audience, anyone age 9-up would enjoy it. We originally found it for the Jonathan Safran Foer and Jon Scieszka stories, but after reading it I couldn't have picked a favorite. Very good anthology.
LibraryThing member jawalter
I feel bad giving this only three stars, but as a whole, this collection left me a little cold. This may just be a result of having read it so soon after the much more adult and mature stories in Russell Banks' collection The Angel on the Roof, but this McSweeney's books feels unnaturally light and
The focus seems to be on children's stories told with a mixture of whimsy and darkness, and while I'm not opposed to the idea, I could have dealt with more meat. The authors seem to want to have it both ways, dipping their toes in the waters of the darkness of childhood, without allowing things to get too scary. You can't write a half-scary story and expect it to be a success. Or maybe these are just scary stories for children, and I'm not the recommended audience.
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weightless.The focus seems to be on children's stories told with a mixture of whimsy and darkness, and while I'm not opposed to the idea, I could have dealt with more meat. The authors seem to want to have it both ways, dipping their toes in the waters of the darkness of childhood, without allowing things to get too scary. You can't write a half-scary story and expect it to be a success. Or maybe these are just scary stories for children, and I'm not the recommended audience.
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LibraryThing member librarybrandy
Sometimes a collection of short stories is all over the place: fantasy butting up against realistic fiction rubbing elbows with mysteries. This collection is not one of those times. Sure, some of the stories are more fantastic than others, and some have more realistic elements, but the tone is
Despite the title, there's very little in here that would be considered scary at all, with the possible exception of a monster at a summer camp (and it's probably the camp aspects that are more frightening here!). Not all the stories will delight middle-schoolers--some of the adult authors have trouble bringing their writing style to an eighth-grade level, but the content even of these few outliers will still appeal to bright middle-school teens.
I'm not crazy about the paperback cover, but I like that Lemony Snicket's unfinished story is now included in the text block, instead of inside the dust jacket--that takes the headache out of processing for library circulation. Not really sure how this will circulate anyway, as short-story collections usually don't do very well, but it's a fun collection and I can think of a couple of kids who would appreciate it. I've been meaning to pick up this collection for a while (the contributor list reads like a Who's Who of my personal bookshelves) and I was pretty impressed with it. A quick read (made quicker in that I'd already read a couple of the included stories in other collections) with a couple of gems amidst the Pretty Good.
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remarkably consistent across writers and even generations. Including stories from such big names in fantastic fiction as Kelly Link and Neil Gaiman and realistic authors like Nick Hornby and Jonathan Safran Foer, in addition to being a McSweeny's project, Noisy Outlaws delivers on its promise of being an enjoyably demented collection. Despite the title, there's very little in here that would be considered scary at all, with the possible exception of a monster at a summer camp (and it's probably the camp aspects that are more frightening here!). Not all the stories will delight middle-schoolers--some of the adult authors have trouble bringing their writing style to an eighth-grade level, but the content even of these few outliers will still appeal to bright middle-school teens.
I'm not crazy about the paperback cover, but I like that Lemony Snicket's unfinished story is now included in the text block, instead of inside the dust jacket--that takes the headache out of processing for library circulation. Not really sure how this will circulate anyway, as short-story collections usually don't do very well, but it's a fun collection and I can think of a couple of kids who would appreciate it. I've been meaning to pick up this collection for a while (the contributor list reads like a Who's Who of my personal bookshelves) and I was pretty impressed with it. A quick read (made quicker in that I'd already read a couple of the included stories in other collections) with a couple of gems amidst the Pretty Good.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
A rather odd - but not bad - illustrated collection of short stories. The emphasis is on rather twisted tall-tale/fairytale type pieces. According to the publisher, the intended audience is "young adults first, all other adults second," - they're not children's stories, but they're mostly stories
Contents:
Introduction / Lemony Snicket
Small country / Nick Hornsby
Lars Farf, excessively fearful father and husband / George Saunders
Monster / Kelly Link
The contests at Cowlick / Richard Kennedy
Each sold separately / Jon Scieszka
Seymour's last wish / Sam Swope
Grimble / Clement Freud
Spoony-E & Spandy-3 vs. the Purple Hordes / James Kochalka
Sunbird / Neil Gaiman
The Aces phone / Jeanne DuPrau
The sixth borough / Jonathan Safran Foer.
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about children. I picked it up for Neil Gaiman's contribution, but several of the others were very well-done.Contents:
Introduction / Lemony Snicket
Small country / Nick Hornsby
Lars Farf, excessively fearful father and husband / George Saunders
Monster / Kelly Link
The contests at Cowlick / Richard Kennedy
Each sold separately / Jon Scieszka
Seymour's last wish / Sam Swope
Grimble / Clement Freud
Spoony-E & Spandy-3 vs. the Purple Hordes / James Kochalka
Sunbird / Neil Gaiman
The Aces phone / Jeanne DuPrau
The sixth borough / Jonathan Safran Foer.
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LibraryThing member bookczuk
I'm so predictable. I read the authors I know and love first, know and like second, and then the rest. Even with authors I love, I'm not a short story fan, but it was still fun, even though there's a lot of chatter on the cover.
LibraryThing member JBD1
The Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman stories alone are worth reading the book for. Excellent, both.
LibraryThing member melrailey
This is a fun little collection of stories. Some of them aren't that great but others are awesome. My favorites were the Neil Gaiman, George Saunders and the Jeanne DePrau story. I loved the creativity in the title and the dust jacket is awesome with it's half-finished story. Oh, and this book has
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a hilarious introduction by Lemony Snicket. I bought this book on impulse off eBay because it had a Neil Gaiman story and I'm glad I did. It was well worth what I paid for it. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Independent Publisher Book Awards (Finalist — Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction — 2006)
Language
Physical description
208 p.; 8.58 inches
ISBN
1932416358 / 9781932416350
Local notes
A collection of stories for wise young people and immature old people, written by favorites of all ages: Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods), and many others spinning new tales ranging from the spooky to the strange. George Saunders tells the story of a father who takes caution to dangerous extremes in 'Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband.' In 'ACES by Phone,' a small boy finds a cellphone that lets him listen in on the thoughts of dogs, and in 'Small Country,' Nick Hornby introduces a country too small for a postal system but, unfortunately for one bookish boy, just big enough for a football team. Interspersed with charts, graphs, and various crossword puzzles. Each story features full-color illustrations by artists including Barry Blitt, Lane Smith, David Heatley, and Marcel Dzama.