Zizzle Selects: literary stories for teens: 4 (Zizzle Literary)

//This anthology of 15 short stories by popular and emerging writers unites the assorted stories under the theme of making choices when faced with something strange. As might be expected in a book for teens several stories center on the ups and downs of everyday education such as David Galefs No-School Day Amy Aves Challengers Im Not Going to School and Melissa Ostroms Dead Mudge. Others explore family dynamics: a quirky uncle in Kate Felixs Serbian Dracula Mysteries a protective dad in Sudha Balagopals Nuclear Missiles Are Coming Our Way. Perhaps the most interesting stories are those that blur the line between ordinary and extraordinary whether through Norse mythology in Blake Johnsons The Road to Valhalla or by imagining dreams as living creatures in Kimberly Huebners standout The Shelter of Abandoned Dreams.Each piece is accompanied by a photograph of the author as a child or a spare gorgeous ink and watercolor illustration by Janas Lau. The visual media dont always correspond with the fiction but Laus paintings whether they show jungle creatures or city buildings tell stories of their own. What makes this anthology really worthwhile is what comes after the flash fiction: author biographies and discussions of the authors favorite childhood books and the inspirations behind their stories all of which will encourage teen writers.Teachers parents and students can use the discussion guide to think and talk about a disobedient girls refusal to be cursed in Karen Heulers A Reluctant Fairy Tale or explore the second-person perspective in Gargi Mehras Sticks and Stones. As readers dig in theyll be pleasantly surprised by the depth of the moral lessons packed into these bite-size tales. Though intended for teens this anthology can be enjoyed by anyone who wants a handful of brief rich stories to savor one at a time or consume all at once.//- BookLife Reviews*Zizzle Literary is an international anthology book series that aims to foster a lifelong love of reading. Our very short fiction will appeal to those who already love literary fiction and will spark an interest in newer readers. Well-wrought unusual and memorable fiction beautifully illustrated-a keepsake. - Kirkus ReviewsFICTION Sudha BalagopalAmy Aves ChallengerNicole CrucialKate FelixDavid GalefKaren HeulerKimberly HuebnerBlake JohnsonGargi MehraWendy NikelMelissa OstromCheryl PappasKaren RigbyJeremy SchneeRyan ThorpeARTJanas Lau