Some of the Kinder Planets - Hardcover

Wynne-Jones, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0531087514 ISBN 13: 9780531087510

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1995

Synopsis

Nine short stories with an eccentric cast of characters introduce the survivor of a life-threatening illness, a girl who wants to publish an unusual magazine, a youngster fearing abduction by aliens, and others.

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 5-8. Canadian author Wynne-Jones won the 1993 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature for this collection of wonderfully wise and witty stories. All nine stories feature believably ordinary boys and girls who, cast in offbeat situations, manage to create something magical from them. Although all of the stories are well written, Wynne-Jones' wry, sly humor and insight are especially evident in several. In "Save the Moon for Kerdy Dickus," a confused, unsophisticated young man encounters a multiracial family living in a high-tech geodesic dome and comes to believe he has been abducted by aliens. A girl who stays up far too late eating pomegranates and viewing Mars to do a good job on a science project finds just the right way to explain Mars to her class in "The Night of the Pomegranate." In "Tashkent," a boy who nearly died from a mysterious illness finds a unique way to determine which exotic city he will visit first, and in "Tweedledum and Tweedledead," a wildly creative boy refuses to write a boring synopsis of his vacation, and, with the help of a friend, creates an honorable compromise. The title story features a young actress who discovers a way to live fearlessly and die well. These stories deserve a place in both public and school library collections. Chris Sherman

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7?This collection of nine short stories offers offbeat vignettes of contemporary life as well as tales of ghosts, aliens, and historical figures. Clear writing combines with clever concepts and varied subject matter to make the book accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience. Male and female characters of all ages are convincing and well rounded, an especially impressive achievement given the brevity of the pieces. While not all of them are intended to be funny, Wynne-Jones has a light touch that serves him well whether his topic is serious or humorous. Also, a certain ambiguity is often present, and the stories offer tantalizing glimpses of complex worlds. This sophisticated presentation of both everyday experiences (such as a not-so-successful science project) and unusual situations (the aftermath of a train accident) creates a uniquely appealing whole.?Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0531087514
• ISBN 13: 9780531087510
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 130