Wipeout of the Wireless Weenies

WIPEOUT OF THE WIRELESS WEENIES by David Lubar. Tor, 2014.

This collection of short stories follows in the worthy footsteps of LAWN WEENIES, RED HOT PEEER WEENIES, and NINJA WEENIES among others. Teddy bears, cat literal and faxes might all seem innocuous. But hand them to David Lubar and the results are creepy and often hilarious stories of comeuppance, justice, and irony. Perfect for reading aloud to kids, teachers will also find them valuable for a discussion of author style and process.

Lubar Makes me Laugh

BEWARE THE NINJA WEENIES AND OTHER WARPED AND CREEPY TALES by David Lubar. Tor, 2012

David Lubar has a perfect touch when it comes to combining humor and horror and, well, grossouts, in his series of Weenie books. Here are short stories about intelligent vegetables (brain food?), cheese of questionable origin, bedbugs (shudder), and much more. Each story begs to be shared aloud. This collection (and the other 5 for that matter) would be an ideal way to begin the new school year. Select 5-10 stories; read a new one each day. At the end of the week (or two weeks), talk about the essential characteristics of the stories and of Lubar's style. Two appendices to note: a teacher's guide to using the book and notes about where the ideas behind each story originated. <384>

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL AND OTHER TALES FROM BEYOND by Rene Saldana. Pinata, 2012.

Here is a nifty collection of shivery tales in English and en Espanol from Texas author Rene Saldana. Enter La Llorona, the devil himself, and other creepy characters who will interact with young people at the school dance, a marble tournament, and other seemingly everyday places and events. Perfect for reading aloud (in the dark with flashlights), this collection just might lead readers to some other books. Tie to Alvin Schwartz' SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK as well. <360>

Stories about love and romance

I had blogged this book over at my LiveJournal account, but it sort of got lost in the hiccup. So, I am posting it again here as I do not want this book to get lost. It needs to find readers, maybe even YOU!

No cover for this anthology coming from Chronicle Books and edited by Kelly Milner Halls, GIRL MEETS BOY. The stories are in pairs from a male and a female author. Each pair tells the same story but from the other person's point of view. Kelly Milner Halls and Chris Crutcher each provide a story about a romance between an average guy and a dangerous girl. Rita Williams Garcia and Terry Truman's stories follow the budding relationship between an African American girl and a white boy. A girl setting up her brother's first date with another guy is tackled by Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe. This is a masterful collection (I love anthologies) that explores some new territory. Pair this collection up with the Nye and Janeczko poetry collection: I FEEL A LITTLE JUMPY AROUND YOU. Or show students how differing points of view can work with TWICE TOLD, a collection of pairs of stories about the same work of art. And remember that short stories are often the gateway for kids to longer works by authors. So, be sure to have novels by Crutcher, WIlliams-Garcia, Trueman, and the others on hand for readers who liked the stories these authors wrote. <304>