cover image Supernatural Stories: 13 Tales of the Unexpected

Supernatural Stories: 13 Tales of the Unexpected

. Orchard Books (NY), $0 (156pp) ISBN 978-0-531-08323-9

The contributors to this cohesive collection are 12 authors, mostly British, including Joan Aiken, Vivien Alcock, Dick King-Smith and Jan Mark. By nature, these are not climactic stories, but ambiguous, suggestive slices of life. In most of them, a sympathetic longingfor a childless woman, a new kid in class, even a parrotprecedes an uncanny, sometimes dire event. In others, an object appears to dominate its owner. A few are comical. ""Mr. Hornet and Nellie Maggs'' by Alison Morgan stands out because of its protagonist, who changes for the better, as well as for its memorable secondary characters. The effect of the stories in general, however, is quite subtle. Ages 9-12. (September)