Some of the Kinder Planets

From Publishers Weekly
Eight agreeably quirky stories feature unusually believable characters who find themselves in novel situations. Ages 10-14. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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 PittsburghCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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


Card catalog description
A collection of nine stories by the popular Canadian author, including "The Night of the Pomegranate," "Save the Moon for Kerdy Dickus," and "The Hope Bakery."


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Gr 4-7This 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


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