Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2010 Gr 5–8—Building on the success of Guys Write for Guys Read (Viking, 2005), Scieszka continues his mission to take the "reluctant" out of readers with this first volume of the "Guys Read Library." For this title, Scieszka invited some of today's top writers of children's fiction to contribute a humorous short story. Not surprisingly, the resulting compilation has something for everyone. Looking for a story heavy on the ick-factor? Suggest Jack Gantos's "The Bloody Souvenir," in which the Pagoda brothers return to wreak more havoc. David Yoo's "A Fistful of Feathers" features a bloodthirsty turkey intent on destroying the narrator's life. Eoin Colfer offers an autobiographical piece that shares how his younger brother was his real-life inspiration for Artemis Fowl. Kate DiCamillo and Scieszka team up to offer a hilarious correspondence between Joe and an author who knows how to hold her own with unmotivated students. While these shorter stories may not have the liveliness of the authors' full novels, each one is solid, and more importantly, it offers an introduction to that author's style and voice. Don't be surprised if students come seeking longer works by David Lubar, Christopher Paul Curtis, and other contributors after sampling them in this collection. Scieszka promises future volumes featuring other genres, among them nonfiction, sports, and action/adventure.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 10/01/2010 *Starred Review* The funny fellow (Jon Scieszka) with the impressive title (Emeritus National Ambassador for Children’s Literature) presents a collection of 10 humorous (you were expecting tragedy?) stories by some leading lights in literature for young readers. This is the first volume of the promised official Guys Read library, which is named for Scieszka’s well-known Web site, designed, like this book, to encourage boys to read. And what better way to start than with this collection of howlers by the likes of Eoin Colfer, David Lubar, Christopher Paul Curtis, and other yuk-inducing luminaries. Standouts include Kate DiCamillo (the lone female among the authors) and editor Scieszka’s charmer of a story in letters between a famous author named Maureen O’Toople and a boy named Joe; David Yoo’s wacky, laugh-out-loud story about a disappointed father and an evil turkey; and from the diabolical imagination of Jack Gantos, a cautionary tale about dangerous friends and rusty pliers. A must-have collection for the boys in your library—and while you’re at it, get a copy for the girls, too! - Copyright 2010 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2010 Having introduced his web-centered Guys Read initiative in 2005 with Guys Write for Guys Read (BCCB 6/05), Sciezska now offers Volume One of the “Guys Read” library, a set of short stories themed around, not surprisingly for Scieszka, humor. There are multiple classes of boy funny here. For instance, there are the kind of folksy stories your grandfather tells about his glorious exploits in pranking the gullible (Christopher Paul Curtis), and creative sibling dodges for getting out of really bad scrapes (Eoin Colfer). Also appearing are school assignments that take on a life of their own (Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka), the kind of situations that arise from being stupid and having stupider friends (Jack Gantos, David Lubar, Mac Barnett), and a number of instances where aliens, zombies, murderous turkeys, and supervillains are outwitted by your average ten-year-old with his wits about him (Adam Rex, David Yoo, and Paul Feig). None of the stories turn on overly clever rhetorical finesse, cheap shots, or silly slapstick for their chuckles (although some are rather gross and oozy), instead developing their situations into conclusions that range from wryly ironic to slightly dark, indicating a respect for the reader’s ability to appreciate subtlety. The stories are also classroom-friendly, providing sound, entertaining models for the humorous short-story form; mostly, though, they’ll offer compact literary pleasures for kids who follow the included authors and who like a good snicker. Jeff Kinney’s story will be included in the bound volume. KC - Copyright 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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