Mirrors: Sparkling new stories from prize-winning authors - Softcover

Cooling, Wendy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007105894 ISBN 13: 9780007105892

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks, 2009

Synopsis

Specially commissioned short stories, by prize-winning authors, on the theme of Mirrors. READERSHIP: 10 - 14 A collection of new , specially commissioned short stories by some of the finest authors of children's books today: Anne Fine, Berlie Doherty, Leslie Howarth, Mary Arrigan, Gaye Hicilmaz, Jeremy Strong, Malorie Blackman, Elizabeth Laird , Melvin Burgess, Celia Rees, Kate Thompson, Paul Stewart, Vivian French, Alan Durant, Annie Dalton in range of genres - humour, horror, fantasy, traditional, realism and romance. The collection is aimed at good readers between 10 and 14, and the strength of the stories combined with the excellence of their authors will be certainly be welcomed by teachers, librarians and parents. Edited by Wendy Cooling, a well-known and highly respected figure in the world of education and children's books and the editor of Centuries of Stories.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

'Don't look into the mirror at moonlight, or you will see what animal you are...'

Mirrors have fascinating storytellers for thousands of years, and this anthology confirms that writers in the twenty-first century are still slightly intrigued by them. The collection is a wonderful mix of styles and genres, everything from humour to horror, romance to realism, fantasy to fairytale, new stories which will entice all ages with their glittering reflection of life.

GAYE HICYILMAZ has inspired the cover design with her wonderfully visual 'The Mirrored Garden', made from shattering bits and pieces of peoples lives, and CELIA REES picks up the theme of shattered mirrors in her ghostly story 'Silver Laughter'. There's the hilarious 'Never Trust a Parrot' from JEREMY STRONG in which we meet a vampire parrot; a lively, quirky fairy story featuring a dragon and a princess from KATE THOMPSON and, from VIVIAN FRENCH, a rip-roaring story of 'Selim-Hassan the seventh' whose great-great-great-great grandfather was a pirate! ALAN DURANT has written a spine-tingling tale of terror, 'Rochefault's Revenge', featuring a ghost from the French Revolution and MARY ARRIGEN'S 'Disappearance' has a ghostly theme too, a lively one with links to Aboriginal Australia. MELVIN BURGESS'S 'Whose Face Do You See'? Is a hospital drama where a mirror becomes a symbol of hope. There's a mirror-ball, which revolves and resolves a family dilemma in ANNIE DALTON'S heartening story 'Lilac Peabody' and ANNE FINE'S 'Use it or Lose it' is an acutely – observed story about growing to understand yourself.

MALORIE BLACKMAN weaves an intricate story, 'Watching', around an ageing filmstar reflecting on her youth and ELIZABETH LAIRD'S 'The Fateful Mirror' is a beautiful retelling of the story of Narcissus and Echo. This perfectly complements BERLIE DOHERTY'S magical 'The Girl of the Silver Lake', in which a young girl longs to be a silvery shimmering fish. PAUL STEWART'S extremely creepy story, 'Mirror Image,' will have you reaching for the light switch in the middle of the night. LESLEY HOWARTH sets her story 'mirrors.com' firmly in the modern world with a truly spooky tale of the hidden dangers that can lie behind internet shopping.

About the Author:

Wendy Cooling was a teacher of English in a London comprehensive for many years. She left to head up the Children’s Book Foundation [now Young Book Trust] and initiated the hugely successful Books for Babies scheme. She has edited many anthologies, including Collins Centuries of Stories, and is an acknowledged expert in ,and champion of, children’s books, reading and education.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007105894
• ISBN 13: 9780007105892
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 242