Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast, by Jane Yolen
Yolen, Jane (1997). Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company. 175 pages.
Summary and Evaluation: This is a collection of twelve short fantasy stories, three of which had not appeared in a book beforehand. The stories range from the purely fantastic (“Harlyn’s Fairy,” “Sea Dragon of Fife,” and “Brandon and the Aliens) to the more shivery (“Wilding,” “The Baby Sitter, ” “Bolundeers”) to those that revisit familiar tales (“Tough Alice,” “The Bridge’s Complaint,” and “Lost Girls”). I’m always surprised at how much authors can pack into a short story and these are no exception. Each is completely separate from the others and relates an interesting tale, such as the girls of Neverland going on strike (“Lost Girls”), teenagers in New York City who turn into animals and run around parks (“Wilding”), Alice facing down a Jaberwock with a surprising weapon (“Tough Alice”), and a traditional monster story (“Sea Dragon of Fife”). The “Running in Place” section at the end of the book tells how Jane Yolen came up with each story, which I thought was a fun addition to the collection.
Booktalk Hook: I’m not exactly sure how I would booktalk this one as it’s a collection rather than one novel. Likewise, a read-aloud booktalk would probably give away too much of any one story. I might recommend this book to readers who enjoy fairytales, fans of Robin McKinley, and those who have read other works by Jane Yolen. The short-story format might also appeal to reluctant readers or those with shorter attention spans-when compared to a longer book, these stories could be seen as bite-sized.
Summary and Evaluation: This is a collection of twelve short fantasy stories, three of which had not appeared in a book beforehand. The stories range from the purely fantastic (“Harlyn’s Fairy,” “Sea Dragon of Fife,” and “Brandon and the Aliens) to the more shivery (“Wilding,” “The Baby Sitter, ” “Bolundeers”) to those that revisit familiar tales (“Tough Alice,” “The Bridge’s Complaint,” and “Lost Girls”). I’m always surprised at how much authors can pack into a short story and these are no exception. Each is completely separate from the others and relates an interesting tale, such as the girls of Neverland going on strike (“Lost Girls”), teenagers in New York City who turn into animals and run around parks (“Wilding”), Alice facing down a Jaberwock with a surprising weapon (“Tough Alice”), and a traditional monster story (“Sea Dragon of Fife”). The “Running in Place” section at the end of the book tells how Jane Yolen came up with each story, which I thought was a fun addition to the collection.
Booktalk Hook: I’m not exactly sure how I would booktalk this one as it’s a collection rather than one novel. Likewise, a read-aloud booktalk would probably give away too much of any one story. I might recommend this book to readers who enjoy fairytales, fans of Robin McKinley, and those who have read other works by Jane Yolen. The short-story format might also appeal to reluctant readers or those with shorter attention spans-when compared to a longer book, these stories could be seen as bite-sized.