Gr 7 Up-Kids who are geeks, unathletic, poor, emotionally fragile, loners, or unattractive by current standards form the heart of this collection of exceptional stories by well-known YA authors such as Joan Bauer, Chris Crutcher, and M. E. Kerr. Inspired by the events at Columbine High School, the authors pondered what sorts of heartbreak could cause teens to react so powerfully and violently, and how being isolated and shut out of high school groups could tear down the fragile walls of self-esteem, making vulnerable individuals snap and cause massive destruction. The result is a compilation of short stories from the point of view of those tormented, and those who view others being bullied and how their perceptions change as they examine the situations. While all the stories are excellent, Jack Gantos's "Muzak for Prozac" is an exceptional example of the fragile balance that one teen struggles to maintain through the use of mood-stabilizing chemicals. A must-buy for all libraries.-Susan Riley, Greenburgh Public Library, Elmsford, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

There's no question it's tough to put together a good written-to-order anthology, but once again Gallo has managed very well. This time, the subject is outsiders, and to be sure, the stories come complete with moral underpinnings. They are, however, sufficiently different to keep interest high, and, as usual, they have been written by a talented bunch of YA authors already familiar to many teen readers. Ron Koertge's biting story is laced with his typical humor; Jack Gantos' dark, cynical tale is built around the main character in his YA novel Desire Lines (1997); and Chris Crutcher's story, the most graphic and, arguably, the most philosophical in the mix, recalls headline events at Columbine High School. Joan Bauer, Angela Johnson, and Graham Salisbury are among the other contributors. Teens will find plenty of stereotypic geeks and nerds, but they'll also find outsiders who are unexpected. The discovery may make them think about who's in and who's out, and why. Information about each of the 11 authors, often with an e-mail address, follows each selection.

In the hopes of providing a "greater understanding and tolerance of others," editor Gallo has put together a collection of 11 stories by distinguished writers about kids on the outside, the ones referred to at school as " weirdos, geeks, nerds, freaks, faggots and worse." Dedicated to "every kid who has ever been called a hurtful name" and "to every kid who has tried to feel superior by putting down someone else," this anthology brings home the outcast experience in a vivid, visceral way. Particularly good is M.E. Kerr's engaging offbeat "Great Expectations," about a boy's surprising relationship with a felon; Will Weaver's "WWJD," about a troubled, seemingly saintly girl who is finally pushed too far, and Chris Crutcher's "Guns for Geeks," which stands out from the pack because the voice is so real that it feels like nonfiction. A problem with an anthology of this type is that after a while it suffers from a certain repetitiveness. Whether these adolescents are pariahs because they are obese, have terrible skin, a learning disability, or extraordinary smarts, they are still, from the point of view of their peers, rejects, and as such share the untasty experience of being teased, harassed, or otherwise set upon. Although the authors offer a variety of responses to the problem—passive resistance, speaking out, breaking down, and revenge, to name a few—unfortunately they show all too clearly what high-school outcasts have known all along: just how terrible it is to be different. Potent, disturbing, and heartrending. (Fiction. 12+)

This collection of eleven stories features teenage characters who feel disenfranchised from their peers. One boy confronts bullying with passive resistance; another brings a gun to school. The anthology is uneven in both content and quality, with only Jack Gantos and Will Weaver fully and convincingly getting inside the heads of their unconventional protagonists.