From behind the scenes with sideshow performers, these ten stories reveal the stranger truths the audience is never meant to see. The collection offers a real variety of setting and style (three of the entries are in graphic novel-type format), with touches of humor and pathos among the thrills. The tales engage readers with the lure of the unknown and the power of surprise.

Noyes once again pulls together 10 stories from some of teen fiction's heaviest hitters (including Annette Curtis Klause, David Almond, and Cecil Castellucci), shining the spotlight on horror's younger cousin: human oddities. "The Bearded Girl" is an obvious choice, but in it Aimee Bender hones a tale of adolescent acceptance to an uncanny edge, and Vivian Vande Velde delivers a near-perfect should-have-seen-it-coming twist in "Those Psychics on TV." Margo Lanagan's "Living Curiosities" unfortunately suffers from the short-story treatment, taking what might have been a great longer work and tying it up too tightly in its own unplaced sense of weird. In a sign of the format's growing acceptance, three of the offerings are graphic stories, including the highlight of the collection, Matt Phelan's quietly enigmatic "Jargo!," about a circus curiosity who might be even curiouser than he seems. This is not as successful as Noyes' compilations, Gothic! (2004) and The Restless Dead (2007). Yet layering strong writing with irresistible surprises, this collection, much like its topic, is more than a little disconcerting and just about impossible to ignore.

Like NoyesÆs previous short story collections Gothic! (Candlewick, 2004/VOYA August 2004) and The Restless Dead (2007/VOYA October 2007), she again presents a diverse array of themed stories by some very high-profile young adult authors. The book opens with the story of a middle school girl with a beard by Aimee Bender, who does a good job of bringing home the point of just how freakish it sometimes feels to be a teen. Cynthia Leitich Smith and Vivian Vande Velde share their takes on psychics, each with a surprising twist at the end. Annette Curtis Klause's story is a companion to Freaks: Alive on the Inside! (Margaret K. McElderry/S & S, 2006/VOYA October 2005). Of the ten stories in the collection, those by Danica Novgorodoff, Shaun Cheng, and Matt Phelan are in graphic format. David Almond, Cecil Castellucci, and Margo Lanagan also provide their unique views into freak-dom. The book's freak-show inspired theme will appeal to readers who appreciate stories with horror and magical realism elements. Although the stories are of high quality and have strong teen appeal, young adult short story collections are always a challenging sell in a library environment. Some hand-selling will be required to ensure that this title finds the audience it deserves.ùKristin Anderson.

Noyes's latest anthology ( Gothic! , 2007) showcases freaks, once a celebrated standard in traveling shows and theater. The included stories range from David Almond's view into a more innocent time, when the difference between a circus Swami and God was hard to distinguish and all magic was possible, to Margo Lanagan's outstanding tale of a lovelorn dwarf who is stronger than a seemingly normal visitor. Annette Curtis Klause has contributed a stand-alone sequel to her novel Freaks (2006), while Aimee Bender's bearded girl likes her beard. Three of the entries are by renowned graphic novelists. Matt Phelan's excellent "Jargo" draws the haunting and wistful story of a creature too strange even for a sideshow tent. Strangely, two stories have nothing to do with sideshows or circus freaks—Vivian Vande Velde's ghost story features a psychic, while Cecil Castellucci's weirdly wonderful "The Bread Starter" showcases just that—and many of the stories, while "odd and magical," are only tangentially sideshow-themed. From a thematic perspective the collection is a bit of a mess; from a writing perspective it's excellent. (introduction, contributor biographies) (Anthology. 13 & up)

Gr 7-10 Like The Restless Dead (2007) and Gothic! (2004, both Candlewick), this is a masterpiece of 10 short stories by world-class authors. Contributors include David Almond, Annette Curtis Klause, and Vivian Vande Velde. Particularly noteworthy is Cecil Castelluccis The Bread Box, in which a teenage girl learns the secret of her elderly aunts extremely vivacious bread starter. True to Margo Lanagans style, Living Curiosities is a multilayered tale that requires several rereadings to fully appreciate. Not all of the stories are traditional prose; several are graphic renditions, including Matt Phelans masterfully drawn Jargo! which portrays a mysterious circus performer who is never seen out of costume. Several of the stories pack the same punch as old-fashioned O. Henry or Roald Dahl classics and are the stuff that will fill the English literature textbooks of tomorrow. Suspending disbelief, readers of this fantastic anthology may start investing in psychics and sleeping with the light on. Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL