Short fiction by 14 prominent children's writers from around the world dramatize the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights with contemporary personal stories about young people who are victims, perpetrators, or activists. Some entries have a heavy message, but even those will draw in readers with the facts about what is happening now. Margaret Mahy writes about class with wit and intensity, as does Jamila Gavin, who sets the class war in India, where a young girl's family throws her out for resisting an arranged marriage and choosing a hill boy. David Almond explores school power plays in a story about a boy who says no to a popular bully. Hurricane Katrina is Rita Williams-Garcia's setting. Two contemporary Palestinian stories compare the current occupation with Native American experiences of oppression. Occasional, stark design elements illustrate, and with each story, there is a note that highlights its connection with the Declaration of Human Rights, which is appended in its full text. Sure to spark discussion and perhaps participation in Amnesty International.

Fourteen top writers from around the world contribute short stories for a collection benefitting Amnesty International. Each tale explores one of the rights asserted in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed in 1948. The stories vary in style, range, power and tone—some purposive and flat, others nuanced expressions of human nature and hope. Rita Williams-Garcia's "After the Hurricane" is a powerful story in verse about Hurricane Katrina and the "ragtag band" of refugees left in its wake, reminiscent of Whitman's "I Hear America Singing," except here it's disgruntled voices rather than "varied carols." David Almond's "Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads" explores the fascist nature of bullies, a common theme in his work, and Michael Morpurgo's "No Trumpets Needed" concludes the volume with a moving story of a Palestinian boy making kites in the hope of peace. A mostly solid volume for a good cause. (foreword, biographical sketches of contributors, editors' note, the articles of the Declaration) (Short stories. 10 & up)

In this collection of 14 imaginative short stories, writers including Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Ursula Dubosarsky, and Margaret Mahy come together to celebrate the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In her introduction, Jacqueline Wilson writes, “So many brave writers have drawn attention to the horrors of repressive regimes, even though they've suffered as a result.... Life <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">isn't fair—but we can do our best to right the wrongs.” Differing widely in focus and style, the stories eloquently illustrate specific articles in the declaration. In David Almond's tale, a boy who's part of a group of neighborhood “mischief-makers, pests, and scamps” has his perspective changed by an iconoclastic German youth, who plants the seed of freedom through independent thought. Theresa Breslin offers a suspenseful piece about a young daydreamer who stumbles upon a child-labor factory. Written in verse, Rita Williams-Garcia's story is a somber look at the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, while Patricia McCormick presents a harrowing account of those who fled Zimbabwe in 2008 after a disputed election. Frequently thought provoking, the stories adeptly highlight the universal importance of human rights. Ages 10–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)

Gr 7 Up-This anthology advocates for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has the bonus of literary merit, andanother plusit's highly readable. Don't let the cause or political weight of the title scare readers away. Popular YA authors use their exemplary storytelling skills to present stories set in a variety of countries, including Africa, Palestine, Jerusalem, Ireland, the United States, and England. Rita Williams-Garcia's jaunty short-story-in-verse style belies the contrasting events of the Hurricane Katrina debacle. Three high school teens, bolstered by their marching-band spirit, set off to find water for their families in New Orleans. What transpires is a devastating dose of reality as they witness rescue and governance gone wrong. In David Almond's "Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads," a pack of boys takes on the persona of tough blokes shoving about an English neighborhood during the late 1940s. Active and impulsive, they fall in with the oldest, coolest, meanest guy on the block. But when a new boy arrives from Germany, allegiances and dynamics shift. Independent Klaus is small but confident, and he risks standing up for himself. Strength of character is exposed, the group's status quo is broken, and the ability to say "no" is celebrated. Each selection cites the article(s) from the Declaration to which it relates. Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY

Questioning the meaning of freedom drives this collection of short stories on human rights written by a variety of well-known young adult authors, including David Almond, Margaret Mahy, and Eoin Colfer. The human rights organization Amnesty International compiles these stories to illustrate the thirty articles found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 by the United Nations. Each story centers on one of these articles, such as the right to freedom of religious (or non-religious) expression and the right to a fair trial. Some stories touch upon personal experience, as in Almond’s Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads, where the story’s narrator describes being under the spell of a charismatic bully. Others, like Patricia McCormick’s If Only Papa Hadn’t Danced, are inspired by countries where human rights have been subverted by repressive governments. Each story ends with the Declaration article that the story illustrates. The book concludes with the articles of the Universal Declaration and brief author biographies. This timely collection contains some very moving and well-written stories that inform as well as inspire the reader. It would appeal to teens passionate about human rights, or it could be used in a curriculum unit on this topic or featured during Banned Books Week.—Jan Chapman.