Age: 17
Title: Yellowcake
Author: Margo Lanagan
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: 05/14/13
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book: Yellowcake is a collection of mostly fantastical and strange short stories. As a fan of short stories, especially strange ones, I enjoyed the unusual concepts presented in this collection. Some of the stories did not hold my interest long enough to finish them, but there were two stories in particular that I think make the collection worth picking up: “The Point of Roses” and “Ferryman.”
Memorable or Forgettable: This book was memorable mainly because of the very first story, “The Point of Roses,” which features a psychic kid able to drown his surroundings in the emotional essence of objects. The story is original, exciting, and has a lovely balance between developing its various characters and developing the main idea and plot. Unfortunately, some of the other stories were pretty forgettable, including a retelling of Rapunzel.
Cover: The cover is intriguing, though I really don’t know what the greenish pollen bits or the girl’s shadowed face have to do with anything. I’m also not sure why the collection is titled Yellowcake. I was drawn in by the fact that it is a collection of short stories and not a novel or a series like most YA things coming out recently.
Age Range: 12 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: N/A
Additional Comments: I would love to see more short story collections in the YA section. I think they have a market for people who want something they can read in short sittings, and it's a great format for authors to experiment in.
tags: short stories / fantasy / ya lit
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