May 26 - "The Contests at Cowlick"

“The Contests at Cowlick”
by Richard Kennedy
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, A Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (2005)

* * * * (Great) Children’s

Wally, the lone resident of Cowlick, with the courage and willingness to stand up to Hogbone and his ornery gang of fifteen, plans three contests in an attempt to save the town from the dastardly fiends.

This would be an amazingly fun story to read-aloud. So much so that I found myself reading parts (most, to be honest) out loud to an empty living room. The dialogue is a joy to experience. The story was nicely constructed and flowed well from beginning to end. My only complaint is that the story was a tad predictable. The contests could have been slightly more original. Still, overall, it was a fun story to read. And who doesn’t enjoy a fun story.

April 11 - "Monster"

“Monster”
by Kelly Link
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, A Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (2005)

* * * * * (Excellent) Children’s

The boys of Bungalow 6 felt compelled to go camping in the woods. Neither threat of rain nor monster could keep them from doing what the bullies of Bungalow 4 had already done. Even James Lorbick, the least popular – and unhappiest – boy in camp, felt the need to brave the night outdoors.

Another excellent story in this wildly inventive – slightly offbeat – collection of short stories for (intelligent and literary) children. Link does a great job of pacing and characterization, all building up to a very enjoyable climax: James Lorbick’s jittery, immensely funny campfire chat with a monster. The story succeeded in bringing back fond – but maybe not entirely accurate – memories of camp. However much (or little) of my own camping experience I do remember, this tale and these campers felt right. The magic came in both the tiny details (the “joy” of cramped and wet and smelly tents) and the supernatural horrors (terrified children fleeting the blood-stained hands of a quick white monster). It’s the type of story you hope to hear while sitting around a campfire – a story chock full of humor, and chills.

February 2 - "Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband"

“Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband”
by George Saunders
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, A Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (2005)

* * * * * (Excellent) Children’s

After Lars Farf returns home, to find his home, burned to ash, he sets about protecting his family, first from fire and then water, later attacking every possible scenario of disaster or destruction with a system or strategy to quell his ever-expanding fear.

As an obsessive I found this story to be absolutely hilarious – and nearly actually plausible. The joy in the story comes from the snowball effect of worry. One crazy idea builds upon another until the far-fetched has become reality and Lars Farf can justify placing his family in Personal Protection Pods for their own wellbeing. Saunders has always intrigued me as an author; I’ve read positive reviews of his work – purchased some – but not yet explored his talent. That is one of the joys of this project; I can sample those authors I’ve put up on my shelf, yet passed over in favor of the newest, brightest, shiny thing.

I have to include a sentence to show you the absurdity and humor packed into this little gem.

“Also he hired some Snake-Dog-Bear-Wolf Monitors, to make proactive Scouting Missions into the woods around the house, and hired a team of optometrists to constantly check the eyes of the Snake-Dog-Bear-Wolf Monitors, so the Monitors wouldn’t miss anything, and issued an order that not only must all snakes, dogs, bears, and wolves be apprehended, but anything even vaguely resembling a snake, dog, bear, or wolf must be apprehended, including, but not limited to, all snake/dog/bear/wolf-resembling sticks, branches, stones, and/or boulders.”

This is a perfect example of why I enjoy reading – and writing: sentences of such structure and fun, working together to create awe and wonder.

January 20 - "Small Country"

“Small Country”
by Nick Hornby
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, A Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (2005)

* * * (Good) Children's

Stefan wasn’t entirely sure why his country, Champina, couldn’t be found on a map. It was not until – in a moment of embarrassment – his teacher had to explain that Champina was no larger than a field that Stefan began to really understand where he lived. And it wasn’t until his father hurt his foot that sedentary (by choice) Stefan was able to help his tiny country through his participation in a game of football.

This collection will, no doubt, have the longest title in this year of reading. This is a children’s short story collection put together by the talented – and hilarious – folks at McSweeney’s. Hornby is an author I enjoy very much, and this short story is another great example of his interesting character writing. Stefan has a dry sense of humor that is unique – and interesting – to see in a younger child. This humor is often apparent in Hornby’s adult work, and refreshing to see in a story about a child who doesn’t understand his entire (small) country’s obsession with football. This collection will be full of these interesting little literate – but absurd – short stories, and I can’t wait to continue reading.

(Thank god for the ability to copy and paste the title, though. Even the abbreviation – which they do provide on the page preceding the title – is unwieldy.)