Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar

The weenie story collection books are super popular, and I can certainly understand why. Mr. Lubar's oddball sense of humor appeals to many young teens and tweens, especially boys.

As with any story collection, there were some stories I liked much more than others. I especially loved the ones where humor was the star, like the story about the Geography Bee -- so clever to have the boy who doesn't know the answers get them right with his "Oh, man" or "No way"! I also found the section at the end of the book where the author explains his inspiration for each story worth mentioning. Aspiring writers will want to check that out.

I wouldn't say any of the stories were particularly scary, but some were definitely creepy. (Especially if the story featured one of your phobias, like spiders or snakes.) Some were just plain silly, but in a fun way. I didn't find the collection particularly memorable, but I don't hate it either. Personally I give Vampire Weenies a 'C', but I can see where others will rate it much higher.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

In Tales from Outer Suburbia, the reader will find a collection of short stories about suburban living. But, its not any suburban living that any one of us will find familiar. Shaun Tan writes about the odd, the strange, or just plain weird. I doubt that my imagination would come up with anything this inventive, even if I had an infinite amount of time to plan it.

These stories and pictures remind me of something you might find in a Chris Van Allsburg picture book -- something that's so strange that you can't get it out of your mind. Before I knew it, I was adding on to the story, thinking up 'what if' scenarios, or wondering where on Earth that story idea came from. This collection is short, less than 100 pages with beautiful illustrations. It's a must read for those that pride themselves on finding the 'different' stories, the gems that can be found by looking on shelves other than the bestseller shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and would love to use one of the stories with a class. I give it a 'B.'

Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde

When I pick up a Vivian Vande Velde book, I know I'm going to be reading something that takes a unique view on a familiar theme, plot or idea. Cloaked in Red is no exception, being a collection of short stories, all based on the traditional fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. I loved the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) humor and jokes written into the stories, primarily related to the traditional Little Red Riding Hood tale or other fairy tales or even the Grimm brothers. If the reader isn't familiar with these stories, some of that humor may be lost on them. Most of the stories in this collection are extremely short and that's probably my biggest complaint. I wanted more. More details, more descriptions, more background, more story. I know, these are short stories based on a short fairy tale, but I've become so spoiled with all the novels published recently based on fairy tales.

While I love a couple of these stories, overall it's just average fare. That's why I give this story collection a C. I'd recommend this only to those that love reading retold fairy tales.