title: The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
author:  Maggie Stiefvater 
description: Gr 9 Up-The authors behind the group blog Merry Sisters of Fate have combined their talents to create a collection of 30 fantasy short stories that dazzle. The selections themselves are finely crafted, with fully realized characters and unique settings. Each one has an introduction that reveals the author's thought processes in creating the story arc. Amusing handwritten comments, replies, and drawings allow readers a glimpse into the women's friendship and how their critiques of one another's work helped them grow as writers. A handwriting key at the beginning of the book permits readers to identify who said what, lowering the wall between writer and reader to reveal each author's personality. Yovanoff has a gift for stories that explore evil soul mates. Stiefvater examines power and modern society with a healthy dose of angst and a dash of fire. Gratton creates a world of complex magic and courageous characters whose stories usually end with a choice to be made. The book opens strongly with a trapped vampire and a girl who must choose whether or not to free him. There are tales of trolls, zombies, and psychopaths, and even Arthurian legends. Each story stands totally on its own, but together, the cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts. This anthology is a must for all YA collections. Promote it to traditional fantasy lovers, paranormal fans, and aspiring authors. It might even be the inspiration for starting a library writer's group.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library &amp; Museum, CT(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
zlib_text: Written by Brandon Varnell
  Edited by Crystal Holdefer
  Illustrated by Kirsten Moody
  
  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the
  author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
  living or dead, is coincidental.
  A Fox's Mission
  Copyright © 2019 Brandon Varnell
  Illustration Copyright © 2019 Kirsten Moody
  All rights reserved.
  Brandon Varnell and Kitsune Incorporated supports the right to free expression and the value of
  copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce creative works that
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