Another Neil Gaiman book this week. I got put in this reading circle because I caved and told my professor (big Gaiman fan) that I liked the last book we read by him. Rest assured, all of two followers of this blog, my grudge against Gaiman for not adhering to a single audience type remains alive.
This book was not solely by Neil Gaiman, but was a compilation of short stories all centered around a common theme. They all featured as a main element of the story a creature or person who was, in some fashion, unnatural. It was an interesting concept and the stories were well written pieces that ranged from whimsical to haunting.
I enjoyed this collection and would recommend it to teenagers; probably not to younger children because some of the stories contained some innuendos and suggestive comments…nothing explicit but nothing I’d want to explain to a seven or eight year old either. I also don’t know that I’d use it in a classroom setting. There is one story in there I would love to pull out and do an in-depth analysis of with a group of eleventh or twelfth graders. It was called “The Smile on the Face” by Nalo Hopkinson, and there was this tree that told a girl to be confident and love herself, which is right up my alley and probably the only reason I would like to teach it. I love trees and I love children learning to respect and love themselves for who they are so that’s like a package deal right there.
But anyway. It was a riveting book with stories that pulled me in and had some very original content. This is not a run of the mill scary stories or book of monsters, and it would be an enjoyable read for most ages.
Diary Of An Emotional Houseplant 