Vivian Vande Velde

I will review each story individually first

Curses, Inc.--the title story, is about an 8th grade boy who jilts his date a week before the big dance because he doesn't want to spend his game money on some stupid dance. It was funny to see how cheap this boy would be. He originally starts out with a Jinx that would cover the girl's body completely with warts. This turns out to be too expensive so he instead wants her to lose her dog. Each curse thereafter is slightly more expensive and slightly more 'disasterous' to the girl. In the end nothing was as it seemed and the boy learned a very expensive lesson.

Skin Deep--I loved this story. Ardda is this unattractive sixteen year old girl who lives by herself to avoid having to deal with people. She has the power that her 'wishes' come true and got tired of having the villagers constantly asking for her to wish them things and then make cruel jokes behind her back. She thinks her luck has changed when an injured prince lands in her backyard, but sadly he turns out to be less then princely. She gets her revenge however.

Past Sunset--I cried a little during this story honestly. It starts with the tale of the Lady in White who roams the backalley street the narrator lives on every night after sunset. Despite being warned many kids still wish to sneak a peek to prove how 'brave' they are. One night a neighbor calls out that she needs help, she's dropped her son's medicine. The narrator's older brother volunteers for the mission and all goes well. Until the Lady shows up and it becomes a mad dash to save the boy's life.

To Converse With Dumb Beasts--What would happen if you were granted the gift of talking to animals? Would they really be as interesting as stories make them out to be? A lonely farmer finds out the answer, but the result is less then he wanted and worst then he thought possible.

Boy Witch--The young son of a witch is left to tend the house while his parents are away. A damsel in distress happens by for a cure to her afflication and the young boy makes things only worse.

Lost Soul--This was a cruel tale of a story. A young man, on his way home from a chore he was to have performed, chances across a beautiful maiden by a creekbed. He falls instantly in love and recklessly promises to return as often as she would like. Is she an undine or sylph as his neighbors have warned him? His obsession turns to murder and in the end he gets what he deserves, but hasn't learned his lesson.

Remember Me--A young man in rich clothing wakes up in the middle of the road, having no idea how he got there or who he is. Traveling to the nearest town does nothing, but subjecting him to the casual cruelty of the noble class and servants alike. Who is he? Where did he come from? Is he a prince? Though we're never given the reason he was afflicted with amnesia, we can draw our own conclusions at the end from the courtiers comments.

Witch-hunt--This was a chilling tale. A young girl's family is persecuted by the authorities for their satanic vices. We are told the story first from the young girl's perspective--as her home is raided and the Witch Hunters claim her parents, but the end of the story is told from the perspective of the Witch Hunter General and the truth is more in line with Fahrenheit 451 then the Salem Witch Trials.

Cypress Swamp Granny--A young girl in the South, just after the Civil War, learns what it means to appreciate what you have. Despite the fact this tale was serious and the end was anything but funny, the dark humor and irony of the young girl's commuppence is wonderful.

The Witch's Son--A mother tries for 13 years to ressurrect her son so that he can take vengence on those who wrongly murdererd him during the War of Independence. I was confused at first why Hugh was killed, but war is a nasty thing and vengence is even worse. This, unlike many of the other stories, had a happy ending filled with hope.

Overall I'd say the theme of the story was 'Be Careful What You Wish For', since many of the stories focused on a person either wanting better then they had or ignoring what they had. Some were chilling, from an emotional perspective (Past Sunset) and a couple were just hilarious (Curses, Inc. and Boy Witch), but I enjoyed all the stories. Though classified as 'young adult' I think that even adults might find the morals and humor in each story easily.… (more)

I really enjoyed this book. Velde's books in general please me, but this particular book I felt connected to Wendy moreso then any other. My own grandmother's gradual slide into Alzheimer's began when I was about 13 and I clearly remember the feelings of confusion and frustration. Intellectually I knew it wasn't her fault she couldn't remember our favorite games or stories anymore, but emotionally it became harder and harder to watch her slip from this reality. By the time she passed away ten years later it felt like I had more 'bad' memories then good.

I would give my soul to have the chance that Wendy had--to visit and spend time with my grandmother as a young woman.

Moving past that storyline however, the fantasy element is fun and the not so subtle lesson that appearances aren't everything is driven home well. Not that I blame Wendy for her assumptions--if a wicked witch like crone suddenly replaced the head cheerleader in appearance I'd be understandably shocked and wary. And good looking or not an elf prince as a classmate would be alarming as well (imagine going to school with someone who resembles Legolas all the time!).

Thankfully by the end of the story things are set straight, Wendy learns a valuable lesson and hey a dragon shows up. Can't ask for more then that in a fantasy can you?… (more)