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A review by erine
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
4.0
Tan, Shaun. (2008). Tales from Outer Suburbia. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.
• 92 pages
• Intended audience: middle school and high school, grades 5-10
• Awards:
Spring 2009 Kid's Indie Next List
• Reviews:
Coats, Karen. (2009, March). Tales from Outer Suburbia. Review of book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 62(7), 298-299. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1660504151).
Karen Coats, in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, writes about how Tan engages the reader in a mysterious examination of things that are just at the edges of our world. “…the craftsmanship is impeccable; here the combination of words and visual creates a stunning overall effct, inviting lingering and many return visits.”
Sutton, Roger. (2009, March). Tales from Outer Suburbia. Review of book Tales from Outer Suburbia. The Horn Book Magazine, 85(2), 204-205. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1653973541).
Roger Sutton, in The Horn Book Magazine, places much more emphasis on the pictures, but largely brushes off the text part of the story. “many of the selections don't get much beyond their premises, and Tan's lowkey expository prose offers few rewards of its own, the real story here is the pictures.”
• Themes: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Urban Legends
• Main Character: first person, various
• Setting: “Outer Suburbia” in a community near you
• Censorship: Saw one “damn”
• Plot: Walking a little on the weird side, Shaun Tan has put together a collection of stories and pictures that won’t take very long to read but create quite a trip. Water buffaloes offer directions, boys dangle their legs over the edge of the world, grandparents have exciting wedding days, a strange exchange student decorates the pantry, a turtle is rescued, and backyard missiles are decorated.
• Strengths: The Pictures
• Weaknesses: As a picture book, may be seen as juvenile
• Passage(s): “it’s funny how these days, when every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them.” (76)
“Those who stay awake long enough are rewarded by a momentary sound that never fails to draw a sharp intake of breath – the delicate tapping of hoofs descending on roof tiles. It’s always so startling, so hard to believe at first, like a waking dream or a rumor made solid.” (71)
• Library Pomotion: could be part of a display of picture books for older readers; could read aloud an entire chapter; several chapters would spur some great discussion about ethnic customs, armament and war, or poetry.
• Personal Reflection: I really enjoyed it. The pictures and words went together better than The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and as it was intended for an older audience the stories were more captivating to me. They weren’t at all long, but just brief flights of fancy. Very entertaining and several thought-provoking vignettes.
(From grade-school/middle-school class:)
This didn't take very long to read, but was full of water buffaloes, exchange students, the end of the world, weird happenings, and even backyard missiles. I enjoyed this collection of short stories with pictures, because both the text and pictures went so well together. I had such a hard time reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret because the text kept being interrupted by the pictures. Tan did well in blending the two mediums. These 'urban legend' -like tales were fun little bits of story that could provide springboards for further personal imaginings.
The quaint, fairy-like quality of these would be appealing to girls who like a bit of strange with their stories, and the heavy dose of weird should appeal to boys. The variety of formats that the stories are told in (some are collages of words), are attractive visually, and I would think would help to pull a reluctant reader into the short stories.
One swear word (damn). Missiles.
• 92 pages
• Intended audience: middle school and high school, grades 5-10
• Awards:
Spring 2009 Kid's Indie Next List
• Reviews:
Coats, Karen. (2009, March). Tales from Outer Suburbia. Review of book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 62(7), 298-299. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1660504151).
Karen Coats, in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, writes about how Tan engages the reader in a mysterious examination of things that are just at the edges of our world. “…the craftsmanship is impeccable; here the combination of words and visual creates a stunning overall effct, inviting lingering and many return visits.”
Sutton, Roger. (2009, March). Tales from Outer Suburbia. Review of book Tales from Outer Suburbia. The Horn Book Magazine, 85(2), 204-205. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1653973541).
Roger Sutton, in The Horn Book Magazine, places much more emphasis on the pictures, but largely brushes off the text part of the story. “many of the selections don't get much beyond their premises, and Tan's lowkey expository prose offers few rewards of its own, the real story here is the pictures.”
• Themes: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Urban Legends
• Main Character: first person, various
• Setting: “Outer Suburbia” in a community near you
• Censorship: Saw one “damn”
• Plot: Walking a little on the weird side, Shaun Tan has put together a collection of stories and pictures that won’t take very long to read but create quite a trip. Water buffaloes offer directions, boys dangle their legs over the edge of the world, grandparents have exciting wedding days, a strange exchange student decorates the pantry, a turtle is rescued, and backyard missiles are decorated.
• Strengths: The Pictures
• Weaknesses: As a picture book, may be seen as juvenile
• Passage(s): “it’s funny how these days, when every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them.” (76)
“Those who stay awake long enough are rewarded by a momentary sound that never fails to draw a sharp intake of breath – the delicate tapping of hoofs descending on roof tiles. It’s always so startling, so hard to believe at first, like a waking dream or a rumor made solid.” (71)
• Library Pomotion: could be part of a display of picture books for older readers; could read aloud an entire chapter; several chapters would spur some great discussion about ethnic customs, armament and war, or poetry.
• Personal Reflection: I really enjoyed it. The pictures and words went together better than The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and as it was intended for an older audience the stories were more captivating to me. They weren’t at all long, but just brief flights of fancy. Very entertaining and several thought-provoking vignettes.
(From grade-school/middle-school class:)
This didn't take very long to read, but was full of water buffaloes, exchange students, the end of the world, weird happenings, and even backyard missiles. I enjoyed this collection of short stories with pictures, because both the text and pictures went so well together. I had such a hard time reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret because the text kept being interrupted by the pictures. Tan did well in blending the two mediums. These 'urban legend' -like tales were fun little bits of story that could provide springboards for further personal imaginings.
The quaint, fairy-like quality of these would be appealing to girls who like a bit of strange with their stories, and the heavy dose of weird should appeal to boys. The variety of formats that the stories are told in (some are collages of words), are attractive visually, and I would think would help to pull a reluctant reader into the short stories.
One swear word (damn). Missiles.