Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural - Hardcover

Ellis, Sarah

3.35

31 ratings by Goodreads

9780689814846: Back of Beyond: Stories of the Supernatural

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689814844 ISBN 13: 9780689814846

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, 1997

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A collection of spine-tingling stories introduces Kenton, on a boring baby-sitting job when the unthinkable happens; Adrian, whose life is changed after surfing the Net one night; and Rita, who has a strange experience while driving alone for the first time.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Ellis (Out of the Blue, 1995, etc.) offers middle-schoolers more than a chill or two in her collection of short stories, featuring a variety of teenage narrators. In ``Tunnel,'' Ken, 16, learns that there are experiences even more uncomfortable than playing Barbies when he babysits a little girl and nearly loses her to a circle of vengeful sprites who live in an abandoned sewer pipe. The familiar classroom setting turns sinister in ``Knife,'' where urban survivor Curtis confronts the new kid, who is possessed by the spirit of a seal pup injured by Curtis years before. The Internet plays a role in the surprisingly unsettling ``Net,'' about Aidan, who is saved by a tantalizing bit of E-mail from riding in a car that is crushed on the road. A slip of temporal mechanics proves serendipitous for young Maia and her mother, a midwife, in the amusing ``Pinch.'' Most memorable of all the offerings is ``Potato,'' where Selina recounts the horror of losing a brother to a religious cult, and the subsequent joy at their reunion. All the stories feature Ellis's taut and restrained prose, and most are as intriguing and finished as her longer works. (Short stories. 12-14) -- Copyright �1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Gr. 6^-10. The dozen stories in Ellis' collection will remind readers of William Sleator's best work. They begin firmly anchored in real-world problems, which are always resolved by the stories' end. Somewhere in the middle, however, they slip neatly off into another dimension, where time is skewed and even Mr. Potato Head can be a savior. Ordinary objects and problems become extraordinary: a superhero doll is an agent of healing in "Fix"; an Internet chat room encounter saves a life in "Net"; a long-lost gift resurfaces in "Knife"; and mystical, riddle-telling campers help a girl edging toward death in "Visitors." The stories are consistently well written, and Ellis seems to have had a wonderful time creating 12 intriguing, completely different views of the supernatural--from the playfully weird to the truly eerie. The attractive jacket will immediately capture browsers; its striking cover photo glows with an unearthly green light that perfectly matches the tone of the stories. From beginning to end, this is a top-notch collection that will delight readers. Chris Sherman

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