Denise Daley (Children's Literature)
This unique book was inspired and compiled by an artist named Scott Hunt. Scott created nine diverse, realistic, black-and-white drawings. Popular young adult authors were sent a drawing and asked to write a short story based on their interpretation. Two stories for each illustration were selected for this book. Renowned authors, such as Bruce Coville, Marilyn Singer, and Audrey Couloumbis, contributed a story to this book, each providing their own unique and fascinating version of events. This collection of varied short stories is well written and extremely entertaining. A full sized page of each picture precedes the story so that the reader can view the art that motivated the author’s story. The book concludes with a note from each author that briefly explains his or her creative process when developing the story for the image. 2006, Dutton Books/Penguin Group, $19.99. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 7))
The fable of the six blind men and the elephant is invoked by the premise of this collection of 18 diverse short stories based upon nine original pencil sketches by Hunt. From doughnuts to skinny dipping, from classic cars to bunny suits, authors as varied as Sarah Dessen, Audrey Couloumbis, M.T. Anderson and Marilyn Singer serve up their varied interpretations of the old mantra that a picture is worth a thousand words. Standout pieces are Margaret Peterson Haddix and Jaime Adoff's responses to the moving visual celebration of old-fashioned African-American love in the form of an elderly "Couple," and Nancy Werlin and Alex Flinn's takes on a small child dressed as a "Bunny." Of the drawings, Hunt's best offer snapshots of lost Americana, such as a father and son of yesteryear loading suitcases into the family car, and neon diner signage advertising rare greasy-spoon treats. However, the stories might have benefited from the same unifying vision that is reflected in the artwork, with fewer authors engaging more of Hall's texts, and the most captivating tales being placed more strategically. 2006, Dutton, 320p, $19.99. Category: Anthology. Ages 13 up. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 1))
While wandering through a museum, illustrator Scott Hunt observed two people arguing vehemently over what story was being told by a painting they were viewing. This gave him the idea to frame an experiment of his own: he produced nine suggestive drawings and sent each one to two well-known authors of young adult fiction. The original stories that authors such as Sarah Dessen, M. T. Anderson, David Lubar, John Green, and Nancy Werlin, among other luminaries in the YA world, produced based on the illustrations are by turns haunting, surprising, and moving. These authors obviously find great freedom and inspiration in working to an assignment of this nature, and the fact that each drawing gets two very different treatments suggests the possibility that there are many more stories in potential here, opening the door for creative writing assignments for students that use Hunt's own richly evocative work or the original artwork of classmates as springboards. Moreover, there is a lot to work with and discuss about the visual codes that might cause the stories to overlap in thematic terms or imagistic resonance; for instance, what is it about an axe on a table beside a frosted cake in a retro kitchen that would lead authors as diverse as M. T. Anderson and William Sleator into the baleful territory of a boy in violent conflict with his father over the subject of his masculinity? Besides being useful as a creative model and a vehicle for introducing techniques of visual and verbal analysis, the book features stories that are compelling examples of the aesthetic form of the short story, and their varied content-parent-child relations of many stripes, requited and unrequited love, sexuality with all of its confusions and abuses-will appeal on its own merits. Notes from the authors are included. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Dutton, 259p, $19.99. Grades 7-10.

Lucy Schall (VOYA, June 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 2))
Eighteen outstanding authors, reacting to nine Hunt drawings, produce fascinating paired stories that range from real to surreal. Sarah Dessen and Ellen Wittlinger send lives from the same donut shop into very different directions. Gene Brewer and Bruce Coville search tortured decisions involving an empty pool and a naked swimmer. Ron Koertge envisions a street mural inspiring haiku in Just a Couple of Girls Talking Haiku, while Adéle Geras perceives a bereft kidnapper in Ruby. In What I Did Last Summer, a young boy, a man carrying two suitcases, and a car lead Jan Marino to gift a family with hope, and Marilyn Singer to reveal an over-controlling father in Word of the Day. Audrey Couloumbis believes the lady staring from a Waffle House doorway will find a second chance, and John Green thinks that same lady watches history pass her door in his The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline. In M. T. Anderson's Angel's Food, a cake anticipates a coming-of-age fiasco, and for William Sleator, the confection is a recipe for murder. Among the other authors represented here are Nancy Werlin, Alex Flinn, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Jaime Adoff. The collection, having wide junior and senior high appeal, is a writing teacher's treasure. Notes from the many authors briefly describe the writers' creative process, list other works, and include some author Web sites. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Dutton, 320p., $19.99. Ages 11 to 18.