13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen

"If thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number...you would think a civilized society could come up with a way for us to skip it."

-- from "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" by Bruce Coville

No one will want to skip any of the twelve short stories and one poem that make up this collection by some of the most celebrated contemporary writers of teen fiction. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers a kid has to have. By turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant, the moments large and small described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.

Author: James Howe
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 09/01/2006
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.4lbs
Size: 6.90h x 4.90w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781416926849
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 74604 / 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen


Review Citation(s):
Kliatt 01/01/2007 pg. 34

About the Author
James Howe is the author of more than ninety books for young readers. Bunnicula, coauthored by his late wife Deborah and published in 1979, is considered a modern classic of children's literature. The author has written six highly popular sequels, along with the spinoff series Tales from the House of Bunnicula and Bunnicula and Friends. Among his other books are picture books such as Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores and beginning reader series that include the Pinky and Rex and Houndsley and Catina books. He has also written for older readers. The Misfits, published in 2001, inspired the nationwide antibullying initiative No Name-Calling Week, as well as three sequels, Totally Joe, Addie on the Inside, and Also Known as Elvis. A common theme in James Howe's books from preschool through teens is the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.