12 Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Jane Yolen

Module 9- Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Jane Yolen

Yolen, J. (1997). Twelve impossible things before breakfast: Stories. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

192 Pages
Ages 9-12

Plot:

This book includes 12 fantastic tales of imagination and suspense. They range from a return of Alice to Wonderland where she slays the Jabberwockie with laughter, a world in which Central Park is turned into a transformative place for people to become either predatory or prey animals and explore their natural instincts, and a moby-dick link sea battle with a brutal man-eating monster of the deep.

My Impressions:

 I found each of the stories in this collection to be very unique. No two were similar in plot, though each had at its center a teenager who faced with the impossible, finds the strength and courage to believe and overcome. Each story is told through rich language and imaginative characterization. My favorite was the re-envisioning of Alice's return to Wonderland in Tough Alice. I think Yolen does a great job in it of maintaining the feel of Carrol's well-known classic and yet giving it enough new life to make it a great story on its own.

Reviews:

From Booklist

"Gr. 6-9. Although 9 of the 12 fantasy stories in this collection have been published before, it is truly nice, as Yolen herself says, to have them together "under one roof." Yolen consistently writes fresh, off-the-wall stories that even children who don't normally read fantasy will enjoy. Some of the tales have elements of horror "Mama Gone" concerns a boy whose deceased mother is a vampire; "The Baby-Sitter" is about a girl who must follow a ritualistic pattern of movements to placate the mysterious "them" who lurk behind closed doors. Some are sweetly tragic, such as "Bolundeers," in which a father saves his son from monsters. Others are twists on old stories: in "Lost Girls," a Peter Pan takeoff, a new Wendy raises the consciousness of other lost girls and foments rebellion in Neverland. Yolen's introduction and her final comments on the origins of each story add to the fun and provide wonderful insights into the writing process."

Chris, S. (1997). Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Stories by Jane Yolen. Booklist, 94(5), 463.

From School Library Journal

"Gr 5-7--This solid collection of short stories is a good introduction to various types of fantasy. Three of the 12 pieces are new and the rest have been published in other compilations. There is something here for everyone tales that are scary, gross, or fanciful. Some of the selections are reworkings of parts of children's classics, such as Alice in Wonderland (Alice learns how to be tough with the Jabberwock) and Peter Pan (Captain Hook is singing a new tune now that he is married to a modern-day feminist). "The Bridge's Complaint" puts a different spin on "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by relating events from the bridge's point of view. The tales are set in different times--some in the past, some in the present, and some in the near or distant future. "Wilding" is a chilling futuristic look at New York City's Central Park, based on the gang violence that occurred there in the late 1980s. There's a story of a frightening sea monster, one about a fairy, and another about aliens; all will chill and delight the imagination."

Golodetz, V. (1997). Grades 5 & up: Fiction. School Library Journal, 43(12), 132. 

Library Suggestions:

I think this story would make a great display item for story a collection of short story books. As each story is linked by an imaginative thread and yet vastly different from the last, these stories are sure to be a hit with young adult readers. This is especially true for those more reluctant readers who struggle to make it through full novels.