Bibliographic Information:
Title: Life is Short and then You Die: Mystery Writers of America presents first encounters with murder
Author / Editor: Various Authors / Kelley Armstrong
ISBN: 978-1250196392
Publisher: Imprint
Copyright Date: 2019
Reading Level / Interest Level: Min/Max grade levels 9-12 (Novelist).
Genre / Format: Horror, Short Stories, Anthology / Book
Themes: Death
Awards or Honors: YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers: 2020
Plot Summary: Adolescence is a transformative period in one's life, a time where young people are going through many firsts. First crush, first kiss, first heartbreak. Oh yeah, and first flirt with death. This collection of short stories focuses on young people’s first experience with death.
-A girl is found floating in a lake (“Floater” by Kelly Armstrong).
-Your friend asks for your help in murdering his football coach (“The Day I Killed Coach Duffy” by
R.L. Stine).
-A teen tracks down a murderer through his social media, fantasy baseball league ("Murder IRL" by
Jeff Soloway).
-And 14 more short stories!
Some stories are funny (in a dark, cathartic sort of way) while others are a lot more depressing, but they all remind the reader that life can end suddenly and should be appreciated.
Author Background: Kelley Armstrong is a New York Times Best-selling author of children, young adult, and adult fiction. Much of her work is in the contemporary fantasy subgenre, utilizing various supernatural creatures/monsters (vampires werewolves, witches). One of her book series has been turned into a TV series, Bitten, which aired in 2014 (IMDB, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items: The title of the anthology should give you a hint that there are going to be a lot of situations involving death. Most situations involving death aren't particularly light and heartwarming so readers should be prepared for some bloody, gory, heart-pounding scenarios. Some stories are really strong and others, well, not so much. But that's the great thing about the anthology format: the not so great stories are over before you know it and you're back on another journey. The anthology opens with the editor herself, Kelley Armstrong, and is followed by one of the titans in the horror writing industry, RL Stine, ensuring a strong opening to the book. The anthology wraps up nicely with one of the best stories, "Six Ways To Kill Your Grandmother" by Barry Lyga (trust me, don't judge it by its title). Overall, this anthology is a great mixture of different writing styles, from serious to witty and darkly humorous. This serves as a great example for young readers/writers of how you can take the same premise, first encounter with death, and come up with many different perspectives on how to tell that experience.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Teen Death Anthology In time for Halloween and all things spooky, our teen writers will create short stories, creepypastas, involving death. Stories and art will be uploaded to a Library Teen Wiki for future storage and reference. An anthology will be made and held at the library for our local artist, special collection.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: No one forgets their first time. It leaves a lasting impression on you. While it may play out differently for everyone, one thing's for sure: you aren't the same person after your first experience with death. This collection of short stories explores a variety of first time encounters with death. Some stories are super serious, some are gruesome, still others are a bit humorous. Whichever style you prefer, you are sure to find a story about death that speaks to you.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: Death can be a sensitive subject that parents may not want their children reading about. I would argue that the book does a good job of handling the subject with respect and that anthologies like these are a good way of gauging how comfortable a reader will be with this kind of subject. Regardless of personality or upbringing, death comes for all and is the one experience we can all relate to, making these kinds of stories important to include in our collection.
Reason for Inclusion: This anthology, short story format is great for reluctant readers. Because the stories are short, a reader can either skip a story altogether or at least get the experience over with quickly and move on to the next story. Because the stories are so diverse, there is a level of suspense in the reading experience itself. This anthology format is a great way to quickly expose young readers to many writers and allow them to sample a variety of writing style. This experience will help them better understand their own tastes as readers and hopefully inspire them to read more.
Enhancements
If you enjoyed these short stories, you may enioy the following horror movies: