The Anatomy of Curiosity

by Tessa Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff

Overview

The follow-up to the acclaimed title The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff.

In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor.

In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert's curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn't know how to love.

In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea.

Three new stories—complete with commentary on the creative process—from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers.

Curious?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541514805
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	1,064,992
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	890L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 13 Years

About the Author

Tessa Gratton is the acclaimed author of six young adult novels. She currently lives in Kansas with her partner, two cats, and her mutant mutt named Grendel.

Maggie Stiefvater is the New York Times bestselling author of more than ten books for young readers. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children.

Brenna Yovanoff is the New York Times bestselling author of five young adult novels. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Colorado State University. She currently lives in Denver with her husband.

Editorial Reviews

"[A] prime example of good storytelling for aspiring writers . . . a kind of introductory writing workshop. . . . This may have the strongest audience with those looking to learn the craft of fantastic fiction."—starred, VOYA

From the Publisher

10/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—The three authors behind the dazzling collection The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories (Carolrhoda Lab, 2012) have assembled a new trio of vignettes; each author has penned one tale, including comments for future writers located in the margins, but with mixed results. Each short work sheds light on one aspect of writing: characterization, world-building, and the development of an idea. "Ladylike," Stiefvater's contribution and the weakest of the three, opens the volume. Aspiring writers will likely enjoy the literary advice more than the story. Stiefvater's quest is to thoroughly define protagonist Petra by one main trait. Unfortunately, this makes her one-dimensional and lowers readers' ability to empathize with her or to imagine adding their own little flourishes to the character. Gratton's "Desert Canticle," the instructive entry on world-building, presents a timely tale of the mage Aniv, a magically gifted transgender woman who is romantically paired with her male assistant, Rafel, in a bomb-defusing mission. The achingly desolate story examines identity, secrets, transformations, and hypocrisy in a postwar setting. Both the novella and the advice are equally memorable. Yovanoff's haunting tale, "Drowning Variations," thoroughly chronicles the growth of an idea. It is fascinating to see one drowning become the basis for many different stories and how the author refines and edits until completion. Yovanoff provides the largest amount of literary advice, placing it mostly within the chapter proper. VERDICT Purchase for aspiring authors seeking advice; otherwise, pass.—Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

School Library Journal

2015-07-15
In this second collaboration inspired by their writing blog (The Curiosities, 2012), three fantasy novelists aim to illuminate their craft through stories created for that purpose. Stiefvater's Petra is a bright, klutzy teen with a gift for oratory, hired to read to an elderly shut-in who affirms Petra's undervalued gifts while modeling the gracious poise Petra longs for. Though grateful, Petra senses a sinister, hidden agenda at work. In Gratton's novella, set in a world recovering from war, a young, disillusioned soldier returns to the site of his deployment, this time to deactivate deadly bombs, and there finds love that draws him out of his comfort zone. Yovanoff's tale, in several iterations, portrays a girl haunted by a boy recently drowned in a shallow creek. Through short essays and annotations, the authors share the challenges and dilemmas they faced writing these stories. Stiefvater and Gratton, especially, offer advice and encouragement to aspiring writers: tips on characterization, worldbuilding, theme, revision, and more; they point out where and why they changed, condensed, or deleted scenes. Yovanoff's tale is weakest, the dead teen serving mainly to showcase the protagonist's sensitivity and alienation, and it conveys a chilly narcissism that distances readers. That is echoed in vague, abstract annotations too inward-looking to empower novice writers. At its best, this is an accessible guidebook for creating fiction that illustrates the complexity of the process while offering practical tips for managing it. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews