Publishers Weekly
★ 10/17/2022
This expansive fairy tale anthology edited by contributor Adler (Home Field Advantage) comprises 14 reimagined fairy tales by Tracy Deonn, Malinda Lo, and Anna-Marie McLemore, among others, plus one “new fairy tale” by Melissa Albert. “Say My Name,” Adler’s “Rumpelstiltskin” retelling, features a genius teenage hacker who uses her skills to secure her best friend a spot in a coding competition. H.E. Edgmon’s rendition of “Little Snow White,” “Mother’s Mirror,” follows a transgender high schooler seeking freedom from their mother’s oppressive ideals. After learning his parents can’t afford their mortgage, an Apache teen teams up with a talking coyote to save his house in Darcie Little Badger’s “Coyote in High-Top Sneakers,” inspired by “Puss in Boots.” In Albert’s original fairy tale, “The Sister Switch,” a college student’s plans to break up with his girlfriend and date her best friend are foiled by the sudden appearance of a mysterious immersive theatrical experience. Intersectionally diverse and globally inclusive—stories take place across time in locales such as British-occupied India, Russia, New York City’s Chinatown, and suburban U.S. neighborhoods—this simultaneously whimsical, adventurous, and bone-chilling genre-spanning collection smartly riffs on the referenced source material to explore contemporary values. The original fairy tales conclude. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
Goodreads, "The Best New Young Adult Short Story Anthologies"
"This simultaneously whimsical, adventurous, and bone-chilling genre-spanning collection smartly riffs on the referenced source material to explore contemporary values." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Each story has a unique twist and writing style that makes it hard for readers to put down this compilation. . . . Adler’s compilation of short stories is extremely refreshing and inclusive with wonderful writing. The included 15 tales will delight and surprise readers with their fresh takes on classics." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"In this diverse collection of reimagined fairy tales, readers can find stories as satisfyingly sharp as the first bite of a poisoned apple, while others offer softness and hard-won optimism." —The Bulletin (Blue Ribbon title)
"A dazzling collection of reimagined fairy tales . . . brilliantly diverse, often bloody." —The Buffalo News
"This young adult anthology brings on acclaimed authors to retell fairy tales in clever new fashions that tap into that familiar magic." —Lit Hub
"This super entertaining collection of 15 reimagined fairytales . . . is inclusive, diverse, and so much fun. An excellent gift for any fairytale-lovers." —BuzzFeed
“This anthology does not shy away from uniqueness, boldness, or diversity—elements embraced by each of these stellar writers in their own beautiful way.” —Booklist
"Look, all you really need to know is that this is an anthology put together by Dahlia Adler. Her YA short story collections are always incredible. This time she takes on fairy tales, not just retelling them with updated characters but completely reimagining them with diverse settings, characters, and identities." —Tor.com (Best Book of the Month)
"At Midnight, edited by Dahlia Adler, is a creative, inclusive mix of fairy tale reimaginings from a diverse YA perspective. Some of the stories are funny, some horrifying, but all are inventive and subversive." —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Praise for HIS HIDEOUS HEART
IndieBound bestseller
Junior Library Guild selection
“A superb collection [that] brims over with fierce delight and uncanny invention; the stories here vary in their effect nearly as much as Poe’s do. And if you haven’t read Poe before, His Hideous Heart works equally well as an introduction, a tribute and a loving critique.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Presenting 13 reinterpretations of Poe’s works alongside the originals, this enticing anthology offers an accessible, multifaceted reading experience for fans old and new...A refreshing assortment of diverse voices and contemporary themes ensures there’s something for everyone.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A genre-bending collection of 13 twists on Edgar Allan Poe’s works does Poe proud with this creepy and atmospheric set of stories. Diversity in race, gender identity, and sexuality is well-represented. Poe’s ghost happily haunts this fresh, delightfully dark collection.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review (Best Book of the Year)
“While we love Edgar Allan Poe—the original sadboi and Halloween’s unofficial literary mascot—we have to admit that his 150-year-old stories could use a 2019-worthy glow-up. The YA story collection His Hideous Heart takes that challenge and runs with it. Each of the anthology’s contributors revamp or totally reinvent 13 of Poe’s best-known stories and poems, imbuing most of them with a much-needed dose of feminism, LGBTQ representation, and racial diversity.” —HelloGiggles.com
Praise for THAT WAY MADNESS LIES
“From comedy to tragedy to sonnet, from texts to storms to prom, this collection is a knockout.” —BuzzFeed
“The stories stand capably on their own merits, but will be enriched by familiarity with—or better yet, reading alongside—Shakespeare’s original plays and sonnets. Budding writers may even be inspired to put their own spins on the Bard of Avon’s timeless tales.” —BookPage
“Thoughtfully curated by Adler, this sumptuous anthology reframes Shakespeare’s work, linking themes to contemporary concerns while bringing a critical eye to the originals’ cultural assumptions. With its range of narrative styles and diverse protagonists, this collection offers much to savor.” —Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
★ 12/01/2022
Gr 9 Up—Adler brings together numerous YA authors to spin inclusive updates on some classic fairy tales. From "The Little Mermaid," to "Rumplestiltskin" and "The Little Match Girl," each tale is envisioned in new ways to include diverse and LGBTQIA+ characters. Each story has a unique twist and writing style that makes it hard for readers to put down this compilation. Classic fairy tales are often reused for retellings, but Adler's compilation of short stories is extremely refreshing and inclusive with wonderful writing. The included 15 tales will delight and surprise readers with their fresh takes on classics. The inclusion of the original tales is also helpful for those who want to compare, or are unfamiliar with the originals. Contributing authors include Malinda Lo, Darcie Little Badger, Anna-Marie McLemore, Rebecca Podos, Alex London, Melissa Albert, and more. VERDICT Highly recommended for YA collections. For teachers, there are various possibilities for great lesson plans and open discussions.—Maeve Dodds
Kirkus Reviews
2022-08-31
Fifteen short stories refashion tales both familiar and obscure.
In this multigenre anthology, which opens with a nod to the mutability of fairy-tale narratives, the act of transformation is as central to how each story is constructed as what is being told. Whether by magical means, through physical appearance, or otherwise, the contributors—well-known YA authors including Anna-Marie McLemore, Stacey Lee, Alex London, Malinda Lo, and more—depict the arrival of change and how it is received. In Gita Trelease’s “In the Forests of the Night,” set in colonial India, the Indian and White narrator discovers a chilling secret about a tiger hunter’s trophies. The trans protagonist of H.E. Edgmon’s “Mother’s Mirror” finds self-affirmation and love despite parental rejection. A planet’s vainglorious ruler tries to escape Death in “The Emperor and the Eversong” by Tracy Deonn. Other themes include deception, desire, and vengeance, explored in stories that range in tone from the sinister undercurrent of Melissa Albert’s original fairy tale, “The Sister Switch,” to the cheerful recounting of clever trickery in Darcie Little Badger’s “Coyote in High-Top Sneakers.” Diversity in ethnicity, gender, and sexuality is represented in the cast, which includes a teen hacker with a carefully guarded name, a hijabi known only as Red, and genderfluid merfolk. The stories draw upon perennially intriguing themes, presenting tales in genres from fantasy and historical fiction to horror in a collection sure to please a broad range of readers.
Timely and timeless. (about the original authors) (Anthology. 13-18)
