Cover of Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Jane Yolen

Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast

TWELVE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST

Harcourt Brace 1997

ISBN# 0-15-201524-8 Harcourt hardcover

ISBN# 0-15-216444-8 Harcourt Magic Carpet paperback

Twelve of my stories, several of them brand new, all with a fantasy or science fictional basis. “Lost Girls,” the story that closes the volume, won the 1998 Nebula award for best novelette of the year. I believe that was the first time a children’s story won that coveted award. The story is under option for the movies. There are full notes about the stories at the back of the book, good for helping kids understand where stories come from.

What reviewers have said:

  • “Well, I’ve got to say it — this is simply the best collection of short stories for young adults that I have ever read.” SF Site (See full review)
  • “There is something for everyone — tales that are scary, gross, or fanciful … All will chill and delight the imagination”–School Library Journal
  • “The impossible dozen are worthwhile any time of day.”–Mythprint
  • “Yolen consistently writes fresh, off-the-wall stories that even children who don’t normally read fantasy will enjoy. … 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.”–Booklist
  • “Each (story) immersed us so thoroughly in its completeness that we couldn’t go on to read another without letting it sit in our minds and hearts. The class wondered how one writer could create so many diverse characters, settings, and dialects.”–The New Advocate
  • “Yolen’s ‘modern myths and tales for the young and young at heart’ is a darkly fanciful cadre of unconventional stories that will stir imaginations ripe for the rousing…Yolen is in championship form once again here …” — The Boox Review
  • “Things will appeal both to the lover of fantasy, and to the reluctant reader who may feel overwhelmed by a lengthy novel.”—Christian Library Journal
  • “. . .a powerful collection of modern myths and fables.”—Midwest Book Review

Available in hardcover and paperback.