M Is for Magic: Stories
by Neil Gaiman

    M IS FOR MAGIC by Neil Gaiman
    Illustrated by Teddy Kristiansen
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  6/26/07
    Publisher:  HarperCollins
    Reviewed by:  Marta Morrison
    Rating:  5 Stars


    M IS FOR MAGIC is a collection of eleven short stories.  This book was geared for elementary/middle school
    but I thought that I couldn't read many of the stories aloud in my classroom because some of the themes are pretty
    adult.  

    I liked many of the stories, especially THE WITCH'S HEADSTONE.  This was a story about a real boy who
    was living in a graveyard and being raised by ghosts.  He decides to do a very kind thing for a ghost who didn't get
    a gravestone and the story follows the adventure that goes with that decision.  

    I also enjoyed THE CASE OF FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS.  It was a detective story set with
    nursery rhyme characters.  The detective needs to solve the mystery of who killed Humpty Dumpty.  It is told with
    attitude and is very funny.  

    There are also stories that are scary or just plain creepy.  The story about the jack-in-the-box just gave me chills.  
    So if you want to read some good, strange stories that only take about an hour to read, check this book out.