What do you think?
Rate this book
Such a Pretty Face: Short Stories About Beauty
With stories by acclaimed and exciting new YA writers:
Louise Hawes
J. James Keels
Ron Koertge
Chris Lynch
Norma Fox Mazer
Lauren Myracle
Jamie Pittel
Anita Riggio
Mary Ann Rodman
Ellen Wittlinger
Jacqueline Woodson
Tim Wynne-Jones
"A stellar line-up of young adult writers examines our relationship with beauty in stories that haunt, amuse, stir, and fascinate."
A beauty queen with a chin-hair problem, an aspiring model who would rather take pictures than be in them, a boy in love with the gorgeous nurse he's never seen, a girl named Beauty who feels like anything but...the teenagers in these dozen stories feel the power of beauty, whether its to trap, save, torment, or comfort. In an era when image seems to have triumphed over virtue and reason, this timely, discussion-provoking collection asks young readers to think about what is truly beautiful.
Louise Hawes
J. James Keels
Ron Koertge
Chris Lynch
Norma Fox Mazer
Lauren Myracle
Jamie Pittel
Anita Riggio
Mary Ann Rodman
Ellen Wittlinger
Jacqueline Woodson
Tim Wynne-Jones
"A stellar line-up of young adult writers examines our relationship with beauty in stories that haunt, amuse, stir, and fascinate."
A beauty queen with a chin-hair problem, an aspiring model who would rather take pictures than be in them, a boy in love with the gorgeous nurse he's never seen, a girl named Beauty who feels like anything but...the teenagers in these dozen stories feel the power of beauty, whether its to trap, save, torment, or comfort. In an era when image seems to have triumphed over virtue and reason, this timely, discussion-provoking collection asks young readers to think about what is truly beautiful.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Ann Angel
16 books10 followersWhen I'm not writing or teaching at a women's college in Milwaukee, I hang with my family which includes my four grown kids, my husband Jeff and a cat named Sparkie. Jeff, who was an only child, loved to be around my siblings when we were dating. Ann Angel was one of nine kids — he once said, "This isn't a family; it's an experience."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 11, 2013
I decided to read this book as we had to read 3 short stories from one anthology. The three stories I read from this book was 'Farang', 'How To Survive A Name' and 'My Crazy beautiful World'
The box on the bingo board which fills this is 'Three Poems Or Short Stories From One Anthology' This is interesting as you get to read a variety of stories and get to know the different characters with different stories from each anthology.
My favourite quote from 'Farang' is "...And a good heart too." I liked this quote as it showed that Kuhn Noi, the servant only looked for the goodness in a person than the skin colour like how others did.My favourite quote from 'How To Survive A Name' is "If you still cant help brooding over your name say it twenty five times quickly. Now laugh because it's no longer a name, just a sound."I liked this quote as it showed that the character did not mind their name anymore instead she thought about all the positives to keep her going. My favourite quote from 'My Crazy beautiful World' is "... scripted like a promise of something, i do not understand."I liked this quote as it showed that she knew that there was something special about her but she does not know what.
Something new that I learnt from 'Farang' was that you should grateful for what you look like than to spend money on surgeries to perfect yourself. Something new that I learnt from 'How To Survive A Name' was you should not be worried about your name as it does not say anything about you instead a name is just a name.Something new that I learnt from 'My Crazy beautiful World' was that you should not be worried about how you look and you should never compare yourself to others because you are unique.
The character from 'Farang' that I found interesting was Lauren. She did not try to perfect herself and in the end she didn't really care about what people thought of her instead she was thankful for who she was.The character from 'How To Survive A Name' that I found interesting was Beauty. She figured out how to survive with her name and gained courage to keep on going and she got over her name by finding solutions to solve her problem. The character from 'My Crazy beautiful World' that i found interesting was Angela. she gets over how she looks but sometimes she struggles with how she looks.
The box on the bingo board which fills this is 'Three Poems Or Short Stories From One Anthology' This is interesting as you get to read a variety of stories and get to know the different characters with different stories from each anthology.
My favourite quote from 'Farang' is "...And a good heart too." I liked this quote as it showed that Kuhn Noi, the servant only looked for the goodness in a person than the skin colour like how others did.My favourite quote from 'How To Survive A Name' is "If you still cant help brooding over your name say it twenty five times quickly. Now laugh because it's no longer a name, just a sound."I liked this quote as it showed that the character did not mind their name anymore instead she thought about all the positives to keep her going. My favourite quote from 'My Crazy beautiful World' is "... scripted like a promise of something, i do not understand."I liked this quote as it showed that she knew that there was something special about her but she does not know what.
Something new that I learnt from 'Farang' was that you should grateful for what you look like than to spend money on surgeries to perfect yourself. Something new that I learnt from 'How To Survive A Name' was you should not be worried about your name as it does not say anything about you instead a name is just a name.Something new that I learnt from 'My Crazy beautiful World' was that you should not be worried about how you look and you should never compare yourself to others because you are unique.
The character from 'Farang' that I found interesting was Lauren. She did not try to perfect herself and in the end she didn't really care about what people thought of her instead she was thankful for who she was.The character from 'How To Survive A Name' that I found interesting was Beauty. She figured out how to survive with her name and gained courage to keep on going and she got over her name by finding solutions to solve her problem. The character from 'My Crazy beautiful World' that i found interesting was Angela. she gets over how she looks but sometimes she struggles with how she looks.
Read
September 10, 2012Such a Pretty Face, a book edited by Ann Angel includes authors Lauren Myracle, Mary Ann Rodman, Chris Lynch, Louise Hawes, Jacqueline Woodson, Norma Fox Mazer, Tim Wynne-Jones, Jamie Pittel, J. James Keels, Ron Koertge, Ellen Wittlinger, and last but not least Anita Riggio. But out of all these authors who wrote wonderful stories, my favorite story was by Lauren Myracle. It's name is "Bad Hair Day".
The story began in a girls bathroom with a girl, Zelly, screaming at her friend Kristen, about her chin hair. Kristen didn't see the problem, but she tried pulling it out with tweezers. In the three tries, Kristen yelled that it grew! Zelly walked to the nurse as her chin hair continued to grow. The nurse wrote Zelly a pass to go home. As she walked in the back door of her home it was the length and width of a rattail. Her step-mom tried everything, even cutting it, but by cutting the hair it grew back twice the size. Did I mention that night was home-coming and she's crowned queen? As her boyfriend Blake heard about Zelly being "sick", he rushed over to her house. Zelly peaked her head out of her window to listen to what her step-mom was saying. As she was listening, her chin hair fell out of the window, it was as thick as a rope. Blake used the chin hair to climb um the side of Zelly's house. Blake wasn't grossed out, he told her she's beautiful. The chin hair wrapped around them pulling them closer together.
I loved this story, so original, and something NO ONE would ever think of. When I thought about the title of the story, I thought she meant the hair on top of your head. Boy was I wrong! I would recommend this to any girl!
The story began in a girls bathroom with a girl, Zelly, screaming at her friend Kristen, about her chin hair. Kristen didn't see the problem, but she tried pulling it out with tweezers. In the three tries, Kristen yelled that it grew! Zelly walked to the nurse as her chin hair continued to grow. The nurse wrote Zelly a pass to go home. As she walked in the back door of her home it was the length and width of a rattail. Her step-mom tried everything, even cutting it, but by cutting the hair it grew back twice the size. Did I mention that night was home-coming and she's crowned queen? As her boyfriend Blake heard about Zelly being "sick", he rushed over to her house. Zelly peaked her head out of her window to listen to what her step-mom was saying. As she was listening, her chin hair fell out of the window, it was as thick as a rope. Blake used the chin hair to climb um the side of Zelly's house. Blake wasn't grossed out, he told her she's beautiful. The chin hair wrapped around them pulling them closer together.
I loved this story, so original, and something NO ONE would ever think of. When I thought about the title of the story, I thought she meant the hair on top of your head. Boy was I wrong! I would recommend this to any girl!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2017
Such a Pretty Face is a collection of short stories edited by Ann Angel. This realistic fiction collection makes for a good, short read for older teens. Some of the stories may be confusing for younger kids and contain mature topics. Although you may not find the beauty at first glance, you will eventually realize the morals and lessons that each story teaches. Read through as different authors teach you the meaning of beauty and how to find it, even in the most unexpected places. Each story has a different plot and is seen through the eyes of a regular teenager. It is interesting to see the different writing styles, word choices, and plot structures in each story. When you’re feeling down, this book will definitely make you feel better and brighten your day.
September 21, 2018
This book is so far so good. It describes a teenagers life and what happens during her high school life.
March 8, 2023
"I don't want somebody to notice me for the way I look. I want them to notice me. The deep-down me! I don't want a boy who's going to leave me as soon as somebody prettier comes along."
October 9, 2025
easy reads before bed!
August 10, 2016
I had read this book a few years ago because I was familiar with a few of the authors (as well as the editor) and was looking for some short stories that I could use both to engage my 10th grade students, particularly the girls, and provide some models for my creative writing students. I recently reread it as I am again working younger high school students. I'd recommend it.
The introduction immediately sets a tone that permeates the rest of the book with an anecdote by the editor that feels achingly familiar and sets the tone for the rest of the book: bittersweet.
The first story, “Such a Pretty Face” by Ron Koertge, does a good job justifying the title of the collection, the main character, Melissa’s nickname “Beauty” even heading the mini-chapters that divide the story. This particular story is my favorite because it takes what could have been a cloying idea (Pretty people have it hard too!) and makes it human through a series of relatable vignettes about seemingly mundane events in Melissa’s life. Its complexity prevents the subtle satirical elements from descending into parody, instead focusing on providing a well-rounded glimpse into the character’s life.
“Cheekbones” by Ellen Wittlinger from later in the collection utilizes a similar protagonist, a girl who is misjudged because of her physical appeal, but takes it in a different direction. It didn’t quite grab me as much as the first story, but I could see its more personal perspective and family relationships, particularly between the mother and daughter, resonating well with teen audiences. “What I Look Like” by Jamie Pittel presents a similarly complex mother-daughter relationship but goes in a different, but equally successful direction. This was a favorite of a couple of my students.
The best stories in this collection focus on character and small moments. While the first story is written in third person, the bulk are written from a more immediate first person perspective, which is likely to appeal more to teen audiences. “Farang" by Mary Ann Rodman is told from the perspective of a girl trying to cope with being a foreigner in Thai society, ultimately highlighting the more universal theme of what it means to feel different. The closing story, "My Crazy, Beautiful World” by Jacqueline Woodson is similarly successful in examining cultural differences by focusing closely on the narrators relationships within her community and family and doing a wonderful job highlighting her feelings of alienation, inadequacy and acceptance.
The collection also deals well with male protagonists. "Side-Show” by Louise Hawes takes what might seem like easy fodder for beauty symbolism— a circus side-show— and turns it into beautiful story about the relationship between two brothers who share a seemingly small, but critical experience. I don’t want to spoil “Bella in Five Acts” by Tim Wynne-Jones but it ultimately looks at the topic of depression in a way that really engage high school readers. The high school teacher in me is coming out here, but that story left me with several topics of conversation for teens.
There were a couple of stories that didn’t quite “take off” for me despite interesting premises. “Red Rover, Red Rover” by Chris Lynch takes on physical impairment, young lust, and consequences of decision making but it feels like it needs a wider runway to fully come to soar. Similar to that is “Bingo” by Anita Riggio that takes on big, heavy issues but feels like it would work better as a novel. That said, they are enjoyable reads, just not as fulfilling as I’d hope they would be.
All in all, the collection is well worth your time, whether you read it linearly as a collection or pick out individual stories for discussion. There’s a wide range of issues discussed and a good breadth of characters to bring those issues to life.
The introduction immediately sets a tone that permeates the rest of the book with an anecdote by the editor that feels achingly familiar and sets the tone for the rest of the book: bittersweet.
The first story, “Such a Pretty Face” by Ron Koertge, does a good job justifying the title of the collection, the main character, Melissa’s nickname “Beauty” even heading the mini-chapters that divide the story. This particular story is my favorite because it takes what could have been a cloying idea (Pretty people have it hard too!) and makes it human through a series of relatable vignettes about seemingly mundane events in Melissa’s life. Its complexity prevents the subtle satirical elements from descending into parody, instead focusing on providing a well-rounded glimpse into the character’s life.
“Cheekbones” by Ellen Wittlinger from later in the collection utilizes a similar protagonist, a girl who is misjudged because of her physical appeal, but takes it in a different direction. It didn’t quite grab me as much as the first story, but I could see its more personal perspective and family relationships, particularly between the mother and daughter, resonating well with teen audiences. “What I Look Like” by Jamie Pittel presents a similarly complex mother-daughter relationship but goes in a different, but equally successful direction. This was a favorite of a couple of my students.
The best stories in this collection focus on character and small moments. While the first story is written in third person, the bulk are written from a more immediate first person perspective, which is likely to appeal more to teen audiences. “Farang" by Mary Ann Rodman is told from the perspective of a girl trying to cope with being a foreigner in Thai society, ultimately highlighting the more universal theme of what it means to feel different. The closing story, "My Crazy, Beautiful World” by Jacqueline Woodson is similarly successful in examining cultural differences by focusing closely on the narrators relationships within her community and family and doing a wonderful job highlighting her feelings of alienation, inadequacy and acceptance.
The collection also deals well with male protagonists. "Side-Show” by Louise Hawes takes what might seem like easy fodder for beauty symbolism— a circus side-show— and turns it into beautiful story about the relationship between two brothers who share a seemingly small, but critical experience. I don’t want to spoil “Bella in Five Acts” by Tim Wynne-Jones but it ultimately looks at the topic of depression in a way that really engage high school readers. The high school teacher in me is coming out here, but that story left me with several topics of conversation for teens.
There were a couple of stories that didn’t quite “take off” for me despite interesting premises. “Red Rover, Red Rover” by Chris Lynch takes on physical impairment, young lust, and consequences of decision making but it feels like it needs a wider runway to fully come to soar. Similar to that is “Bingo” by Anita Riggio that takes on big, heavy issues but feels like it would work better as a novel. That said, they are enjoyable reads, just not as fulfilling as I’d hope they would be.
All in all, the collection is well worth your time, whether you read it linearly as a collection or pick out individual stories for discussion. There’s a wide range of issues discussed and a good breadth of characters to bring those issues to life.
August 7, 2019
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Full review/potential spoilers alert: http://bookgirl.co.vu/post/7318440456...
When I was in my early teens, I needed a book like this.
By the time I purchased it, however, I was nearing the end of my high school career. But even so… there’s something about (almost) each short story featured in Such a Pretty Face that touches my heart and makes me smile. It certainly made me feel like less of an idiot, and it made the memories of my early teenage days bug me less and less.
(Even the introduction lends a hand at creating a sweet atmosphere for the stories that follow.)
Inside this novel, is a collection of short stories meant to inspire you to embrace all forms of beauty, by varied authors you may already know: Lauren Myracle, Mary Ann Rodman, Chris Lynch, Louise Hawes, Jacqueline Woodson, Norma Fox Mazer, Tim Wynne-Jones, Jamie Pittel, J. James Keels, Ron Koertge, Ellen Wittlinger and Anita Riggio. If you don’t know some of them at the start, you will remember them by the tales they tell within.
This may not be your cup of tea if you're above its targeted age range. But I do recommend giving it a shot.
When I was in my early teens, I needed a book like this.
By the time I purchased it, however, I was nearing the end of my high school career. But even so… there’s something about (almost) each short story featured in Such a Pretty Face that touches my heart and makes me smile. It certainly made me feel like less of an idiot, and it made the memories of my early teenage days bug me less and less.
(Even the introduction lends a hand at creating a sweet atmosphere for the stories that follow.)
Inside this novel, is a collection of short stories meant to inspire you to embrace all forms of beauty, by varied authors you may already know: Lauren Myracle, Mary Ann Rodman, Chris Lynch, Louise Hawes, Jacqueline Woodson, Norma Fox Mazer, Tim Wynne-Jones, Jamie Pittel, J. James Keels, Ron Koertge, Ellen Wittlinger and Anita Riggio. If you don’t know some of them at the start, you will remember them by the tales they tell within.
This may not be your cup of tea if you're above its targeted age range. But I do recommend giving it a shot.
May 4, 2013
I finished reading "Such a Pretty Face" short stories that was edited by Ann Angel. The genere is non fiction. This book is a bunch of short stories about beauty one of the stories is about a young girl that has just moved to Thailand and has no idea what to whare to school or how to act. Another one of the stories is about a young girl that has never wanted to be a model but her mom was and she thinks I would be a good idea and would make her extra money for school.
I liked this book because it was good but there were some grammar errors. This book also had a lot of slow boring stories. I did like this book because it had a lot of exiting stories that were really funny.
I liked this book because it was good but there were some grammar errors. This book also had a lot of slow boring stories. I did like this book because it had a lot of exiting stories that were really funny.
June 14, 2008
i'm probably the wrong age range for this, as the parenthesis after the title informs me. i was hoping for a bit more grit, a bit more truth. it's rather watered-down. maybe i've read too much on beauty already--in the style of women's studies.
taking that into account, if you have five minutes and find this in a bookstore, read "Cheekbones" and "Bella in Five Acts". moreso the first than the second. why? because i loves me some honesty. "Cheekbones" has a better voice, "Bella" is better writing.
taking that into account, if you have five minutes and find this in a bookstore, read "Cheekbones" and "Bella in Five Acts". moreso the first than the second. why? because i loves me some honesty. "Cheekbones" has a better voice, "Bella" is better writing.
Read
January 24, 2011Read:
Bad Hair Day by Lauren Myracle - This story was very, very weird. I think she tried to use extreme weirdness for impact, but it didn't make the story good, just strange. I like strange things, but this seemed like a cop-out for thinking of a really interesting story.
Cheekbones by Ellen Wittlinger - I liked this one much more than the first story. The ending of this one was a little too cliche, but the rest of the story was really interesting - it offers a peek at the world of modeling, as well as the whole mother/daughter drama and search for identity.
Bad Hair Day by Lauren Myracle - This story was very, very weird. I think she tried to use extreme weirdness for impact, but it didn't make the story good, just strange. I like strange things, but this seemed like a cop-out for thinking of a really interesting story.
Cheekbones by Ellen Wittlinger - I liked this one much more than the first story. The ending of this one was a little too cliche, but the rest of the story was really interesting - it offers a peek at the world of modeling, as well as the whole mother/daughter drama and search for identity.
September 7, 2008
Sometimes it's nice to just read little pieces...especially when I'm feeling totally ADD after teaching. I liked how the stories took another look at beauty and what it means. Each piece is distinctly different.
The book's age recommendation is right on. I didn't feel uncomfortable about the stories' content, and that's not easy anymore to find.
Good reading. I didn't give this a five because a couple of the stories just felt unfinished and I was dissatisfied.
The book's age recommendation is right on. I didn't feel uncomfortable about the stories' content, and that's not easy anymore to find.
Good reading. I didn't give this a five because a couple of the stories just felt unfinished and I was dissatisfied.
October 14, 2008
Great stories about what it means to be beautiful and not so beautiful. Sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet and sometimes fanciful, all of these stories will make you question what beauty is.
Highly Recommended
Highly Recommended
August 9, 2007
unfortch, this is a meh for me. some short story collections are amazing because every story is good - this one not so much. uneven at best.
September 3, 2007
funny stories, sad stories, poignant stories. loved it.
October 16, 2007
The editor of this book is a fantastic woman, and I met her when she had just started work on the anthology. Obviously I now have to read it.
April 16, 2008
Like other reviewers, this collection was very meh to me. Nothing really charmed me, none of the stories jumped out.
August 1, 2009
not so good. got bored really soon.
November 23, 2009
It would be crazy to say anything less than these writers are stellar!
December 18, 2013
Not what I was looking for at this time.
January 4, 2016
Another prime example of why I don't like short stories. I didn't ever get interested in any of the stories in this book. Even for a short-story collection, this one wasn't very good.
January 25, 2010
this book is ok but i wouldnt say it is the best book ive ever read
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews