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Up All Night
A brush with the supernatural? A rock concert? A reunion? A poolside revelation? The need to know what's up? The confessions of a friend? The dream of escape? A sick pet? An English assignment? The rear-window view of a murder next door? The search for the mother you never met? What keeps you up all night?
260 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
37 people are currently reading
1628 people want to read
About the author
Laura Geringer Bass
17 books24 followersLaura Geringer Bass is the author of over 20 highly acclaimed books for children, tweens, and teens.
Her new novel for middle graders about friendship, love, and loss -- The Girl With More Than One Heart -- is the lyrical story of a courageous girl who imagines she needs an extra heart to navigate her grief after the death of her dad. It will be published by Abrams this Spring.
Laura serves on the National Advisory Board of First Book, a non-profit organization that has delivered over 170 million books to children in need
and as a mentor for Girls Write Now and Prison Writes, teaching teens at risk.
Her new novel for middle graders about friendship, love, and loss -- The Girl With More Than One Heart -- is the lyrical story of a courageous girl who imagines she needs an extra heart to navigate her grief after the death of her dad. It will be published by Abrams this Spring.
Laura serves on the National Advisory Board of First Book, a non-profit organization that has delivered over 170 million books to children in need
and as a mentor for Girls Write Now and Prison Writes, teaching teens at risk.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
September 26, 2017
I guess I expected more from this book, but I still enjoy the concept. I totally fell in love with The Vulnerable Hours (because David Levithan sz). Orange Alert, by Patricia McCormick, and Superman is Dead, by Sarah Weeks, are also pretty good.
September 22, 2023
Six thought-provoking short stories straight out of the Twilight Zone from bestselling YA authors
My favorites were “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore” and “Superman is Dead” - both of which deal with family separation and a loss of childlike innocence
“The Vunerable Hours” was more difficult to follow, but it does make you think about how we mask our thoughts and emotions when people ask “What’s up?”
My favorites were “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore” and “Superman is Dead” - both of which deal with family separation and a loss of childlike innocence
“The Vunerable Hours” was more difficult to follow, but it does make you think about how we mask our thoughts and emotions when people ask “What’s up?”
August 20, 2011
Heaps upon heaps of schoolwork. Thesis project. A meteor shower as announced in the evening news. A phone call from a friend. Whatever it may be, there must be something that kept you up all night at least once in your life, a night that made you feel as if you’re drifting betwixt wakefulness and sleep, a night that shot a different kind of energy up your veins and made you witness how it melted into sunrise, how the city lifts its eyelids again…
This is the theme of the Lara Geringer anthology Up All Night, featuring six best-selling young adult authors and their bite-sized tales about a single night that mattered in the lives of their characters. Although not everyone may be successful in leaving memorable dents on the hearts of the readers, all of them are able to convey the very feeling—the high spirits—that only defying a human’s diurnal body clock could give.
For me, the story that took the cake is Libba Bray’s “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore,” which is about a group of girls attending a rock concert in Dallas in the 1980’s. Following the group’s attempts to hang out with the Cheap Trick is fun, but what I enjoyed the most is the exploration of Maggie’s—the main character’s—big secret: her father is homosexual, and she is trying to hide it from her friends. Maggie’s parents have divorced after her dad’s revelation. After being too drunk and wasted to drive themselves home, the group doesn’t have any closer place to stay except Maggie’s dad’s apartment (whom her father is now sharing with his lover). This is not an extremely emotional ride, but that’s what’s ironic about it: its subtlety cuts like a knife. In only a few pages I learned to love Maggie. Her constant thoughts about her father and homosexuality are cleverly interspersed with the group’s stereotypical antics.
My second favorite is Sarah Weeks’ "Superman is Dead", which is one tangle of a tale about a death of a pet, divorce of parents, birth of a stepbrother, and an English assignment that becomes the main character’s symbolic pool of kept emotions as he deals with his inner demons. I also loved David Levithan’s “The Vulnerable Hours,” an angsty albeit thought-provoking tale that tackles the usual answers to the question “what’s up?”
Those are my top three. The others are pretty alright: Peter Abrahams’ “Phase Two” reminds me of R.L. Stine’s stories and Patricia McCormick’s “Orange Alert” is a good tale of reversal of powers (though I expected more from the girl protagonist). I didn’t really enjoy Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel-style story though. It seems too short to give off a lasting effect.
Over all this is a good read.
This is the theme of the Lara Geringer anthology Up All Night, featuring six best-selling young adult authors and their bite-sized tales about a single night that mattered in the lives of their characters. Although not everyone may be successful in leaving memorable dents on the hearts of the readers, all of them are able to convey the very feeling—the high spirits—that only defying a human’s diurnal body clock could give.
For me, the story that took the cake is Libba Bray’s “Not Just for Breakfast Anymore,” which is about a group of girls attending a rock concert in Dallas in the 1980’s. Following the group’s attempts to hang out with the Cheap Trick is fun, but what I enjoyed the most is the exploration of Maggie’s—the main character’s—big secret: her father is homosexual, and she is trying to hide it from her friends. Maggie’s parents have divorced after her dad’s revelation. After being too drunk and wasted to drive themselves home, the group doesn’t have any closer place to stay except Maggie’s dad’s apartment (whom her father is now sharing with his lover). This is not an extremely emotional ride, but that’s what’s ironic about it: its subtlety cuts like a knife. In only a few pages I learned to love Maggie. Her constant thoughts about her father and homosexuality are cleverly interspersed with the group’s stereotypical antics.
My second favorite is Sarah Weeks’ "Superman is Dead", which is one tangle of a tale about a death of a pet, divorce of parents, birth of a stepbrother, and an English assignment that becomes the main character’s symbolic pool of kept emotions as he deals with his inner demons. I also loved David Levithan’s “The Vulnerable Hours,” an angsty albeit thought-provoking tale that tackles the usual answers to the question “what’s up?”
Those are my top three. The others are pretty alright: Peter Abrahams’ “Phase Two” reminds me of R.L. Stine’s stories and Patricia McCormick’s “Orange Alert” is a good tale of reversal of powers (though I expected more from the girl protagonist). I didn’t really enjoy Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel-style story though. It seems too short to give off a lasting effect.
Over all this is a good read.
July 5, 2017
*This review was initially published on The Readdicts Book Blog. For more reviews, go
here
.
Up All Night is a collection of six very unique and very interesting short stories, written by six very brilliant authors. In the collection, there are: Phase 2 by Peter Abrahams, Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray, The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan (the reason why I decided to read the book in the first place), Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick, Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks and The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang (which is more of an illustration with dialogues, really). Aside from David Levithan, all the authors were new to me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I relished both their story-telling and writing.
The book begins with a lovely introduction by publisher Laura Geringer, who has, very meticulously and poignantly, summarised every story in barely a line and it manages to both give a slight glimpse into the story and pique the reader's interest. I never really bother writing about introductions and all, but this one really stuck with me because it was done so well that I couldn't not say something about it. Besides, Geringer has published a really, really nice book with stories that are creative, touching and thought-provoking.
Coming to the stories, like I mentioned before they were all very well written and told. Some of my favourites are basically all of them, expect Not Just for Breakfast Anymore and The Motherless One, because while the former was very long as compared to the rest and slightly incomprehensible as well, the latter was fun to read, but a narrative would've been much better. Keeping that aside, however, the collection was varied and covered up a bunch of stuff.
Phase 2, The Vulnerable Hours (no surprise there!), Orange Alert and Superman is Dead were stories that I fell in love with because of how unique and splendid they were. These stories took up very daily and mundane events and turned them into something so extraordinary and special that it was difficult not to admire and appreciate them. I would love to summarise every story, but with short stories, there's always the fear of letting everything out and I'm no Laura Gringer to give perfect and on-point summaries.
Overall, I would highly, highly recommend this collection because it's easy to read and yet managedsto leave a heavy impact on the readers because of the way in which every story is portrayed.
Up All Night is a collection of six very unique and very interesting short stories, written by six very brilliant authors. In the collection, there are: Phase 2 by Peter Abrahams, Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray, The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan (the reason why I decided to read the book in the first place), Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick, Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks and The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang (which is more of an illustration with dialogues, really). Aside from David Levithan, all the authors were new to me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I relished both their story-telling and writing.
The book begins with a lovely introduction by publisher Laura Geringer, who has, very meticulously and poignantly, summarised every story in barely a line and it manages to both give a slight glimpse into the story and pique the reader's interest. I never really bother writing about introductions and all, but this one really stuck with me because it was done so well that I couldn't not say something about it. Besides, Geringer has published a really, really nice book with stories that are creative, touching and thought-provoking.
Coming to the stories, like I mentioned before they were all very well written and told. Some of my favourites are basically all of them, expect Not Just for Breakfast Anymore and The Motherless One, because while the former was very long as compared to the rest and slightly incomprehensible as well, the latter was fun to read, but a narrative would've been much better. Keeping that aside, however, the collection was varied and covered up a bunch of stuff.
Phase 2, The Vulnerable Hours (no surprise there!), Orange Alert and Superman is Dead were stories that I fell in love with because of how unique and splendid they were. These stories took up very daily and mundane events and turned them into something so extraordinary and special that it was difficult not to admire and appreciate them. I would love to summarise every story, but with short stories, there's always the fear of letting everything out and I'm no Laura Gringer to give perfect and on-point summaries.
Overall, I would highly, highly recommend this collection because it's easy to read and yet managedsto leave a heavy impact on the readers because of the way in which every story is portrayed.
December 22, 2018
The first time I was up all night is when I was on my second year of my college years. I was part of an organization who's conducting the election of the School Student Council. We were counting the votes manually that's why we didn't go home until everything was done. It was a fun night. We stayed inside the classroom forcing ourselves to stay awake until the counting of votes were all done. During break times, we were wandering around the school buildings thinking that maybe we can experience some ghosts. We went home 7am the following morning all exhausted and really sleepy but we didn't regret anything.
Up All Night is a compilation of six interesting short stories about staying up all nights. Phase 2 by Peter Abrahams is a bit sad because it is all about coping up in life after someone you love dies, but the ending is a little bit funny. The second one is Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray; it's really long and the story didn't caught my interest. The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan is one of my favorites, the story was told from different views of different teenagers and it is all about knowing what you really wanted in life. Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick is okay but I think it has a lot of potential to tell more about the story. Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks is my other favorite; it is really interesting. I like the story inside the story. The protagonist is smart. But I feel sad about Superman. The last one is The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang. It is a graphical novel but I didn't like it that much.
3.5 STARS for this book! It's a good one but it won't make you up all night.
Up All Night is a compilation of six interesting short stories about staying up all nights. Phase 2 by Peter Abrahams is a bit sad because it is all about coping up in life after someone you love dies, but the ending is a little bit funny. The second one is Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray; it's really long and the story didn't caught my interest. The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan is one of my favorites, the story was told from different views of different teenagers and it is all about knowing what you really wanted in life. Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick is okay but I think it has a lot of potential to tell more about the story. Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks is my other favorite; it is really interesting. I like the story inside the story. The protagonist is smart. But I feel sad about Superman. The last one is The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang. It is a graphical novel but I didn't like it that much.
3.5 STARS for this book! It's a good one but it won't make you up all night.
July 14, 2013
I am usually a sucker for short story comps. But for some reason, this one, not so much.
When I read the theme 'what keeps you up at night' I expected mysteries, shock endings, thought provoking, and original pieces. I liked the short comic (by the author of American-Born Chinese) the most because it captured a specific feeling perfectly that indeed, keeps us up at night.
'Orange Alert' dealt with a girl with a sexually harassing step-father, her nighttime rides, and control in one's life. The ending surprised me, and made me think. Very original and well done.
Then there was 'The Night of Knights,' which told us the story of a somewhat bratty girl getting lost in the woods. Overall it was fairly interesting, but the ending made next to no sense and when you look back on it. Well-written, but it didn't really go anywhere.
Similarly, 'Not Just For Breakfast Anymore' had a couple of teenage girls get drunk, high, flirt with weird old Aisan men, and basically do what sleep-deprived teenage girls do. The ending, again, didn't make sense to me, but at least it understood the theme of 'staying up all night.'
'Phase two' dealt with the death of a loved one, seances, and scams. Predictable, unrealistic, and just mediocre.
And finally, 'The Vulnerable Hours' described a city-wide event that can only be described as 'people being deep and open with each other.' At least, that's the best I could come up with because it's not really clear what happened here. Vague and pretentious.
All in all, I would only give the short comic 5 stars. Everything else was about a 2-3, hence my average rating. Not THAT bad, but I expect better.
When I read the theme 'what keeps you up at night' I expected mysteries, shock endings, thought provoking, and original pieces. I liked the short comic (by the author of American-Born Chinese) the most because it captured a specific feeling perfectly that indeed, keeps us up at night.
'Orange Alert' dealt with a girl with a sexually harassing step-father, her nighttime rides, and control in one's life. The ending surprised me, and made me think. Very original and well done.
Then there was 'The Night of Knights,' which told us the story of a somewhat bratty girl getting lost in the woods. Overall it was fairly interesting, but the ending made next to no sense and when you look back on it. Well-written, but it didn't really go anywhere.
Similarly, 'Not Just For Breakfast Anymore' had a couple of teenage girls get drunk, high, flirt with weird old Aisan men, and basically do what sleep-deprived teenage girls do. The ending, again, didn't make sense to me, but at least it understood the theme of 'staying up all night.'
'Phase two' dealt with the death of a loved one, seances, and scams. Predictable, unrealistic, and just mediocre.
And finally, 'The Vulnerable Hours' described a city-wide event that can only be described as 'people being deep and open with each other.' At least, that's the best I could come up with because it's not really clear what happened here. Vague and pretentious.
All in all, I would only give the short comic 5 stars. Everything else was about a 2-3, hence my average rating. Not THAT bad, but I expect better.
April 21, 2017
I picked up this anthology for the David Levithan entry, "The Vulnerable Hours," and, as always, Mr. Levithan more than delivered, with the story of what happens when one boy decides not to take the polite answer to "what's up?" and one girl makes the amazing discovery that she doesn't have to be where she doesn't want to be. . The other authors were new to me, each with a distinctive voice, each presenting a poignant slice of life, themed around characters who are awake while the rest of the world is not.
Libba Bray takes us to 1980, with four girls determined to meet Cheap Trick, but, underneath the surface, one makes a more substantial connection with her recently divorced father.
"Orange Alert," by Patricia McCormick, brings us into the life of a young girl teaching herself independence, while "Phase 2," by Peter Abraham follows the family of a fallen soldier through their transition into life after loss.
"Superman is Dead," by Sarah Weeks, deals with pet death, a personal trigger for me, so I do not feel qualified to comment on this one, and I am not familiar with the monkey character from Gene Yuen's American Born Chinese, so I may not have been able to fully appreciate "The Motherless One."
Libba Bray takes us to 1980, with four girls determined to meet Cheap Trick, but, underneath the surface, one makes a more substantial connection with her recently divorced father.
"Orange Alert," by Patricia McCormick, brings us into the life of a young girl teaching herself independence, while "Phase 2," by Peter Abraham follows the family of a fallen soldier through their transition into life after loss.
"Superman is Dead," by Sarah Weeks, deals with pet death, a personal trigger for me, so I do not feel qualified to comment on this one, and I am not familiar with the monkey character from Gene Yuen's American Born Chinese, so I may not have been able to fully appreciate "The Motherless One."
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Six stories relate to the darkness and the wonder of staying up all night.
Libba Bray writes about four best friends going to a concert and looking for the band's after party. When they need a place to crash, they spend the night at one girl's father's new apartment, almost exposing a huge family secret.
The family in Peter Abraham's story attempt to move on after the death of a loved one, but can they reach him from beyond the grave before they let go?
David Levithan explores one girl's search to let go of social politeness and to find herself in the darkness of the night.
These six stories (the remaining written by Patricia McCormick, Sarah Weeks, and Gene Luen Yang) will make readers think of the nighttime and all of the secrets and power it possesses.
Read these tales after dark.
Six stories relate to the darkness and the wonder of staying up all night.
Libba Bray writes about four best friends going to a concert and looking for the band's after party. When they need a place to crash, they spend the night at one girl's father's new apartment, almost exposing a huge family secret.
The family in Peter Abraham's story attempt to move on after the death of a loved one, but can they reach him from beyond the grave before they let go?
David Levithan explores one girl's search to let go of social politeness and to find herself in the darkness of the night.
These six stories (the remaining written by Patricia McCormick, Sarah Weeks, and Gene Luen Yang) will make readers think of the nighttime and all of the secrets and power it possesses.
Read these tales after dark.
July 3, 2024
I definitely liked some of the stories more than others but found the collection as a whole to be underwhelming. Phase 2 was really enjoyable and made my nerves spike at the ending. Not Just For Breakfast Anymore was compelling and gave great insight to each of the characters and their relationships which is a feat for such a short story, it was definitely my favorite of the six. Vulnerable Hours was just dull to me, some of the dialogue felt out of place for the characters and it was a bit difficult to trudge through. Orange Alert was very good and I found it to explore the main character in a really impactful way. Superman is Dead seemed to be a very strong discussion and exploration of the impacts of major life changes on younger kids. The Motherless One was extremely boring to me and I barely thumbed through it. Overall the collection was interesting and I found it to be a neat way of showing contrasting and similar writers under the same roof.
February 21, 2018
Phase Two and The Vulnerable Hours were my favorites. Some of the stories were interesting but had endings that felt flat really. So my overall rating for the collection remains a three.
Read
January 24, 2011Read:
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray- These stories are longer than the other collections I've been looking through. This story was slightly excruciating, but in the end I liked it. It's 1980 in Texas, and four girls act stupid, go to a concert, get high and drunk, and think they can sneak into the hotel where the band is staying to hang out with the famous guys. It's all so stupid that you feel embarrassed for the girls, but it's kind of funny and believable too. The sub-plot is the interesting part. One of the girls has recently discovered that her dad is gay, and he and her mother got divorced. Her friends don't know that he's gay, and she's trying to hide it from them. The story is about people not being who they are pretending to be, and although the theme is heavy-handed, I really liked the main character and how the story ended up.
Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick - When I saw the title of this one, I thought of her novel, Purple Heart, and hoped it was another great story about the Iraq War. It turned out to be totally different. It's the story of a teenage girl who's living with her mother and her mom's new husband, who is a miserable, creepy guy that threatens the girl sexually when her mom isn't around. Just when I was bracing myself for something horrible to happen, the girl did something to threaten him back. I would have preferred to see her tell her mom and have her mom take her away, but what the girl decides to do in the meantime is pretty great.
The Motherless One by Gene Luan Yang - In this graphic-novel-style short story, a monkey realizes he wasn't birthed by a monkey, but sprang into existence on top of a mountain. He goes looking for meaning to his existence.
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray- These stories are longer than the other collections I've been looking through. This story was slightly excruciating, but in the end I liked it. It's 1980 in Texas, and four girls act stupid, go to a concert, get high and drunk, and think they can sneak into the hotel where the band is staying to hang out with the famous guys. It's all so stupid that you feel embarrassed for the girls, but it's kind of funny and believable too. The sub-plot is the interesting part. One of the girls has recently discovered that her dad is gay, and he and her mother got divorced. Her friends don't know that he's gay, and she's trying to hide it from them. The story is about people not being who they are pretending to be, and although the theme is heavy-handed, I really liked the main character and how the story ended up.
Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick - When I saw the title of this one, I thought of her novel, Purple Heart, and hoped it was another great story about the Iraq War. It turned out to be totally different. It's the story of a teenage girl who's living with her mother and her mom's new husband, who is a miserable, creepy guy that threatens the girl sexually when her mom isn't around. Just when I was bracing myself for something horrible to happen, the girl did something to threaten him back. I would have preferred to see her tell her mom and have her mom take her away, but what the girl decides to do in the meantime is pretty great.
The Motherless One by Gene Luan Yang - In this graphic-novel-style short story, a monkey realizes he wasn't birthed by a monkey, but sprang into existence on top of a mountain. He goes looking for meaning to his existence.
December 21, 2010
I was expecting scary (or at least spooky) tales, and the first short story by Abrahams delivered. The rest were all very different with the only common thread being the action took place during the night and the story would normally end at sunrise. Overall nice stories and an extremely quick read (maybe 2 hrs), but not what I expect so a bit disappointed on that front.
Read
May 6, 2012Linda Dexheimer
Short Stories.
These were some fun and interesting stories with an interesting theme: what keeps the characters up all night. The stories have a variety of interesting themes from science fiction to contemporary realistic fiction. Some of the stories make you laugh and others make you cry but overall, great stories that will keep most young readers interested.
Short Stories.
These were some fun and interesting stories with an interesting theme: what keeps the characters up all night. The stories have a variety of interesting themes from science fiction to contemporary realistic fiction. Some of the stories make you laugh and others make you cry but overall, great stories that will keep most young readers interested.
March 18, 2008
Basically I'm all in favor of any book that features Gene Luen Yang's Monkey King again. But monkies aside, this is a pretty cool concept for a collection of teen short stories. Can a single night change your life? General consensus: Yep.
November 2, 2011
Extremely boring. None of the stories were interesting to me, and I felt like it was a waste of time. I prefer short stories that have MEANING, and none of them meaning, at least not to me. It seemed like a huge waste of time.
August 26, 2012
Some fun short stories by various authors - theme of staying up all night. My favorite was Agent Orange, about a girl whose stepfather is starting to make sexual overtures to her. Her reaction is strong and powerful.
October 20, 2017
The only stories from here that I really, really liked were "Phase 2" and "The Vulnerable Hours." Everything else was pretty "meh." Which is a shame, because I love the idea and premise behind this collection.
June 22, 2018
3.5 Stars
This was a fun little collection that I read in half a day. I really loved seeing the different author's interpretations of the same prompt (being up all night). Here are my individual reviews:
Phase 2 -- 2.5 stars
Starting off not so strong, Phase 2 was my least favorite in this collection. There was a lack of characterization, I kept thinking that the main character Lara was a boy and then becoming jarred mentally when having to picture her as a girl all over again, and I really wasn't buying that computer hacking (or whatever that was) that the younger sibling did near the end. Though it carries a nice sentiment I just couldn't relate to the story, so I wasn't really invested in the plot.
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore -- 4 stars
This was by far my favorite story of the bunch. Not Just for Breakfast Anymore was my first Libba Bray story and it has me raring to read something bigger from her. For a short story she really nailed her characters, having them fully developed and each with their own unique personalities and quirks. This book is funny and relatable, while also smoothly breaching some heavy topics. I felt drawn into this story the whole time I was reading, and I'm still thinking about it now, a few hours later. Really good!
The Vulnerable Hours -- 4 stars
Classic magical, emotional, empathetic David Levithan here. I really liked this story with it's two alternating POVs and its tough love about truth, and how our truths lead to our happiness. A very lovely and deep short story!
Orange Alert -- 3 stars
What I liked the most about this story was the badass main character (I forget her name already, oops!). This story had the most subtle and really "accidental" instance of staying up all night, but it was also probably the most realistic. I liked the story and how the mc deals with her issues, but it just didn't speak to me like the previous two stories did.
Superman is Dead -- 3 stars
While I was reading this one it initially came across as a 3.5 or 4 star read, but after finishing it I really only feel a 3. I liked Brian's story for his English assignment and his conversations with Nick, but otherwise Superman is Dead was a little bit boring. However I am biased because I think that mice for pets are disgusting (even more so now having learned about their foot musk), and five-year-old boys are kind of annoying. This said, the ending still made me feel some tingle of emotion in my cold, cold heart--colder than Superman's dead carcass--, so that counts for something.
The Motherless One -- 4 stars
This last story was a funny and short little comic which I really enjoyed. The art style was nice, and while it was a very brief comic story, the end really carried some truth and feeling. It wrapped up this collection in an easy-going yet powerful light.
Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge: a book with your favorite color in the title (Orange Alert)
Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge 2018: Won’t Be Long: a collection of short stories or essays
This was a fun little collection that I read in half a day. I really loved seeing the different author's interpretations of the same prompt (being up all night). Here are my individual reviews:
Phase 2 -- 2.5 stars
Starting off not so strong, Phase 2 was my least favorite in this collection. There was a lack of characterization, I kept thinking that the main character Lara was a boy and then becoming jarred mentally when having to picture her as a girl all over again, and I really wasn't buying that computer hacking (or whatever that was) that the younger sibling did near the end. Though it carries a nice sentiment I just couldn't relate to the story, so I wasn't really invested in the plot.
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore -- 4 stars
This was by far my favorite story of the bunch. Not Just for Breakfast Anymore was my first Libba Bray story and it has me raring to read something bigger from her. For a short story she really nailed her characters, having them fully developed and each with their own unique personalities and quirks. This book is funny and relatable, while also smoothly breaching some heavy topics. I felt drawn into this story the whole time I was reading, and I'm still thinking about it now, a few hours later. Really good!
The Vulnerable Hours -- 4 stars
Classic magical, emotional, empathetic David Levithan here. I really liked this story with it's two alternating POVs and its tough love about truth, and how our truths lead to our happiness. A very lovely and deep short story!
Orange Alert -- 3 stars
What I liked the most about this story was the badass main character (I forget her name already, oops!). This story had the most subtle and really "accidental" instance of staying up all night, but it was also probably the most realistic. I liked the story and how the mc deals with her issues, but it just didn't speak to me like the previous two stories did.
Superman is Dead -- 3 stars
While I was reading this one it initially came across as a 3.5 or 4 star read, but after finishing it I really only feel a 3. I liked Brian's story for his English assignment and his conversations with Nick, but otherwise Superman is Dead was a little bit boring. However I am biased because I think that mice for pets are disgusting (even more so now having learned about their foot musk), and five-year-old boys are kind of annoying. This said, the ending still made me feel some tingle of emotion in my cold, cold heart--colder than Superman's dead carcass--, so that counts for something.
The Motherless One -- 4 stars
This last story was a funny and short little comic which I really enjoyed. The art style was nice, and while it was a very brief comic story, the end really carried some truth and feeling. It wrapped up this collection in an easy-going yet powerful light.
Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge: a book with your favorite color in the title (Orange Alert)
Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge 2018: Won’t Be Long: a collection of short stories or essays
October 10, 2018
Phase 2 by Peter Abrahams 4 Stars
This was such a sad and sweet tale of a father lost in combat.
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray 2.5 stars
I’m usually a fan of Libba Bray, but there were some problematic racist jokes and while the story was enjoyable, there were lots of references I doubt the target audience (teens) would get. The story is set during the 80s and even I couldn’t pick up on all the references.
The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan 5 Stars
Magical story of opening up and speaking your truth from Levithan.
Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick 5 Stars
Gotta love a strong female protagonist that sticks it to a misogynistic pedophile.
Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks 4 Stars
Excellent story within a story, but why did poor Superman have to die? Trigger Warning - dead pets
The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang 3 stars
I’m sure there was supposed to be some deeper meaning but it didn’t really resonate with me.
This was such a sad and sweet tale of a father lost in combat.
Not Just for Breakfast Anymore by Libba Bray 2.5 stars
I’m usually a fan of Libba Bray, but there were some problematic racist jokes and while the story was enjoyable, there were lots of references I doubt the target audience (teens) would get. The story is set during the 80s and even I couldn’t pick up on all the references.
The Vulnerable Hours by David Levithan 5 Stars
Magical story of opening up and speaking your truth from Levithan.
Orange Alert by Patricia McCormick 5 Stars
Gotta love a strong female protagonist that sticks it to a misogynistic pedophile.
Superman is Dead by Sarah Weeks 4 Stars
Excellent story within a story, but why did poor Superman have to die? Trigger Warning - dead pets
The Motherless One by Gene Luen Yang 3 stars
I’m sure there was supposed to be some deeper meaning but it didn’t really resonate with me.
February 21, 2019
Choice book #1 Quarter 3
My good reads book is "Up All Night" by Laura Geringer Bass.
The story is told by Lara and also includes her brother, Neddy. Lara's mother and father are also characters in the book. The setting of the story is Lara's home and takes place during World War II.
Lara's father is a pilot and his plane crashes. The body is not found and most people think her father has died, but Neddy believes he might be alive. Lara wonders what the point of funerals and burials are especially since there is no body.
Some of the good and interesting things in this book are Lara's funny memories of her time with her father. The best memory is her flying with her father doing barrel rolls. Her father liked to do barrel rolls with Lara because it made her laugh and that was something she did not do often.
I recommend this book if you like mysteries. The reader does not find out the truth about the father until the very end. The book does a good job of making the reader wonder and guess.
My good reads book is "Up All Night" by Laura Geringer Bass.
The story is told by Lara and also includes her brother, Neddy. Lara's mother and father are also characters in the book. The setting of the story is Lara's home and takes place during World War II.
Lara's father is a pilot and his plane crashes. The body is not found and most people think her father has died, but Neddy believes he might be alive. Lara wonders what the point of funerals and burials are especially since there is no body.
Some of the good and interesting things in this book are Lara's funny memories of her time with her father. The best memory is her flying with her father doing barrel rolls. Her father liked to do barrel rolls with Lara because it made her laugh and that was something she did not do often.
I recommend this book if you like mysteries. The reader does not find out the truth about the father until the very end. The book does a good job of making the reader wonder and guess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 13, 2020"Up All Night" is a collection of 6 stories. I got hooked to this book so quickly because of the first story and the plot twists and how it ended. The stories are about how much something can change so fast between sunset and sunrise. It's about how you have to find ways to deal with it and how stories connect. I love this book because of the detail and the creativity behind it. The first story goes into detail about how a family of four became a family of three when their dad passed away while fighting for their country. It explains the trauma the family dealt with and how they coped with death. There are 6 short stories combined into one that results in a great read. I would recommend this to anyone who likes short stories merged to portray the same idea or theme. I haven't really read many books like this one, but I enjoyed it.
January 7, 2019
I think part of why I got this book is because it reminded me of the “Weenie Stories” books I read as a kid. I knew this wouldn’t be the same, these stories weren’t meant to be scary or creepy, but I hoped they would bring me back to the times when I read those books. I think I expected a little bit too much. Some of the stories just weren’t for me. I wasn’t too fond of The Knight of Nights, Superman is Dead, and The Motherless One, but I found the other stories to be great. I really enjoyed Orange Alert and even more The Vulnerable Hours, and with the other two, I think they make up for the other three. Again, they just weren’t for me, but nonetheless I still enjoyed this book and would read it again (though maybe just the two stories I loved).
November 16, 2022
While the concept of one night’s events transforming a character’s life was intriguing, I went into it with hesitation. Should we be encouraging the “one magical night will change everything” concept? But, it is fiction, so I read on.
I really enjoyed Peter Abrahams’s “Phase 2” and Patricia McCormick’s “Orange Alert” as their MCs had ingenuity and spark, with those characteristics leading the MCs to a very-satisfying-for-the-reader conclusion. The other stories felt too out-there, and, I thought, would be hard for a teen to connect with. But I’ve learned not to underestimate teens—so maybe those stories “out-there-edness” would be just the thing to make this a five-star-read for them.
TW: death of parent, death of pet, sexual harassment
I really enjoyed Peter Abrahams’s “Phase 2” and Patricia McCormick’s “Orange Alert” as their MCs had ingenuity and spark, with those characteristics leading the MCs to a very-satisfying-for-the-reader conclusion. The other stories felt too out-there, and, I thought, would be hard for a teen to connect with. But I’ve learned not to underestimate teens—so maybe those stories “out-there-edness” would be just the thing to make this a five-star-read for them.
TW: death of parent, death of pet, sexual harassment
March 31, 2024
You can't take everything at face value. People are like mirages, and from a distance they seem to be one thing, a cool spring, a date tree, a comfort zone. But when you get up close, they can turn out to be something you weren't expecting at all. And it's not like you can make them turn back into a mirage.
I don't wan to be here. I don't really want t be anywhere I usually go. I have no idea where I want to be instead, but I know that can't keep going to the same place. My friends have no idea who I am, and maybe I don't know who they are either, but they live much more on the surface than I do. I don't mean it as an insult. They're the way they are and I'm the way I am. Neither way is better or worse. It's just that my way is better for me.
I don't wan to be here. I don't really want t be anywhere I usually go. I have no idea where I want to be instead, but I know that can't keep going to the same place. My friends have no idea who I am, and maybe I don't know who they are either, but they live much more on the surface than I do. I don't mean it as an insult. They're the way they are and I'm the way I am. Neither way is better or worse. It's just that my way is better for me.
July 22, 2017
(Short Stories) A few of these stories were really well written. The types of stories were very diverse. I think compilations like this are a great way to find authors you enjoy and want to read more of. There is something tantalizing to get complete resolution with a quick read of just a few pages.
May 29, 2017
Short reads for fellow night owls! Great compilation of short stories about identity, authenticity, and inner strength. Even though this compilation is written for teens, even adults have a thing or two to take away. Love that Gene Yang's comic strip closes the entire book.
January 25, 2018
This is a cute, quick read. It's a great way to check out some YA authors if you're looking for new reading material. My favorite stories were those from Libba Bray, Sarah Weeks and Patricia McCormick.
August 18, 2019
Intriguing stories that leave a lingering effect.
August 25, 2019
The short stories were different. It was a quick read but I didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
June 8, 2020
Nice collection of stories
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