Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

December 19, 2016
Twenty Indian and Australian authors—including Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier, Anita Roy, and Vandana Singh—deliver a feminist fantasy and science fiction anthology, a mix of short stories, comics, and a screenplay-style entry. In Margo Lanagan’s empowering “Cat Calls,” a large group of students band together to give some catcalling men a taste of their own medicine. Writer Annie Zardi and artist Mandy Ord collaborate on a potent graphic story in which Anarkali, a legendary Mughal figure purportedly entombed alive as punishment for a love affair, realizes her power and disrupts the story. A girl embraces her voracious hunger for life, expanding until she is “like a balloon stretched translucent, to bursting point” and is “saturated with living” in Amruta Patil’s illustrated story “Appetite.” In Alyssa Brugman’s contemplative “Weft,” a woman trades her kidney in order to afford cosmetic enhancement, only momentarily considering what is lost, literally and figuratively, in the trade. While some stories are more accessible than others, each makes a meaningful contribution, providing a unique perspective through which to view and consider the experience of being a girl. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from January 1, 2017
A collection of stories that explores the speculative and sometimes-dystopian landscape, authored solely by women from India and Australia. A multiverse that bursts with imagination, this anthology lures readers into a nonlinear progression of stories, both prose and graphic, and one script. There's Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya's graphic sci-fi story "The Runners," which imagines a world ruled by mothers and offers a Twilight Zone-esque surprise ending. In "Arctic Light," by Vandana Singh, an Indian teenager is a stowaway undercover activist fighting for climate change on a ship sailing the East Siberian Sea. Kirsty Murray's "Mirror Perfect" transports a girl and her younger twin siblings into a parallel universe, a dreamlike reality check that challenges her negative body image. This anthology represents a delightfully diverse collection of contributing authors, who also include Margo Lanagan, Justine Larbalestier, and Samhita Arni, among others. In a unique collaboration, the creators were partnered together into culture-bending exchanges of themes, worlds, and galaxies in an effort to expand their visions of their own cultures, some pairs crafting one story between the two but all sharing ideas. The editors rightly claim that their anthology "embraces the idea of not just eating pie but of taking big, hungry mouthfuls of life and embracing the world." This rare treat of speculative literature is a winning book for those young women who especially crave a read beyond the outer limits. (Science fiction/fantasy/anthology. 14 & up)

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December 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Writers and artists from Australia and India worked together to create this thoughtful and nuanced collection of speculative short fiction in a variety of formats. YA readers will find both new and familiar names among the contributors, including Margo Lanagan and Justine Larbalestier. The anthology was conceived as a response to horrific crimes against women that occurred in both nations in 2012. Each contributor was assigned a partner from the other country-some pairs were writing partners who encouraged each other in the process, others were artist/writer collaborators who created short graphic fiction, and one piece, written in the form of a play, was the result of a literary version of the game Exquisite Corpse. Among the standouts are "Swallow the Moon," a comic book depiction of a coming-of-age ritual in a future setting; "Weft," in which a girl pays a great price to have amazing hair; "What a Stone Can't Feel," about a girl with an unusual superpower that is useless as she tries to save her best friend's life; and "Memory Lace," which centers on a slave who is taught a liberating skill. Included at the end of the volume are the writers' and artists' accounts of their collaboration. This additional exploration of the creative process greatly enhances the impact of the entries; with this, the stories transcend the written page and become a greater reflection of the beauty and power of feminine camaraderie. VERDICT These memorable selections are valuable manifestations of the strength of female relationships. A great addition for larger collections.-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Grades 7-12 Twenty female authors, ten each from India and Australia, collaborated to create this fantasy/sf anthology of original stories about women. Readers will meet protagonists who walk through walls, become pirates, are initiated into womanhood, take back their streets, and even walk out on Shakespeare. Other stories reimagine classic Indian and European fairy tales, or feature liberating adventures that vary in tone from bittersweet to triumphant. Graphic-novel style tales, such as Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya's The Runners, and even a playlet ( The Blooming, by Manjula Padmanabhan and Kirsty Murray) lend added variety to the collection. Overall it is a solid women-centered statement, but individually the quality of the stories varies widely, as does the level of collaboration. Back matter includes notes from each of the partnering authors about their experiences working together, as well as brief biographies. With the exception of Margo Lanagan and Justine Larbalestier, these authors aren't yet well known in the U.S., but this collection is a great way to introduce readers to women whose longer works may become future favorites.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)