Van Allsberg, Chris. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick.

Van Allsberg, Chris.            The Chronicles of Harris Burdick.            HoughtonMifflin/Clarion/Graphia/

Kingfisher, 2011.  221p.  $24.99.  ISBN 978-0-547-54810-4            secondary        Fantasy           E-BN  

Twenty-five years ago, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a collection of fourteen intriguing illustrations, each accompanied by a title and a caption, was published.  The premise of that volume was that fictional author/illustrator Harris Burdick had wandered into a publisher’s office and showed an editor the contents of his portfolio. Burdick told a wondrous tale for each picture and left the portfolio with the publisher, promising to return with the manuscripts.  But Burdick was never seen again, supposedly the publisher decided to publish the drawings without stories, and the result was the slender volume that has inspired countless creative writing assignments for generations of students across the globe.
Defining the audience for Mysteries of Harris Burdick was challenging, despite the picture-book format. Chronicles faces a similar challenge.  It will appeal to Mysteries fans of all ages, but it is clearly not intended for the usual picture-book crowd.  Fourteen top-notch YA writers have penned fresh stories inspired by the Mysteries illustrations and the clues provided by the titles and captions.  Like most short-story anthologies, the collection is uneven, but fans of these A-list authors will select this volume in order to read new material by their favorite(s) and may linger to read the rest as well.  The speculative fiction provides a springboard for spirited discussion.  The all-star author line-up guarantees that nearly every reader will find a story that appeals to him or her.
The writers contributing to Chronicles include Stephen King, Lois Lowry, Sherman Alexie, Jules Feiffer, Louis Sachar, Linda Sue Park, Walter Dean Myers, Cory Doctorow, M. T. Anderson, Tabitha King, Gregory MacGuire, Jon Sciezka, Kate DiCamillo, and Chris Van Allsburg.  Those who skip introductions will miss a humorously paranoid tale by Lemony Snicket, which provides newcomers (those unfamiliar with Harris Burdick) with the back-story.  Each short story will find a devoted readership, even though not every story will appeal to each reader.  Of note are “Under the Rug,” by Jon Sciezka, “Missing in Venice,” by Gregory Macguire, “Another Place, Another Time,” by Cory Doctorow, and “Mr. Linden’s Library” by Walter Dean Myers.  The short stories are memorable and appealing.  Many of them resonate long after the reader has turned the last page.  And of course, the illustrations continue to be curiously strange and intriguing.      Subjects: 1. Children's stories, American.  2.  Short stories.       Hilary Welliver