Alien Pets (Paperback)

Starting things off is Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Objects of Desire" which tells the tale of a youngster named Kirby who wants a "skewlis" so much it hurts. Everyone she knew had one of the weasel-crossed-with-a-cat, lemon and incense smelling critters but her mom was down on her luck and short on cash. A "skewlis", the latest fad of the moment, was completely out of her reach. Kirby's surprised when her grandma gives her one as a gift. Grandma's a bargain hunter so Kirby's skewlis isn't exactly top-of-the-line but Kirby loves her anyway. Of course, the skewlis turns out to be more than it appears and Kirby learns an important lesson about "wanting" stuff.

Other favorites of mine were: "What Fluffy Knew" a creepy little tale about an alien invasion told from the point of view of a spoiled housecat named Fluffy who takes it upon herself to save her family when mini-aliens invade. "Diamonds" by Michelle West is a story of a lonely boy who was always told he "was a mistake". When he discovers a secret hidden away in his parents bedroom he finds a friend, learns the importance of freedom and eventually finds love and acceptance.

"Dog Is My Co-pilot" is one of my favorites of the bunch. It's an often humorous tale about a lonesome pilot named Frank whose company decides to engineer the perfect companion for its employees. They've altered dogs that will live longer lives and speak their minds and ease the loneliness that often overwhelms their employee's. Frank's pal is quite a character who changes his name to suit his many moods. Some days he's the dignified Charles, other days he's simply Charlie or Chuck but whatever he may be calling himself he always remains Frank's best pal. One day the two find themselves stranded without a ship and are "rescued" by a rogue dog who quickly abandons Frank and takes off with Charlie. Stranded and feeling horribly betrayed, Frank is soon taken in by a group of harmless looking aliens. All ends will for Frank and Charlie in this good humored tale.

Other notable stories for me were "In The Storm, In The Stars" which is a different spin on the legendary unicorn. It's a painful read for an animal lover like me and ends on a somewhat bittersweet note. And, "Elmer", a tale of a young boy who finds an amoeba-like creature while investigating what appears to be a crashed meteor. One fateful day he discovers it has miraculous powers. This story is a tad more gruesome than all of the others which tend to be on the tame side and it deals with some weightier subjects like death and grief.

I'd recommend this to any pet lover looking for something out of the ordinary.