Skin and Other Stories - ISBNLookup.com

Children's Literature

Packed with imaginative characters, quirky plots, and surprise endings, these eleven gems are the kinds of stories readers will want to share with their friends.

Publishers Weekly

This volume collects 11 of the master storyteller's short stories, many of which first appeared in Someone Like You, and also includes "The Surgeon," originally published in Playboy in 1986. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

This collection of short stories, from the author of such hugely popular novels as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, serves as an introduction to Roald Dahl's more mature work for a slightly older audience. Packed with imaginative characters, quirky plots, and surprise endings, these eleven gems are the kinds of stories readers will want to share with their friends. A betrayed wife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, and the cops unknowingly eat the murder weapon. A valuable diamond is stolen, only to turn up inside the thief's stomach. In the title story, a poor man learns that the tattoo on his back is the work of a renowned master artist, and likely worth a fortune. These are lively stories that entertain and enlighten. 2000, Viking/Penguin, Ages 12 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Christopher Moning

From The Critics

Designed as a collection of so-called adult pieces by Dahl that might be appropriate for young readers, I think this group of stories would interest teenagers. Several stories have surprise endings and feature characters whose actions are driven by their compulsions. For instance, "The Sound Machine" focuses on a machine a man has invented that is so sensitive that the man can hear the sounds of plants screaming upon death. The effect of these sounds, real or imagined, on his actions drives the story to its conclusion. Another story, "Skin," asks readers to consider what might happen if a tattoo on a person's back became worth a lot of money as the artist's fame and reputation grew. These stories are not particularly contemporary, but, the author's engaging style and inventive flair would certainly entertain young readers. Genre: Short Stories 2000, Viking, 211p

VOYA

In these thirteen stories, all with surprise-twist endings, things are never as simple as they seem. Some of the tales show the depths of human greed, such as Skin, in which a man contends with two art dealers who will stop at nothing to acquire the priceless painting he has tattooed on his back. Others, such as Lamb to the Slaughter, in which a wife gets away with murder—literally—or The Champion of the World, about two bungling poachers, are more humorous and poke fun at the idiocies of humanity. This collection was put together as an introduction for teens to Dahl's adult writings, but not all the entries will appeal to teens. They will like The Sound Machine, the story of a man who discovers a way to hear beyond the range of human hearing, but stories such as Dip in the Pool or Galloping Foxley are so dated that they are almost incomprehensible. Teens who loved Dahl's writing as children probably will pick up this book eagerly, and the cover—with the title tattooed onto skin—is certainly eye catching, but the stories were originally written for adults, so they do have some adult language and rather a lot of drinking. The stories in this anthology are darker than his works for children, but it is worth reading simply for the beautiful story about a downed fighter pilot—Beware of the Dog. That tale alone exemplifies the magic that is in Dahl's writing. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2000, Viking/Penguin, 144p, $15.99. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Snow Wildsmith

SOURCE: VOYA, December 2000 (Vol. 23, No. 5)

Margot Mifflin

Although this collection of previously published stories was compiled for teenagers graduating to adult fiction, Skin and Other Stories will also seduce grown-ups with its nefariously nimble wit...a posthumous treat from a devilishly funny author.
—Entertainment Weekly