Sonderbooks Book Review of Half-Human

Reviewed March 22, 2002.
Scholastic Press, 2001. 212 pages. Available at Sembach Library (JF HAL).

This book is a collection of short stories about fantastic beings who are part human. We meet a mermaid, a selkie, and a centaur, among the most “ordinary” ones. No two beings are the same.

This is an excellent collection of stories. Indeed, I never wondered before what it would be like for Medusa’s teenage daughter on the day her hair turned to snakes. (Nancy Springer tells us that many mythical beings make their home in New York these days.) What would it be like for a stable owner whose pony gives birth to a centaur colt? I did find it easy to agree with Jane Yolen that they’d wind up on Oprah. I liked Tamora Pierce’s story about a tree who is turned into a man. He’s not happy about the change until he finally meets someone who treats him with kindness.

These stories are enjoyable and wonderfully well-crafted. A fun book to read.

Reviews of other books by Bruce Coville:
The Monsters of Morley Manor
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Moongobble and Me: The Dragon of Doom

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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

****Half-Human*

compiled and edited by Bruce Coville