SOUL SEARCHING: Thirteen Stories About Faith and Belief

Although its 13 original stories introduce dramatic episodes—e.g., a Jewish-American girl's belated discovery of her father's escape from Nazi Germany; a Palestinian-Israeli showdown—and cover a wide spectrum of religious beliefs, this anthology is generally tame. The most successful contributions stake claims in well-known territory. Minfong Ho's "The See-Far Glasses," for example, explores a family of Chinese immigrants as the teen protagonist absorbs her grandmother's practice of tending the family altar; in her author's note, Ho moves beyond the particulars of the story to identify the Confucian tenets informing the customs described and mentions the roles of Buddha and Lao-Tse in shaping Chinese religious thought. Unfortunately, many entries attempt to shoehorn novel-length plots into short-story formats. Linda Oatman High's "The Shunning of Sadie B. Zook," about a pregnant Amish teen sent to a home for unwed mothers, introduces compelling themes but doesn't develop the characters beyond their immediate situation; the author's note, identifying High's husband's grandmother as the model for Sadie, is more intriguing than the fiction. Other writers here include Jennifer Armstrong, Shonto Begay, William Sleator and editor Fraustino (Dirty Laundry: Stories About Family Secrets). Readers in search of a more vibrant and accomplished collection should try Marilyn Singer's I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)