Tomorrowland: Ten Stories about the Future

The title may suggest a science-fiction collection, but the stories gathered here reflect an intriguingly wide array of genres. Working with a common theme, ""visions of times to come,"" 10 noted contemporary authors offer diverse and often resonant interpretations; their characters ponder the fate of the universe, the human race or their individual selves. While some of the selections depict colorful (or startlingly bleak) images of the next millennium, others are set in the past. Jon Scieszka serves up a satire starring the first Homo sapiens, while James Cross Giblin imagines a young monk anticipating the end of the first millennium. Other selections are set in the present or near present. Jacqueline Woodson's protagonist, a modern-day, fatherless child, wistfully relates how she is the embodiment of her mother's dream of the future. Lois Lowry shows how an elderly man's image of the future turns sour when his land (which the government has promised to preserve) becomes a prison grounds. Ranging from joyfully optimistic to darkly ironic in tone, these imaginative writings should capture the target audience. Ages 11-up. (Oct.)