TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA



Bibliographic Information:  Tan, Shaun. Tales From Outer Suburbia. 2008. New York, NY : Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 978-0-545-05587-3.

Summary:
The book consists of fifteen fantastical, illustrated short stories (some humorous and some haunting)set in the Australian suburbs.

Critical Analysis:
Tales From Outer Suburbia contains a wide variety of stories.  Some are funny, some are touching and some are tales universally true, with morals from which we all could learn some good lessons.  "Alert But Not Alarmed" is a shining example of that latter type.  In it, Tan imagines a future where "every household has its own ballistic missile" because everyone needs to be a part of "upholding national security" in an "increasingly dangerous climate."  To make the best out of a strange situation, people begin to paint the backyard missiles bright colors, string them with Christmas lights, and use them for storage, pet kennels and even pizza ovens.  Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!  The final paragraph of the story tells how they hope that, if families in faraway countries also have backyard missiles, hopefully they have found a much better use for them too.  That's an anti-war statement with cleverness, not moralizing or preachiness.

Some of the best (and most easy to identify with) characters are not human.  The dogs in "Wake" band together to exert vengeance over a neighborhood man who had beaten his dog to death earlier in the week.  The man's home burned, they surrounded him as if claiming his rescued property as their own and then proceeded to urinate on all he had left while loudly moaning and mourning the fate of their fallen canine comrade.  In "Eric," a leaf-like creature comes to visit and is always yearning to learn the "why's" of everything.  The artwork in this story is amazing, with his miniature frame against seemingly giant postage stamps, popcorn and poker chips.  These characters aren't human readers will like them, relate to them and cheer them on.  Tan's creativity in these stories and the others keeps readers turning the pages quickly.

No matter how odd some of the stories and characters may initially seem, we find universal themes of love, joy, loyalty and peace running throughout them all.  The amazing variety of both black and white and color illustrations greatly complements the weirdly fun tales.

Book Review Excerpts:
"The thoughtful and engaged reader will take from these stories an experience as deep and profound as with anything he or she has ever read." - Jesse Karp (Reviewed 12-01-2008 in Booklist, Vol. 105, number 7, p. 50).

"Ideas and imagery both beautiful and disturbing will linger."  -  Staff (Reviewed November 3, 2008 in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 255, issue 44, p. 59).

"Graphic-novel and text enthusiasts alike will be drawn to this breathtaking combination of words and images."  - Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2009.

Awards:
Adelaide Festival Awards (Australia): Children's Literature
ALA Notable Children's Books - Older Readers Category: 2010
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2009
Children's Book Council of Australia: Children's Book of the Year Awards: Older Readers
Children's Book Council of Australia: Notable Australian Children's Books: Older Readers
Children's Book Council of Australia: Notable Australian Children's Books: Picture Books
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books: 2009
Parents' Choice Awards - Fiction: 2009
USBBY Outstanding International Books - Grades 6-8: 2010
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards: Young Adult's Books

Connections/Further Activities:
Have students to compose a short story that's kind of out-of-the ordinary like the ones in Tales From Outer Suburbia.  Ask a couple willing volunteers to read their's aloud to the class.

Show short segments from a documentary film on the areas of Australia referred to in Tales From Outer Suburbia to give students a true vision of what life looks like there.

Read-A-Likes:
The eternal smile : three stories - Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
The storm in the barn - Matt Phelan
Hereville : how Mirka got her sword - Barry Deutsch/colors by Jake Richmond
Laika - Nick Abadzis/color by Hilary Sycamore
The savage - David Almond/illustrated by Dave McKean