Wizards: Magical Tales From The Masters of Modern Fantasy

This book is a collection of short stories written by some of the most popular authors of our time. Neil Gaiman shares the tale of a young boy and the ghost of a graveyard witch, while Jane Yolen describes a young girl's rescue mission back to a concentration camp in 1943. As the  book title foretells, the common element among the stories is the presence of magic, usually with wizards. The collection has a nice variety of short and long stories with a full range of intensities. Eoin Colfer shares a short one about a hungry albino parrot, while Garth Nix spins a tale about a young girl's struggle for revenge to control "Ingland". Nix's 36-page chapter would actually make a nice, full novel. Many of the authors' contributions include valuable lessons for characters and readers alike, almost like fables, although the messages aren't always spelled out. Overall, it's a very entertaining book if you're looking for short stories written by accomplished authors of middle grade fantasy.