Trust me too edited by Paul Collins

Introduction by Judith Ridge. Ford St Publishing 2011. ISBN 978 19121665585.
(Ages 11+) Recommended. Short story collection. With writers like Phillip Gwynne, Jack Heath, Deborah Abela, Janeen Brian and many more (nearly 60!) contributing stories to this large compendium of stories, there cannot be any reader who is not covered. Spoilt for choice, I had trouble dipping into the book, with such a wonderful array of well know and new authors to choose from. So I began at the beginning and ploughed my way through, laughing at some, stifling a tear at others, amused at some, and scared by others, perhaps skipping and skimming a few that did not grab me at once, but then returning to try again when I finished the book. What a treat it all was. From the sublime pictures by Shaun Tan, to the short poems by Leigh Hobbs and Christine Bodgers, and writings by David Miller, Gary Crew and Simon Higgins, as well as the longer story by Isobelle Carmody, each is quite different from the other. Old favourites, Hazel Edwards, Justin D'Ath, Archimede Fusillo, rub shoulders with newcomers, names I had not heard of but will watch out for.
Standouts were Phillip Gwynne's tale, Led Zep, aligning the older and younger generations, Kirsty Murray's The night swimmer, with its eerie overtones, and Meredith Costain's poem, Shoegitti, giving an explanation to why those shoes appear on electricity lines.
This is the second book produced by Paul Collins (the first, being Trust me) which will fill a niche in upper primary and lower secondary schools where a neat group of short stories is required, but also will be picked up by those who want an array of stories to read, dipping into the depth of a group of authors before tackling their novels.
Fran Knight