Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi

A bored boy trades bodies with a cat who once was also a boy, a princess is born invisible because of her mother's wish for a flawless daughter, a curious boy realizes too late that the identity of the team mascot is better left unknown, a shoemaker reneges on a bargain with his cat and discovers that the devil will have his due, and a selfish hunter finds forgiveness and a new life from the golden bird he killed. The five short stories in this slim volume show versatility in style and tone, with some reading like timeless folktales ("Babette the Beautiful", "The Shoemaker and Old Scratch", "Simon") and others like present-day fantasy ("Bored Tom" and "Curious"). Although the amount and density of symbolism varies from story to story, each tale has at least one moral to teach. It would be exciting to read and discuss this title with fifth-graders or middle-schoolers.