Curses, Inc. and Other Stories Paperback – September 1, 2007

Middle school kids loved this book. Really wish there were more out there like it. It's very different and the kids enjoyed the uniqueness.

This is a good book to recommend to adolescents who enjoy magical stories with a hint of horror. The stories are about 10-20 pages of medium size print each. Easy and enjoyable to read. Good for recreational reading and reluctant readers.

My favorite story from this gem of a collection of short stories is "Skin Deep". Thank you!

Overall it was a good books there were a lot of stories that i loved a couple that i liked adn 2 that were not the best but if youre a vande velde fan its a good book.

I have always enjoyed author Vivian Vande Velde's wonderful storytelling ability. Her talent rests in the fact that all her characters and settings are vivid and truly engaging. If she is writing about a middle schooler, her dialogue is genuine and not pretentious. On the other hand, her stories set in historical time periods are equally genuine and engaging. Curses, Inc. and Other Stories is a mixture of modern-day and medieval tales that will delight, chill, and amuse you. My favorite stories in the collection are as follows:1. Curses, Inc. When middle-schooler Bill Essler stumbles upon a mysterious web site while surfing the net, he determines to have his revenge on Denise Bainbridge, the girl who humiliated him in school. This story is amusing and very fun. We get what we pay for.2. "Skin Deep": This story is very poignant and one which I truly can relate too. Ardda is a homely young woman who has the power of wishing things into existence. When she rescues a prince who has been accosted by bandits in a snowy wood, her life is forever changed. This story truly illustrates human nature and shows how very superficial we all have a tendency to be.3. "Lost Soul": Chilling and seductive, this story relates how a young man meets a mysterious lady beside a stream. Dare he love her?4. ""Witch-Hunt": A relevant tale that will remain with you long after you finish reading it. I won't give away any of the plot of this one.5. "Cypress Swamp Granny": A tale set in New Orleans during the Reconstructionist era, this story features a greedy heiress determined to get what she wants no matter the cost. This tale is humorous, poignant, and very suspenseful.These delights are only a sampling of what awaits you in this collection. Please give this book a chance. Also check out Vande Velde's All Hallows' Eve, which is a wonderful book of Halloween tales. God bless you all.

I especially liked a witches son. The stories in this book are fascinating and are hard to guess what will happen. Also they leave you waiting, wanting more.

Unique and fairly unpredictable stories. I used one with my 7th grade reading classes around Halloween, and it always went over well.

One of the books I picked up recently was a collection of short stories by Vivian Vande Velde called CURSES, INC. This is a collection of stories intended to be released as WITCH'S BREW, but suffered from a title change.The stories in this collection generally concern witches and spells. I found the tales to be very entertaining. Some of the stories like Skin Deep, start out along familiar paths but end in an original manner. Original endings are par for the course with these stories.One story, Witch-Hunt, is so close to reality as to be frightening. To Converse With Dumb Beasts was also very real to anyone who has lived with a cat or a dog. But all of the stories are fresh and entertaining as well as original. The whole thing is wrapped up with an afterword about each story's origin and finally the book boasts a wonderful cover (no credit given).