Sixteen Stories about That Sweet and Bitter Birthday

Remember what it was like to be sixteen? Whether it was the year your teeth were finally free of braces or the year you "went all the way," that magical yet mystical age is something you will never forget. Edited by Megan McCafferty, author of the runaway hit novels Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, SIXTEEN: STORIES ABOUT THAT SWEET (AND BITTER) BIRTHDAY is a compilation of short stories inspired by all the angst, melodrama, and wonderment of being sixteen. Zoe Trope's "Relent/Persist" is a love story for the electronic age-two lonely souls develop a close relationship through web- sites, email, and Instant Messenger. In Julianna Baggott's "The Future Lives of Emily Milty," an overshadowed younger sister begins to come out of her shell and create her own identity. And the tide character in Ned Vizzini's "Rucford Becomes a Man" celebrates his birthday in the Wild West, where his father's idea of a birthday present is taking him to a brothel. These are only a few of the stories featured in this collection by some of today's top YA and adult fiction writers, including Meg Cabot, bestselling author of The Princess Diaries; Joseph Weisberg, author of 10th Grade, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and Sonya Sones, whose novel-in-verse, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, won several awards and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Other writers who have contributed stories are Steve Almond, Cat Auer, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Sarah Dessen, Emma Forrest, Carolyn Mackler, and John Searles. In addition, McCafferty will contribute a story featuring Jessica Darling, the wry, feisty teenage heroine from her popular books. In this preque to Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, readers will learn about the last fifteen minutes Jessica spends-or rather, doesn't spend-with her best friend Hope before Hope leaves Pineville. Filled with hilarious, poignant, and touching tales about this milestone in our lives, SIXTEEN is perfect for teen readers (especially those who are anxious to read about Jessica Darling again!) and for nostalgic adults who want to reminisce about their "sweetest" year.