You may be surprised by this but I never went to Prom. I know, right? I mean, seriously… WTF? And, like everyone said… I regret it. I mean, if I had gone to Prom then maybe Derek Ducharme would have noticed me in my Micro short version extremely popular Sweet Dreams dress. A gorgeous peau de sois satin gown featuring a breathtaking skirt with gather detailing. A boned bustier, which fits like a glove, forms a charming neckline and proposed to me right away. We would have married after college, he’d be a business major and I’d stay home selling Mary Kay. We’d make beautiful babies that would grow up to be bullies that would spit on the silly goth girls at pep rallies and we’d laugh and laugh and laugh… Ahhh… If only… Uh huh. And exploding monkeys eating pie will fly out of butt.Why then… why would I subject myself to a book of short stories all about proms? Because these are some of the best damn writers in young adult right now. A few weeks ago I finished Geektastic and wanted more. MORE! I did falter a bit when I saw the topic. Christ, PROM? Who the fuck cares? Seriously… people treat this like a major life moment. It’s supposed to define you or your entire school self.. this is when you can get back at Troy Smith for letting go of Tyler Ferguson’s hand during Red Rover Red Rover causing you to fall flat on the cement playground knocking out your front top tooth in 2nd grade. This is your moment to shine, buddy. Well, Troy Smith is now gay and his BF is so freaking hot that you end up crying in the bathroom while Twissa-- the cheerleader that’s berated you for the past 6 years is puking in the stall behind you, her Bo Derek braids she and every other slut that went on the senior trip to the Bahamas decided was the cool look clank against the toilet rim. Yeah… good times, good times. 21 Proms is what it is. Kids obsessed with Prom. I wasn’t impressed with most of the plot lines since I could care less about the event, but the writing and the characters…well, I can accept the Under The Sea motifs for a bit. These stories deal with all the teen angst that high school can bring and yet some.. okay most… are endearing. Like the Libba Bray story 'Primate the Prom'…“Flash told me about this movement. It’s called Primate the Prom. It started in Kansas, after what happened to William Lamb.”William Lamb was a band-boy-cute seventeen-year-old from some small town in Kansas. He had a gorilla boyfriend named Johnny. The two of them tried to make a statement by crashing their prom. A mob of kids in tuxes and prom dresses beat them bloody and tied them to the flagpole. They shaved Johnny of all his fur. And William Lamb ended up with serious brain damage. He won’t date another ape. He won’t date at all.”Yes, slick and snarky. But, fun all the same. The John Green story about Morps (backward proms… I guess all the kids are doing it) is wonderful, but John Green is wonderful as is Ned Vizzini and Will Leitch and Jacqueline Woodson and all the other writers in this anthology. This quote from ‘Chicken’ by Jodi Lynn Anderson sums it all up:“ Do you ever feel like you’re living in a circle, instead of a line?” Ben asked. “Like, you never change?”Elsie squinted at him, sleepy.“Like, I’m me now,” he went on, “but I’m also me on this big hike my dad and I took when I was ten, and I’m also me the first day of school freshman year. And I’m me in the future. It’s like one of those wooden dolls. With all those smaller dolls inside.” He blinked up at the sky. “Even when I’m surprised by how things turn out, deep down I’m never surprised, you know? Because it’s all already there, and none of it disappears.”Prom will always be. Angst is forever. Let them drink cheap punch and lose their virginity (do they still do that on Prom Night?) Some day they will rule the world.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted collection of short stories based around the prom season look no further than 21 Proms. This novel features a variety of genres for those with differing tastes, from mysteries, to fantasy, to realistic contemporary fiction. The character personalities and backgrounds are extensive, which provides young adults with multiple opportunities to connect with the protagonists. Stories are told through the eyes of males and females, heterosexual and homosexual couples, rich and poor, and even one parental point of view. It also features a few stories about boycotting proms, having parties instead, and indecision about whether or not to even go to prom. The short stories also vary between being somewhat of a fairy-tale, as one girl ends up with three prom dates, to complete disasters, where all attendees (faculty and students alike) are cursed into a sexual fever. 21 Proms has it all and by a number of well-known young adult authors to boot. Well-known authors such as Libba Bray, John Green, Melissa de la Cruz, Holly Black, and David Levithan all grace this novel with short stories they have crafted. There are a total of twenty-one authors, all of which provide well-written interesting views into fictional proms. As expected the writing styles are varied due to the differing authors. Most of the stories are written as typical fictional pieces, though there is one story written as a play and another written in verse. While some may not like this change in format and simply skip those stories, it provides readers an opportunity to become more familiar with such writing styles.Beware of recommending this to those with eating disorders though. 21 Proms has a number of stories in its collection that repeatedly mention dieting, starvation, and extensive exercise in order to lose that unflattering five pounds. Any teen that is recovering from an eating disorder would definitely notice the triggers within, especially with the constant reminder that teens need to ‘look their best’ come the night of prom. While not all the stories contain these mental triggers, it may be best to hand-pick the stories one would want to share instead of recommending the entire book. After all, no two proms are ever the same and some are even far from normal. Overall this collection of short stories has everything one would want in a complete novel about a prom: friends, fun, fashion, and romances.
What do You think about 21 Proms (2015)?
At first I was excited to read this book because I thought it would be like Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul...it wasn't. I found it bland and lacking and I only liked 1 story out of 21 I decided to do a review for my favorite story and my least favorite story so here it goes....Favorite Story: In Vodka Veritas by Holly BlackRating: 4 1/2 starsI found this story interesting and hilarious and I wish it was longer and like a legit book. I loved Ave and Danny, and I soo ship them. Through out the story I could tell Ave was starting to realize he likes Danny and in the end he technically kissed him so yay. Least Favorite: You Are a Prom Queen, Dance, Dance, Dance by Elizabeth CraftRating: 0 starsThe main character Ayla was the worst main character I ever came acrossed EVER! She was moody, and depressingly annoying but hey at least there was a semi happy ending.
—Kylah Polidore
21 Proms is an amazing book.I absolutely loved how it had everybody's remarks on proms; from the people who hated them to the people that dreamed of them. There were many examples of why people feel the way they do with prom. For example, not being able to feel pretty enough, or being picked on for not being their example of perfect. I'd recommend this book to anyone in high school about ready to go to their prom, because it teaches you, not only to not care what people think, but to be you and people will love you for it.
—Hannah Haertl
I found it difficult to rate a book with 21 different stories but I ended up giving this book 4 stars for the following few reasons. When I'm having a bad day, I just read a book that I think will give me some good and positive vibes to make it through the day. Fortunately, I found 21 Proms. When I first got a glimpse of its cover and synopsis, I knew this will be a fun and light read. This book will make you reminisce your prom which some of us couldn't really forget, a night to remember probably. 21 stories of Prom from 21 amazing authors, isn't it amazing? I would like to commend the amazing authors for giving us insightful stories within few pages. Well, there are some really "weird" stories which I barely like. Well, I wanna give an individual rating for each story in the book.You Are a Prom Queen, Dance Dance Dance (5/5)by Elizabeth Craft- I like the romance between Ayla and Adam here. Adam made Ayla realize that there's nothing to be scared of. All She Wants (3/5)by Cecily von Ziegesar- Weird because Brooke happened to invite people she barely knew to come in their house. In Vodka Veritas (4/5)by Holly Black-Weird and creepy :) one good thing we don't have a Latin Club.Your Big Night (5/5)by Sarah Mlynowski- Drew is such brave girl. Choose to be happy and it's with your 'true' friends.'Off Like a Prom Dress (3/5)by Billy Merrell- Profound."Mom called, she says you have to go to prom" (4/5)by Adrienne Marie Vrettos- Don't care about anyone's opinion.Better Be Good to Me (3/5)by Daniel Ehrenhaft - A little throwback about the parents' prom and how they ended up being together.Three Fates (5/5)by Aimee Friedman- AWESOME! LOVE IT! I'd like to read it again. MY FAVORITE! :) Definitely I'll check her out.The Question: A Play in One Act (5/5)by Brent Hartinger- Ellen and Allen rehearsing for prom. Unique. Shutter (5/5)by Will Leitch- Father and Daughter relationship. Cute. :)Geechee Girls Dancin' 1955 (2/5)by Jacqueline Woodson- Weird.How I Wrote to Toby (5/5)by E. Lockhart- Paige's little brother is in rehab. Love the person who will love not just you but also your family. A Six-pack of Bud, a Fifth of Whiskey, and Me (4/5)by Melissa de la Cruz- Cute. Grab the opportunity!Primate the Prom (2/5)by Libba Bray- Really weird! Apology #1 (3/5)by Ned Vizzini- A boy who failed to attend a friend's prom.See Me (4/5)by Lisa Ann Sandell- Just be yourself. No need to fake it. Prom for Fat Girls (3/5)by Rachel Cohn- Yeah. It's possible!Chicken (3/5)by Jodi Lynn AndersonElsie, Ben and his chicken, Chicken.- Eerie.The Backup Date (4/5)by Leslie Margolis- Funny! Haha! A girl pretending to be plastered. Lost Sometimes (2/5)by David Levithan- All about sex. Then at the end realizing about missing something.The Great American Morp (5/5)by John Green- AMAZING! FUN. FUN. FUN. ONE OF MY FAVORITES!
—Emman
