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Curses, Inc. and Other Stories
by Vivian Vande Velde
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Laurel Leaf (1998-09-08)
ISBN: 0440227674
EAN: 9780440227670
Mass Market Paperback: 226 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
SKU: M133599
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 0440227674 MMPB free of markings. Cover shows light edge wear. Interior evidences no use, spine is uncreased & is straight, pages clean; overall, a very pretty copy. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Vivian Vande Velde's spellbinding short stories are filled with magic and mayhem. Witness the boy who breaks his dance date because he's too cheap to spend money on her. He learns about spells the hard way in Curses, Inc. What happens when a woman brings her son back from the dead in "The Witch's Son"? Many folks go to Granny Orilla for remedies. Does a cure or a curse await in "Cypress Swamp Granny"? Beware: These haunting stories will put you under their spell.
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Customer Reviews
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Hit and miss
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-12-07
A firm fan of VVV this collection of short stories does have some stand out tales. Remember Me is funny and amusing; Curses Inc is a great revenge tale; and Past Sunset holds for me an eerie delight - other stories were also good.
But, and I'm afraid there is a but, while it does have some outstanding stories that both boys and girls are likely to enjoy, it also contained many boring, dull and slow moving stories which are not in VVV character of writing.
Some fantastic short stories but they are not of a consistant standard that I now expect from VVV - I want to be engaged all of the time with the stories - not some of the time.
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Delightful!
Rating (3)
Date: 2008-03-30
I think my favorite of the ten tales is unquestionably `Witch-Hunt' as it leads you on a spooky journey with a fantastically true and hilarious ending that will have girls everywhere relating to it. `Curses, Inc' is another story that stuck out to me, with its ironic turn of events and `Boy Witch' was refreshing as we rarely hear of tales of male witches. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Afterword. As a aspiring writer myself, I very much enjoy hearing what inspires fellow writers and Vivian Velde doesn't disappoint.
The art on the cover is fantastic as well. I never get tired of seeing what the mind of Cliff Nielsen can cook up, he is definitely an inspiration to a fellow digital artist. Overall, this is a brilliant compilation of tales for anyone interested in the supernatural, or needs a batch of stories for their next sleepover or Halloween party.
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Curses, Inc. is good light read
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-09-18
The book is fine not very full of suspense but love the short stories that are completly fairy tales. must read on long plane rides or bus rides.
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Curses Inc. and other storie BY: Vivian Vande Velde
Rating  (5)
Date: 2006-11-29
Have you ever been creped out by those creepy camp stories your friends tell you? If you don't you sure will now. In this book there are many creepy stories. All different in their own creepy way; but, yet they are very much alike. These short stories are the kind that you ask yourself how is it possible. They're all about the things you think aren't very creepy like witches or ghost; but, They're not just regular creepy things they're the kind of creepy that makes the hairs on your back stand out. No genius can figure out the trick behind these magic tricks. None of these stories have a part when you think you got how the story is possibly so weird. There's no part where you can say "that's not creepy." These stories are all creepy and weird; but, no one is weirder than the other. All give you that chill down your spine when you just feel that something isn't right; that something's bad is about to happen.
Curses Inc. is one of my favorite stories; but, it is no creepier than any other story in the book. This story is about a boy named Bill Essler and how he tries to get back at his x-girlfriend Denise Bainbridge for humiliating him in front of the whole school. Bill's family was kind of poor. So when he asked his parents to buy the close he needed for the dance they said no. they didn't have enough money to buy the clothes he picked out. Bill didn't want to spend a huge chunk of his money which he planed on saving for video games for one dance. So he told Denise he couldn't take her to the dance. That is when she completely humiliated Bill in front of the whole school when she yelled out that he was a cheap loser. He was so mad when he got home he went straight to his computer to search on the internet for something to keep his mind off of being humiliated in front of the whole school. He found this site called Curses Inc. When he went on this sight he was bored enough to check it out; but, he wasn't expecting it to show some words. He didn't even know what some of the words were. The words were jinx, geas; malediction; hex, and bane. He clicked on the word jinx. It gave him the definition of the word and some examples for all of the words. It was a sight of things that you could make happen to people. The sight was basically as its name states Curses Inc. The sight was basically a place to put different kinds of curses on people. Bill wanted to get back at Denise. So he made a curse to make her lose her dog. Denise lost her dog; but, she lost her dog for 15 minutes. Bill was so mad that he wasted his money on that. He kept going back to the site to complain and then try another way of making Denise suffer. He lost all of his money because every time he tried to make something bad happen to her she would get lucky and somehow get out of the situation. In the end everything he tried didn't work. Denise's life stayed great while he lost all of his money.
Another story was about a woman who could make wishes that came true. The woman's name was Ardda. She lived in a cottage in the woods away from the village she grew up in. Ardda lived away from the village because of her childhood. When she was a young girl she was made fun of because of her looks. They thought she was ugly because she had a patch of purple skin on her cheek; her hair was crazy and messy; also her nose was big. Ardda was special though because she could make wishes come true. She wished herself more beautiful; but, everybody knew what she really looked like. Ardda thought people would like her now; instead, they thought it was horrible for her to try to be something she's not. So when she grew up she moved away from the village to the woods to feel at ease and not be made fun of. People from the village come to her house when they need something. They ask for something and she grants their wish. That is why she lives away from the village to stay away from the people who mock her; but, at the same time she helps the people who need it with her wishes.
This book has many more creepy and amazing stories. These were just two that I liked. All of the other stories are very alike and amazing; but, still very different. I liked the authors' style of writing. It was a unique style of writing. She tells it in a way that makes you stay in suspicion. You can't believe how amazing it is. It's as if you can't grasp the incredible information and you keep reading to try to believe and understand the stories and how amazing they are. I thought that was perfect. If she didn't leave me wondering or questioning everything to try and believe this incredible information I don't think I would have read the book. I loved her style of writing. It was perfect it made me want to keep reading and that's what I like to have in books. I enjoyed reading this book so much because of how amazing everything was. I still can't believe how amazing and weird these stories were at the same time. I really liked this book. It will keep you questioning and you won't stop reading. These stories are all so amazing in the same way; but, they're all different stories
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curses inc
Rating (4)
Date: 2005-09-10
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.
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