All the Love Under the Vast Sky
edited by Kip Wilson
High School    Paulsen/Penguin    304 pp.
1/25    9780593625279    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780593625286    $10.99

In an appealing and innovative collection, Wilson (One Last Shot, rev. 3/23) brings together a dozen authors (David Bowles, Margarita Engle, Eric Gansworth, Mariama J. Lockington, among others), each creating a different short story in verse around the overarching theme of love. The tales explore this theme from various perspectives: love that is new, controlling, forbidden, rejected, familial, spiritual, same sex, among friends, and for our pets. The poets each bring their unique storytelling style—some accessibly conversational, some more layered and narratively complex—with stories ranging from fantasy to contemporary and historical fiction. Poetic language builds each story: in the heartbreaking but hopeful “Kaleidoscope,” for instance, Alexandra Alessandri writes, “I can learn to find beauty in the ashes, / to choose joy in the hard places, / to make art from broken pieces.” Each entry stands strongly on its own, while the collection creates a compelling picture of the many dimensions of love.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.