Editor Peter Carver observes in his introduction that the short story is a demanding genre. It’s also difficult to anthologize, particularly for the range of ages and interests his collection aims to embrace. By and large, however, this book (whose entire proceeds are going to support the Canadian Children’s Book Centre) succeeds, bringing together a selection of stories that will appeal to both males and females aged 12 to 16.

As with any anthology, Close Ups has its sour notes, but overall its stories work, both as examples of the genre and as engaging fiction for teens that deals with relevant issues and experiences. Highlights include Martha Brooks’ “The Kindness of Strangers,” which chronicles the beginning of a rejuvenating friendship between an elderly man and a boy who has been kicked out of his home. Alison Lohans’ “Beginnings” records the day a teen mother gives birth during a storm, with only her sister to help her. A young man grapples with the death of his grandfather in the poignant vignette “Saying Goodbye to the Tall Man” by Rick Book. Other stories, from some of Canada’s foremost juvenile fiction writers, including Sarah Ellis, Brian Doyle, and Tim Wynne-Jones, feature characters facing bullying, abuse, divorcing parents, and prejudice, but the selections carry enough humour and diversity to keep the anthology from becoming another formulaic “teen crisis” book. Lohans’ teen mom, for example, voices anger, frustration, and fear about her pregnancy and future, but without the heavy-handed message so common to issue fiction for teens. These well-written, contemporary stories will have broad appeal.