Tales From Outer Suburbia    by Shaun Tan Order:  USA  Can Templar, 2009 (2008) Hardcover, Softcover      Reviewed by Alex Telander Artist and writer Shaun Tan returns with another spectacular piece of artwork. Unlike his bestselling The Arrival, Tales From Outer Suburbia features both entertaining and moving short stories and flash fiction, combining with beautiful original artwork, making the reader savor each word choice and brush stroke on the page. Like The Arrival, this is also a commentary on our current western suburbia and what it really means to be ordinary and bland, with everything perfect and the same. Tan looks to shake up this foundation with bizarre stories, whose deeper meanings go beyond the simple tale. There is the story of Eric, the foreign exchange student, who looks and acts very different and is just strange, but upon going back to his home, leaves an indelible gift. And the story of the sea cow, or dugong, that miraculously appears on the lawn of a family going through personal troubles, giving the child something new and different in his life. Grandpa's Story tells the tale of the special journey Grandpa and his newlywed wife had to go through - it was dangerous and life-threatening, but ultimately brought them closer together. Tales From Outer Suburbia is a collection of unique stories that will have you grabbing it off the shelf at least once a month, perhaps to escape from the ordinariness of your life, or to just be entertained by the bizarre. Ultimately, you will be comforted by these tales, as each of them serves as a cathartic tonic. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews