Springer has compiled a humorous collection of prom stories that disguise not-sohumorous emotions. The predominant tone of the collection is light, and the contemporary language adds to the humor. Dialogue flows easily. The characters in the stories are likable, though odd, and the disguised concerns in their conversations are those that ordinary teens can easily recognize.

Though representative of typical American teenagers, the students in this collection are not typical prom-goers. They may be representative of outcasts, but these are not the fat or clumsy kids people know; rather, they are elves and witches, aliens and fairies. Perhaps by presenting such a unique take on prom night, Springer, as well as the individual authors of the stories, wishes to reveal the alien nature of the prom experience. Dressed in a monkey suit and expected to conform to standards that feel foreign to young people, prom-goers feel...