Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls (2007)

Rosie, a Little Red Riding Hood type with lace-up Doc Martens instead of scones, narrates this story collection for the smart, strong female who can't help getting into trouble. Despite the fantastical elements — a woman turns into a mannequin, an imaginary salesman reads minds — Wood's prose reads as powerful, funny, and very real. Amid the abortions and domestic abuse, the best tales cover lighter fare, like the woman who can't ask loved ones to stop buying her decorative elephants. Rosie may have ''a difficult relationship with the word 'eclectic,''' but that's what this book is. In a good way. A-