J. F. Mattaino
Welcome to The World of Illusion-This is the world that many people, including the characters in this collection of short stories, think is real, when it is actually a world they create themselves. In 'Summer Jobs, The Agony and the Ecstasy,' a boy who believes the summer is traditionally for fun realizes the hard way that sometimes this assumption is not necessarily true.Steve believes the world-the restricting world he has created for himself-will come to an end after he delivers a mediocre oral report in 'Freedom.'Sammy is a 9-year old boy in 'Cotton Candy Circus' who is just beginning to learn an illusion he will later create for himself when he is older.Sammy, now a high school student, in 'The Bet $$$$,' lives in a world where he is popular when in reality, he is actually offensive.In 'Shake-Speared,' Freddie the football player thinks he will lose his reputation and whatever chance he has of gaining friends if he is cast in a Shakespearian play. Freddie again faces the thought of losing everything in 'The Mistake' when he fumbles the ball in a football game.Throughout The World of Illusion, author J. F. Mattaino explores the consequences of the shortsightedness and shortcomings of these very ordinary characters. 3
