A great collection of stories, each one a mini-reality break. For weeks after first reading the Anything Box as a teen, I was scared to death to babysit--afraid of the life-sucking vacuum cleaner and the sled-runners it used to glide around the house.
Zenna Henderson's amazing storytelling ability takes you places you never imagined existed, such as a dark hole in the side of an aquaduct from which a boy and his donkey must escape. At the same time, some of her stories are of wonder and the innocense of childhood, which may be lost as we grow into adults.
Excellent reading! ( )

I read these stories in a library book as a teen, later searched for it for about 10 years in bookshops before my sister found a copy for me using an online search. Not a lot of books I want to own, but this was one I couldn't forget. ( )

The stories in the Anything Box vary wildly between the simply fantastic, the deeply moving, and the absolutely haunting. If you enjoy any kind of fantasy story, there is sure to be something in the box for you. I've read The Anything Box several times since childhood and am always pleasantly surprised to find that there's something I've missed or forgotten and the various themes are the kind that you find yourself reflecting on when you least expect it...a great collection! ( )

"See my box, Teacher? It's my Anything Box."
"Oh, my!" I said. "May I hold it?"
After all, I have held - tenderly or apprehensively or bravely - tiger magic, live rattlesnakes, dragon's teeth, poor little dead butterflies and two ears and a nose that dropped off Sojie one cold morning - none of which I could see any more than I could the Anything Box. But I took the squareness from her carefully, my tenderness showing in my fingers and my face.
And I received weight and substance and actuality!
Almost I let it slip out of my surprised fingers, but Sue-lynn's apprehensive breath helped my catch it and I curved my fingers around the precious warmness and looked down, down, past a faint shimmering, down into Sue-lynn's Anything Box.

The stories in this book aren't about The People, but there are still children with strange powers, as well as several more obviously science fiction tales about first contact with aliens. Several of the stories feature teachers and most are about children, which isn't surprising since Zenna Henderson was a teacher herself. I have read some of her People stories before, and these were equally as heart-warming. ( )

I first read this book in my teens and I still remember some of the stories. Zenna Henderson has an intriguing way of looking at stories that left me thinking and wondering long after finishing the book. Just a couple--aliens arrive on Earth and tense negotiations take place slowly turning antagonistic. The breakthrough is made by a couple of children and their moms. Or what about when the "special" child in class is an alien? Or what if magic really exists but we loose it when we loose our childlike wonder? I can't say enough good things about this book and about Zenna Henderson. ( )