Nine Unlikely Tales

** "Nine Unlikely Tales" by E. Nesbit is a compilation of amusing short stories set in the late 1800s. The stories have strange situations and interesting people, mixing humor and fantasy similar to Nesbit's other stories. The first story is about Matilda, a young girl in bizarre situations, showing her creative mind and the problems that happen when things don't go as planned. She is preparing for an uncomfortable visit to her Great-aunt Willoughby and is annoyed by her nursemaid, Pridmore, and the rules that came with her: cleanliness and proper behavior. However, instead of reaching the expected destination, a wrong bus takes them to a peculiar village where everything is strangely mismatched. In this new setting, she meets an enchanted king, a very thin princess, and a funny transformed Pridmore, leading to a series of strange adventures caused by a mischievously enchanting giant bird known as the Cockatoucan. The opening part introduces a fun trip of imagination, resistance to norms, and the uncertainty of fate. **