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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Well done short story anthology. Each other shares a true experience then uses that experience as a springboard for a short story.
This would be a good mentor text to use with upper elementary and middle school students to show how authors use events from their lives to inspire their writing.
I really like the premise for this anthology. It is broken up in sections, each with their own theme. For instance one section has stories all clustered around the theme of change. Another was a series of stories based around the theme of putting others first. In each subsection the author writes about a real event that occurred in their life growing up that ties in with the theme and then writes a fictional story based on what actually happened. Some of the stories were great. Others just so-so. The idea behind all of them about writing based on something real was tremendously fun to read and analyze from a creative writing standpoint. But I think middle grade readers can also appreciate this anthology. None of the stories are very long, all of them have characters a middle grader could relate to. But most importantly I think getting a small glimpse of what can go on with a writer when they create a story would be very appealing to young readers. I'm really glad I read this and recommend it to writers and middle grade readers alike.
For students looking for inspiration on how to write better stories, this is it! Edited by middle school English teacher and writer Mike Winchell, this collection of short stories has a topic for any reader: peer pressure, the push and pull of friendship, coping with loss and learning to take risks. Each author, from greats like Jane Yolen, Grace Lin and Gary D. Schmidt, tells two fast-paced stories. The first is the real story that actually happened to them as a child. The second is the story that was created and inspired by that experience. Readers can better understand the concept of “write what you know” by following along with these short episodes. Reluctant readers will love the brevity of the stories and impassioned writers will see how different techniques are used to craft a well-told tale. This is truly a fun read with stories that will keep readers turning pages.
Grades 5 and up.
Grades 5 and up.
lighthearted
medium-paced
I loved many of the stories in this collection and look forward to using this anthology with my middle school classes this year. I am sure they will enjoy the stories and the “peek behind the curtain” the personal accounts before each story gives.
For students looking for inspiration on how to write better stories, this is it! Edited by middle school English teacher and writer Mike Winchell, this collection of short stories has a topic for any reader: peer pressure, the push and pull of friendship, coping with loss and learning to take risks. Each author, from greats like Jane Yolen, Grace Lin and Gary D. Schmidt, tells two fast-paced stories. The first is the real story that actually happened to them as a child. The second is the story that was created and inspired by that experience. Readers can better understand the concept of “write what you know” by following along with these short episodes. Reluctant readers will love the brevity of the stories and impassioned writers will see how different techniques are used to craft a well-told tale. This is truly a fun read with stories that will keep readers turning pages.
Grades 5 and up.
Grades 5 and up.
I love the idea of this book, and the inspiration it provides, more than I actually love the stories themselves. Seeing how the author's memories and experiences can be slightly changed, radically changed, or thematically expanded upon is interesting, as is the way that the life experience could show up in a graphic novel, novel in verse, sci fi story, historical fiction, multiple POV story--many different formats, not just the straight narrative I might have expected.