When Less Is More

If your classroom or library short story collection is gathering dust, it’s time to introduce your students to the anthologies written, collected, and edited by some of today’s best-known young adult authors. Comprised of a variety of genres and literary styles, contemporary short story collections mirror the quality and range of the classic tales. These recently published titles have the potential to inspire both creative writing and interpretative analysis, and offer educators the opportunity to acquaint students with exceptional writers and unfamiliar genres, support struggling readers, initiate spirited conversations, and introduce contemporary issues through literature—confirming the old adage, “less is more.”

Nothing spurs classroom or book-club exchanges faster than topics of current interest. Even reticent teens will have opinions to contribute to conversations on identity, immigration, politics, and war.

Dealing with issues of race as experienced by teens in American high schools, Face Relations: 11 Stories about Seeing Beyond Color (S & S, 2004), edited by Marilyn Singer, includes stories written by such favorites as Rita Williams-Garcia, Joseph Bruchac, and M. E. Kerr. These original selections explore interracial relationships, tested friendships, and silently endured discrimination. In Ellen Wittlinger’s “Epiphany,” students will read of a teen’s reaction to the self-segregated high school lunchroom. In “Hum,” by Naomi Shihab Nye, a Palestinian youth living in a small Texas town is harassed by his classmates after the 9/11 attacks. In Kyoko Mori’s “Black and White,” a young Japanese-American woman participates in a prank played on an elderly man. These stories and others in the collection will ignite conversations as they challenge teens to consider their own biases and behaviors.

All young adults experience the pressure to fit in and be accepted by their peers, but being different, or even foreign born, can be an obstacle to social success. First Crossing (Candlewick, 2004), edited by David R. Gallo, is a sterling collection of stories featuring teen immigrants. While not all students attend school with newcomers, most have an opinion on what their rights are and how they should be treated. In the title story written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, the disturbing details of a journey across the United States-Mexican border will encourage discussions about illegal immigration and the social conditions that force people to risk a dangerous journey. This and other thought-provoking stories featuring youth from South Korea, Kazakhstan, Haiti, and Cambodia explore the diversity of the immigrant experience and what it means to be caught between two cultures.

Beyond initiating informal discussions on topics such as interracial relationships and assimilation, these two titles offer numerous subjects for research: cross-cultural adoption, political refugees, and stereotypes, among others. To structure a classroom debate, teachers might design assignments around one or more of the issues presented in these collections. For example, students can research what can happen to a small community when a multinational company takes over its only factory (and major employer), and consider the facts in relationship to Alden R. Carter’s heartbreaking “The Swede,” from First Crossing.

Language arts teachers will relish the opportunity to complement readings of classic tales with those written by Joe Hill and Margo Lanagan. Discussions of the writer’s craft will abound as students consider these imaginative stories.

With a style reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe, Hill creates characters and plots that elicit a range of immediate, and powerful, emotional responses. His entertaining 20th Century Ghosts (Morrow, 2007), an award-winning title originally published for adults, can be mined during literature discussions. Ask your students to analyze the author’s ability to develop three-dimensional characters in a minimum of words in tales such as “The Cape.” Compare the heart-pounding intensity of Poe’s gothic “A Tell-Tale Heart” to Hill’s unnerving “My Father’s Mask.” Explore how Hill’s style translates across genres with readings of “Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead,” a love story, and his bone-chilling “Voluntary Committal.”

In Red Spikes (Knopf, 2007), Lanagan stretches the boundaries of fiction writing, creating startling worlds both similar to and unlike our own. Teachers and book-club organizers will want to introduce these 10 stories and examine how the author’s use of language and setting contribute to the creation of intriguingly alien, but earthly worlds. Readers will be disturbed by stories such as “Monkey’s Paternoster” and moved by the “Daughter of the Clay.” While both tales feature characters that aren’t human, discussions about them are likely to center on what the author’s stories say about human behavior and emotions. Lanagan’s evocative tales tinged with the supernatural in this and her earlier collection, Black Juice (HarperCollins, 2005), have forged new territory

Good fiction has the power to alter our perception of ourselves, and many contemporary collections can serve as catalysts for self-reflection. Whether emulating the style of a specific author or springboarding from one of the topics visited in these titles, students will find plentiful subjects to fuel their own essays or personal reminiscences.

Both the title and the list of contributors will draw readers to Such a Pretty Face (Abrams, 2007), edited by Ann Angel. Penned by Norma Fox Mazer, Chris Lynch, Lauren Myracle, and other popular authors, these stories explore the definition of and sources of beauty. In the title piece by Ron Koertge, a young hospital patient falls in love with a nurse he has never seen. In Jacqueline Woodson’s “My Crazy, Beautiful World,” a girl on the cusp of young adulthood sees herself and the people around her through new eyes.

What makes this anthology particularly attractive to teachers is the inclusion of discussion questions and writing activities. Many of these questions can be easily adapted to analytical or creative writing exercises, while those raised about Tim Wynne-Jones’s “Bella in Five Acts” may generate conversations about its interpretation.

First Times (McClelland & Stewart, 2007), edited by Marthe Jocelyn, is certain to inspire student introspection. This compilation of stories by mostly Canadian authors considers new experiences, from first night alone to first fallen idol. The tone of the stories varies from the humorous to the poignant. Ted Staunton’s “Issues” relates the antics of a sixteen-year-old trying to impress his love interest, while in Jocelyn’s “The New World,” a teenage girl’s excitement at her boarding school orientation is tempered by her realization, when she says good-bye to the divorcing couple, that it will be the last time she sees her parents married. In Susan Juby’s “Career Woman,” a young woman’s embarrassing immaturity is exposed when she is apprehended by the police after seeking revenge on her first employer.

The work of Walter Dean Myers and David Levithan embodies the power of the short story to capture teens’ feelings and emotions as they struggle with the challenges presented by relationships, society, and economic hardships. As reflections of our culture, these authors’ stories represent contemporary values, concerns, and even economic trends, and can be introduced in settings outside the language-arts class.

Harlem is the backdrop for Myers’s What They Found: Love on 145th Street (Random, 2007), which poignantly captures the struggles faced by urban youth in 15 intertwined stories. Touching tales such as “Jump at the Sun” and “The Man Thing” illustrate the cold realities of street life and the devastating effects it can have on individuals and their families. Teens will be attracted to the author’s authentic characters, natural language, and juxtaposition of humor and heartbreak. Educators can use this collection to compare Myers’s engaging writing style with those of classic authors. Social studies classes can discuss diverse modern lifestyles as portrayed in this and other contemporary titles, defining how fiction can mirror the realities of a particular time or place.

Teachers can capitalize on the popularity of David Levithan’s novels—including Boy Meets Boy (2003); The Realm of Possibility (2004); and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, written with Rachel Cohn (2006)—when introducing his How They Met and Other Stories (2008, all Knopf). Ranging from bonds of family and friendship to gay and straight “stories of love,” these tales telegraph the pain, pleasure, and complexities that are part of all relationships. In “Starbucks Boy,” a six-year-old with a knack for matchmaking helps her babysitter take the next step with his coffee-bar crush. In “Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat,” a young woman rethinks twosomes after her first serious romance ends.

An underlying theme in many of Levithan’s stories is tolerance and acceptance. In “The Alumni Interview,” a high school senior sacrifices his college-admissions interview for the integrity of his relationship. When paired with stories about intolerance written at other times, students can examine how literature can reflect and challenge the moral values of a period.

Educators challenged to find high-interest/low-reading-level materials will find that the short story can be a perfect match for struggling and/or disinterested students. The selections below won’t demand the same time commitment a novel will, but their unusual characters and rousing plots will quickly engage readers as they appeal to their mature interests and tastes.

With stories that are both affecting and otherworldly, Betsy Hearne’s Hauntings: And Other Tales of Danger, Love, and Sometimes Loss (HarperCollins, 2007) is a good source of high-interest material for high school students. Fifteen stories in a variety of genres explore the experiences that haunt us—whether natural or supernatural. Ranging from the witty Irish folktale “Fortress” to the agonizing familiarity of a strained relationship between a teenager and her father’s girlfriend in “Angel,” these selections will entice a variety of readers.

Neil Gaiman’s M Is for Magic (HarperCollins, 2007) is accessible to a range of students, but the 11 sophisticated and macabre stories (and a poem) will enchant the high school crowd. What makes this collection a standout for teachers is its potential as a source of riveting read-alouds with offerings from fairy tales to whodunits. Of particular note is “The Price,” a frightening tale about a cat that guards a family against the devil, night after night, and “October in the Chair,” a chilling narrative about a runaway child recounted by the personified month.

An audio version of Gaiman’s stories (HarperCollins Audio, 2007), read by the author, is a superior choice for students who prefer audiobooks, or those who would benefit from listening to the text as they read along. Well-performed oral renditions can also serve as an introduction to an author’s work or a genre, and an excerpt played from this award-winning audio version of M Is for Magic will send students in search of Gaiman’s other titles.

What these short story collections have in common is their potential to pique teen interest and provide valuable teaching opportunities. They represent only a sampling of the many well-crafted anthologies published in the last few years by talented young adult authors. Before you relegate short stories to the dusty corners of your collection, try showcasing this generation’s favorites in a prominent spot. Use them as resources to entertain, teach, and explore.