Short Story collections

 
 

Step

ages 9 to 12 / grades 4 to 7

  • March 2022 | Hardback | 9781773065946 | $15.99

    March 2022 | Ebook | 9781773065953 | $9.99

    March 2022 | Paperback | 9781773068152 | $10.99

In this powerful collection of short stories, children around the world turn eleven and take a step into their futures. Each one is changed in ways both big and small.

Annoyed at having to walk his sister’s dog on his birthday, Connor heads into an undeveloped subdivision, where he comes across chilling evidence of a stranger’s unhappiness. A girl sneaks away from her class camping trip to a local conservation area and experiences, for the first time, the terror and joy of fending for herself for the first time. Dom’s brother gives him a special crystal to boost his confidence, and the gift conjures up a child laborer from the impoverished area of Madagascar where the stones were mined. Mysterious voices at the local county fair prompt Aislynn to think twice after her older sister dumps her for her high-school buddies. While volunteering at his local soup kitchen, Len discovers that there are bigger shames than having the class bully seeing you in a hairnet. And on an historic bridge in Budapest, Lazlo’s dream of the perfect father-son birthday outing becomes a nightmare when his father introduces him to his Neo-Nazi friends.

A companion to the critically acclaimed Sit.

  • “A book of strength, of hope, and of freedom.” —Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

    “This novel is filled with strong female figures such as Parvana and her good friend Shauzia who help so many endangered women and girls. … Readers will see examples of strength and resolve as well as touching scenes of care and love within the refuge.” —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

    “The fierce strength of the women of Afghanistan and their visions for a just, democratic society is inspiring. The bravery of small individual acts of kindness and the boldness of grander schemes make this a story to remember.” —Canadian Children's Book News

  • dialogue

    literary references

    multiple POV

    alternating narrative

  • Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
    Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
    Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.ext goes here

 

Sit

ages 10 to 13 / grades 5 to 8

  • October 2017 | Hardback | 9781773060866 | $14.95

    October 2017 | Paperback | 9781773061108 | $10.99

    October 2017 | Ebook | 9781773060873 | $9.99

Nine poignant and empowering short stories from the author of The Breadwinner.

The seated child. With a single powerful image, Deborah Ellis draws our attention to nine children and the situations they find themselves in, often through no fault of their own. In each story, a child makes a decision and takes action, be that a tiny gesture or a life-altering choice.

Jafar is a child laborer in a chair factory and longs to go to school. Sue sits on a swing as she and her brother wait to have a supervised visit with their father at the children’s aid society. Gretchen considers the lives of concentration camp victims during a school tour of Auschwitz. Mike survives seventy-two days of solitary as a young offender. Barry squirms on a food court chair as his parents tell him that they are separating. Macie sits on a too-small time-out chair while her mother receives visitors for tea. Noosala crouches in a fetid, crowded apartment in Uzbekistan, waiting for an unscrupulous refugee smuggler to decide her fate.

These children find the courage to face their situations in ways large and small, in this eloquent collection from a master storyteller.

  • Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, 2018

    Short-listed, MYRCA Northern Lights, 2019

  • ⭐️ “Beautifully wrought, the collection will appeal to thoughtful readers who appreciate Ellis' other globally-aware works … An excellent choice for all collections.” — Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

    “Ellis nimbly slips into the minds of her memorable characters … and her thought-provoking collection should spark wide-ranging discussions about choice and injustice.” — Publishers Weekly

    “Every story is poignant and provocative. Ellis writes with deep compassion and intuitiveness.” — School Library Journal

    “… the collection’s focus on the action—or, more appropriately, the inaction—of sitting places readers right next to each protagonist as they transition from physically and metaphorically staying still to moving on.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

    “Sit is an obvious choice for school library fiction collections ... I think that it’s hard not to find at least one story with which students can find a personal connection. So, find your “Reading Chair”, sit down and lose yourself in the power of story.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials

    “Ellis’ cleverly crafted tales will encourage children to stand up for themselves and take risks to solve their problems.” — Quill & Quire

  • Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
    Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
    Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
    Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.