Author/Illustrator: Richard Peck
Plot Summary: Eclectic short story collection by this Newbery Award-winning author. Includes eleven previously published stories plus two new stories on a variety of topics included historic, supernatural and contemporary. Scary, funny, romantic - there is something for everyone in this collection.
Comments: The author also includes notes about the stories, genre and tips on writing short stories.
Extensions:
1. Middle school students will read a variety of short stories - maybe five - that they select themselves. Students in the class will all select different stories. Using a class blog, students will critique/review their stories with a few sentences. Other students will be able to read the blog to get ideas for stories they might like to read and then after reading, comment on the initial review.
2. After using suggestions in the back of this book as well as receiving additional instruction and guidance from their teacher, students will write their own short stories. Students will review each other's stories and provide feedback to help with the process of revising and re-writing.
Themes/keywords: children's stories, short stories
Age/Reading Level: Interest level 5 - 8; ATOS - 4.9; Follett - 4.7
Standards:
ELA5R2(through eighth grade) The student consistently reads at least twenty-five books or book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) each year. The materials should include traditional and contemporary literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and electronic material. Such reading should represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different literary forms and from at least five different writers.
ELA5R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.
ELA5W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure.
ELA5W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
(Include comparable writing standards through eighth grade)
Publisher's Info: Dial Books, New York; 2004.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8037-2998-8
ISBN-10: 0-8037-2998-7
Awards/Review Sources:
Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07 | Wilson's Junior High School 11/01/05 |
| School Library Journal starred 04/01/04 | Library Media Connection starred 11/01/04 |
| Booklist 04/01/04 | Horn Book 10/01/04 |
| Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 06/01/04 | Teacher Librarian 04/01/05 |
Websites:
Some information about Richard Beck from Carol Hurst's Children's Literature site. Click here.
Notes for Booktalk: Introduce Richard Peck's other great books through the reading of some of these short stories. Especially "A Long Way from Chicago" and "A Year Down Yonder."
Vocabulary: Check the AR vocabulary component to see what vocabulary is highlighted.
Comments