Destination Unexpected: Short Stories

by Donald R. Gallo (Editor)

Presents ten short stories for teens about lessons learned and discoveries made on journeys near and far. Includes such authors as Alex Flinn, Joyce Sweeney, and Richard Peck.

Something old, something new / Joyce Sweeney
Brutal interlude / Ron Koertge
Bread on the water / David Lubar
My people / Margaret Peterson Haddix
Bad blood / Will Weaver
Keep smiling / Alex Flinn
August lights / Kimberly Willis Holt
The kiss in the carryon bag / Richard Peck
Mosquito / Graham Salisbury
Tourist trapped / Ellen Wittlinger

Genres: Short Stories, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Anthologies, Teen

Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Donald R. Gallo, often called the godfather of YA short stories, is the editor of more than a dozen acclaimed anthologies, including Sixteen, Destination Unexpected, First Crossing, and What Are You Afraid Of?. A former English teacher and professor, he began championing short stories written specifically for teens in 1980, addressing a gap in school curricula. His groundbreaking work has earned numerous accolades, including the ALAN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Young Adult Literature. Gallo now writes, edits, and presents workshops, while also enjoying photography, cooking, and travel from his home in Solon, Ohio.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well done sampler of different authors, most of which I'v read before but a few new to me; if my to-read list weren't already a mile long, and if I were more of a fan of books for teens, I would be taking notice of a lot of titles. Still, can't quite give it four stars, because it really doesn't transcend genre, and the stories are too short to be memorable, in *my* opinion.

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

short stories of small, life-changing events that help the main character discover more about their identity

[Missmath144 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of short stories aimed at young adults, but just as interesting to a septuagenarian like me.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 January 2003 DESTINATION UNEXPECTED: Short Stories edited by Donald R. Gallo, Candlewick Press, May 2003 (0-7636-1764-4)

"Nice pipes. Have you ever done radio?"

So asked the woman to whom our hostess had just introduced me. It was a New Year's Day party hosted by Allo's parents, Allo being a witty young man who we've known for years. (He played Bobby in our production of The Misfits last spring, and won't get to read this review for a while, since he is presently on a plane to Scotland to visit grandparents and hopefully meet Jo Rowling at an upcoming signing in Edinburgh.)

"Yeah," I replied..."I did some back in the 'Eighties."

Actually, the journey there--taking classes at the junior college to learn the craft from a retired station manager on how to put together sets of great tunes, write news, create imaginary commercials, record PSAs, somewhat overcome my fear of microphones, and get the opportunity to produce and record my own full cast and effects version of We're All Bozos on This Bus--was much more fun than the reality of the destination--sitting in that little room by myself once I was given the "opportunity" to intern at my favorite radio station of that time, KVRE-FM in Santa Rosa.

"Life is so strange when you don't know
How can you tell where you're going to
You can't be sure of any situation
Something could change and then you won't know,,,"
--Missing Persons

I have always loved radio. (And yes, I was a sucker for Paul Fleischman's SEEK.) I grew up back East listening to Dan Ingram, Cousin Brucie, Murray the K, Harry Harrison, Imus in the Morning, and Allison Steele The Nightbird. Later, after college, I discovered the late-Seventies musical eclecticism and political commentary of WPKN. These days I'm a Foghead--KFOG's "World Class" rock from San Francisco nicely complements the Pink and No Doubt CDs that Rosemary cranks up at home. Driving to school today, Dave Morey segued from Closer to Fine into Tempted and simply made my morning.

Putting together good short story anthologies seems to me to be quite analogous to putting together really nice sets of music. You choose the right authors for your audience, pick really tasty stories, and segue them in the perfect order to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts.

"Goin' down the road and feelin' bad..." --Traditional

When it comes to young adult literature, there is no literary DJ in the business whose "sets" are a more enjoyable experience than Don Gallo. Don's latest book, DESTINATION UNEXPECTED contains the kind of YA author roster for which his story collections have become known: Alex Flinn, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Kimberly Willis Holt, Ron Koertge, David Lubar, Richard Peck, Graham Salisbury, Joyce Sweeney, Will Weaver, and Ellen Wittlinger. Since nearly half the stories created during the history of the world contain journeys of some sort, these authors were not hampered by the book's theme in creating superb stories to contribute.

"Where will I be when I go back home?
Who will I see when I'm all alone?
And you tell me, What am I going to do?" -¬David Crosby

There are journeys across town, across the country, and across the street. And there are those metaphorical journeys of young people getting to a new understanding.

"...This time I have really led myself astray..." --Soul Asylum

Some of the most powerful stories in the collection are Keep Smiling by Alex Flinn and Bad Blood by Will Weaver. In the first, two young people who are linked unknowingly by a tragic car crash in their community share a ride to a camp where they'll work with underprivileged kids. In the second, a young man from a family of thieves works a scam against an old woman with unexpected results. Then there's David Lubar's Bread on the Water wherein a kid--after he's kicked out of church one Sunday for screwing around with his buddy--learns a real-life lesson in how to "love thy neighbor."

"...I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on..."
--Jackson Browne

My own journey has taken more than enough unexpected turns since those nights of spinning out progressive rock at KVRE. I recently bumped into the formerly young guy who was the soul of the station back then. He's a trial lawyer these days. DESTINATION UNEXPECTED will give young readers cause to pause and contemplate their own roads taken...or not.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...

[Sumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters in these stories aren’t really described at all. The only thing they describe in each little story is the way they travel to different places and see weird people. THey also experience things that change the way they look in that world. Such as, Andy one of the girls traveling to a different place went to church with a friend and got kicked out because she had never met this kid, nor did she know what trouble he has been in. Dalton the kid that hung out around Andy had got her into trouble by trying to leave the restaurant without paying so made Andy pay for all their meal. Andy didn’t know what she was getting herself into because she has never met the kid but was traveling through different places with her family.

In this world, if i was Andy I would start getting to know people a lot better so I wouldn’t get myself into any trouble especially if I was new to the town. In Andy’s position at the restaurant, I would have just left Dalton after paying for the whole meal. You don’t just expect someone to pay for you if you are trying to get in trouble with the law. Not paying for your meal could get you into a lot of trouble such as jail, fines and court cost. I think that after that incident, Andy should stop hanging around Dalton before she gets into anything else bad.

[Melody Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sold on using short stories to explore an author or genre briefly before committing to a longer work! I read all of the short stories in Destination Unexpected. Not only did I find new authors but I quickly found distinct and different qualities among many writers in a short period of time.
Teens can enjoy some good stories while experimenting with different genres and authors whose styles may attract new readers to their longer pieces. It would also be a good way for teen English classes to learn about and to discuss style, tone, mood, theme, and other literary tools since these stories are easily understood, interesting to teens, and quickly read.
My favorite short stories from this book confirmed why I like one author so much, Margaret Peterson Haddix (“My People”), and introduced me to a few others whose longer works I will eagerly look for, like Joyce Sweeney (“Something Old, Something New”).
Parents need to know the short story entitled “Brutal Interlude” by Ron Koertge seems to treat intimate teen sexual relations as a normal part of teen relationships even as he strongly asserts that shallow, physical relationships are not satisfying.
I am sensitive to teen sex being portrayed as “normal” and am glad to avoid longer works containing this premise. Being able to make choices about authors and genres is a great reason to make use of short stories as guides for selection.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were delightful and delicious short stories - there could have been more. I picked it up because I'm reading many things by Margaret Haddix and she is included in this collection. Her story "My People" was much different from the dark and dystopian world of Among the Hidden - that alone was cool, knowing she has depth and variety.

The first story "Something Old, Something New", reminded me of the fairy tale theme where a young man goes on a journey and encounters three beings (sometimes people, but usually animals) in need and stops to help them. They return the favor in magical ways. The hero in this book is just traveling from the wrong side of town, where he lives, to the posh side, where he is going to accept an award. He has to take any number of buses and encounters people in need on his way. That isn't really the point of the story, nor is there any sense that they return the favor, but I love how human and noble it makes him, how confident he approaches the award ceremony.

There are more stories - all of them good, some great.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually put off reading this book for a really long time becaue I've never really liked short stories.
I mean what's the point of wasting your time on something that is only like 40 pages and you won't even remember.
However. I'm very glad I read this collection of short stories.
I actually only picked up the book for the short story by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but I really liked all of them. Even though hers was really well written and really good, I think the one before hers was really touching.
I can't remember the name of it, but the moral was basically how one simple gesture, can make a lot of difference and how if you make one person happy, then they might make another person happy in turn.
I wish I still had the book beside me when writing this review, so I could write the author who wrote that short story down and look up some of his other work. Unfortunately, I had to return it to the library. :(

[Julie Leung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donald R. Gallo does a commendable job in creating a genuine character. My favorite short story out of Gallo's, "Destination Unexpected" is Margaret Peterson Haddix's, "My People", because one virtue that this narrative carries that differs from the rest of the tales is that the reader can relate to its protagonist. I can acknowledge how Lindley feels about being surrounded by different people of different statuses in an unfamiliar place.

Lindley's situation reminds me of my own, when I first walked in to kindergarten. The feeling of dread overwhelmed me, just like it did to Lindley. We both have our similarities, starting from us stepping into a new school, to us meeting foreign people who were new to ourselves. Becoming accustomed to new things around me taught me that everybody has to adapt to changes some time or later.

[Crystal Spearing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good, I like short stories because they have different point of views. This books was filled with short stories about destination of young teens. I can relate to the teens in this book because I too don't know my destination. This book gave me a look about what I want my future to be, and how the struggles can get in the away of destination. I love the plots and themes of the stories. The theme were mainly misunderstanding among teens. It seems like nowadays teens are misunderstood and look down at because of there age. I think all teenagers should read this book because the teenage years can be really hard and confusing and overwhelming with emotions and situations in life.

[kb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sad to report that this book turned out to be… just okay. I love anthologies and expected a lot from this one but somehow, this book fell short. There WERE fun times, like stories that seemed based on or weaved from teen romcoms that a lot of people/readers enjoy, and quite touching moments, like those stories about self-discovery and travelling, but at the end, the overall impact remained to be just—as in everybody’s favorite one-word text reply—“K.”

[Debrarian]

Short stories about teens learning something surprising along the way, on journeys real and metaphorical. Especially good: “Something Old, Something New,” by Joyce Sweeney; “The Kiss in the Carryon Bag, by Richard Peck; and “Mosquito,” by Graham Salisbury.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a nice collection of meaningful short stories for a teen audience, especially younger teens. I'm a little past the care, largely due to age and experience, of some of the themes, but it is a good collection for its intended audience.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Something Old, Something New" by Joyce Sweeney and
"Bread on the Water" by David Lubar are the strongest stories in the set. Others could have benefited from more editing. Some 'told' too much and left nothing to the imagination. Many needed more focus.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although students can relate and find hope and solace in the stories, it's not the best way to spend an afternoon reading through these ten short stories.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories. Good for monologue pieces.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories compliation by today's best teen authors-wonderful

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

still don't like short stories!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of short stories by some well-known authors. Most were very good. I've never really looked for short stories & this was a pleasant surprise.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, interesting. YA stories about life taking you places you didn't expect