Sit

by Deborah Ellis

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.

Genres: Short Stories, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Canada, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Deborah Ellis has achieved international acclaim with her courageous and dramatic books that give Western readers a glimpse into the plight of children in developing countries.

She has won the Governor General's Award, Sweden's Peter Pan Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the University of California's Middle East Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award.

A long-time feminist and anti-war activist, she is best known for The Breadwinner Trilogy, which has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a million dollars in royalties donated to Street Kids International and to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan. In 2006, Deb was named to the Order of Ontario.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS
For being such short short stories, these were pretty thought provoking. I had no idea what was in store for me when I picked up this collection about chairs. But the author really made each story unique and inspiring. Some were during war and natural disasters, some were about home life and conflicts. They were tough topics but the stories were still light somehow.
I thought these were really great, and could have been more powerful if they were longer and didn't read as young (I thought maybe I had a picked up a middle grade).

[Natalia_c1]

Sit has a bunch of stories in it, they are all related to things you sit on. It very interesting to read about how seats have an impact on your life. People should read this book if you don't read a lot and like to read a little at a time.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, the adults and parents depicted in this new collection of stories by Deborah Ellis aren't painted in a very complimentary way. Some are downright cruel to the youngsters for whom they are responsible, and others are dishonest or condescending or simply don't understand their offspring. Only in The Day-Off Chair does an adult behave in a supportive way. I'm quite sure that the author isn't indicting a whole group of individuals of a certain age, but I'm also equally sure that she intends to celebrate the courage, resilience and determination of her 10 young characters, each of whom takes some sort of action and looks for a way to survive and thrive even under almost unendurable conditions. In the 11 stories, Ellis features Jafar, a child laborer whose chief desire is to attend school and who makes his mark in an unexpected way. His two stories begin and conclude the collection in the stories "The Singing Chair" and "The Hope Chair." The author's decision to name each of the stories by a type of chair is interesting since it reveals something about the youngsters whose experiences are described here. She doesn't reveal the characters' entire life history; instead, she chooses to focus on one important moment or period in time as they sit and wait. My favorites were "The Question Chair" in which Gretchen ponders what she and her parents might have done had they lived during the Holocaust and "The Freedom Chair" in which Mike relies on inner strength and acts of kindness from an unknown benefactor to survive 72 days of solitary confinement. But I also liked Miyuki's courage in "The Glowing Chair" when she enters an area deemed unsafe due to radiation leakage in order to rescue her mother's donkey, Hisa, as she somehow becomes someone who acts rather than simply sitting idly by and letting life take its course. Each story prompts much reflection, and young readers may enjoy debating how they might have behaved in these particular circumstances. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one since it had such an odd title, but it quickly grew on me. I should know to trust this talented writer who seems to understand youngsters quite well.

[ladydusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sat to read Sit by Deborah Ellis while watching the kids - my kids and my nephews - playing blissfully in the pool while on vacation. While I would never say that sadness, hardship, or even violence have never touched their teen and pre-teen lives, the juxtaposition between their lives and the stories detailed in this book were stark.

Sit is a collection of short stories with children or teens in difficult circumstances; children from all over the world facing violence of a mental, emotional, and/or physical nature. They are often soul-breaking situations out of which strength or destruction may come. Most of the stories are unrelated -- the exceptions are 1) the first and the last of the same character in his violent situation and then his redemptive one and 2) a brother and sister whose stories are told separately, yet coincide to show how well they know one another and help them find common ground in their parents' divorce.

All of the children physically sit as some point or another and their sitting comes with introspection and contemplation. The act of sitting and thinking yields an action or decision. Their thoughts affect their identity - the tell the reader about who they decide to be and how they would be known. In this way, there is a spark of hope in each story, which is good as many of the stories are dark.

There are some problems with Sit that have been detailed by other reviewers on GoodReads. The adults are uncommunicative at best and abusive at worst. The children are always portrayed as wise due to their willingness to sit and think. While relationships like those portrayed here are not uncommon, I hope that these contentious relationships are not what our society sees as normative, nor do I desire to show my children that such relationships are the norm.

I think this would be best as a read-aloud book. Because of the weight of topics and the way interpersonal relationships are portrayed, much discussion would be required. Ellis deals with divorce, child abuse and alcoholism, child labor, the Amish school shooting in Pennsylvania, the Holocaust and generational guilt, juvenile detention and solitary confinement, the tsunami that wiped out Fukushima in Japan, and refugees escaping the Taliban hiding in Uzbekistan. The stories are not long and the writing is not difficult, but I would not hand this to a child without intent to discuss -- and reading together would be the best.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little book. I am not usually drawn to short story collections but Ellis is a master story teller. Drawing each story together with the universal concept of sitting, this collection exposes young readers to global issues like child labour, homelessness, domestic violence, and that names only a view. Ellis takes these overwhelming issues and makes them real and accessible for young readers. This has so many potential applications for classroom use but it is also simply an engrossing read. It is one of my top Silver Birch contenders.

[Rissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was disturbed by these stories where the adults are always the scary or abusive or just plain mean. But after a while I began to see that these are really stories about children who start out seated by circumstance but then stand up for themselves (either figuratively or literally). Very good.

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent connected short story collection covering global topics. Highly recommend as a read aloud in middle school classrooms.

Thanks to Groundwood Books for the advance copy of this title for review purposes - all opinions are my own.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author seems like a lovely caring person who might make a great neighbour or teacher or friend (I haven't met her, I'm going by the book). She's also apparently a multi-award-winning author, which is impressive. And I liked the first story in the book well enough.

But as I moved through this collection of tales, they all blended together. Another child. Another child thinking thoughts. Thinking thoughts that the others around them might not understand, might not even want them to think, but the child will think them nonetheless. Story after story with thoughtful child. And I love thoughtful children (I was one myself), and I love encouraging thinking, but I don't love reading story after story which are, aside from a change of name and location, essentially the same exact theme/plot yet again.

I stopped about 2/3 of the way through because (a) all the stories were the same, and (b) it's not like I was particularly loving any of them. I'm not the world's biggest short-story afficionado, but I've read (and re-read) collections by John Collier and Rouald Dahl. I thought Alice Munro was a brilliant writer. Yes, Sit is for kids (although I can't picture them enjoying all these stories in a row any better than I did), but I've read and enjoyed numerous story collections for kids, so that's not the sticking point. It's just the sheer tedium of this well-meaning repetitiveness.

If you are reading this, obviously you may adore them, and their similarity could be a plus, just as when you open a box of chocolates and the first one is delicious and just to your taste, perhaps it's a good thing that the second one is almost exactly the same as the first. But for me, it's like opening a box of chocolates and the first one is decent but nothing special, and so is the second, etc.

(My subjective rating scale: 5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful.)

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every story in this collection. The premise is that every story mentions somewhere that a child sits. The stories occur all over the world and cover a variety of topics--prison, divorce, refugees, suburbia, Amish country, a concentration camp (today), and more. I am planning on using several of the short stories with classes as jumping off points for discussions. I heartily recommend this short book.

[Orsolya · Rating 4 out of 5]

We often make statements about the silent, unifying objects in our lives: “If walls could talk”, if we “could be a fly on the wall”. Everyday mute items ‘know’ so much about us and connect people in ways that are taken for granted. Take: chairs. The act of sitting and the various incarnations of seating apparatuses are so common place; that we don’t even think about them. Deborah Ellis, however, does. Ellis, an award-winning author, imagines the world of possibilities surrounding chairs in, “Sit”.

Ellis is a virtuoso with a pen and makes no exception in “Sit” creating a compilation of short stories with diverse characters, plots, and environments surrounding various chairs. Ellis fashions a small child working in a poverty-ridden chair factory, a child at an evacuation center post-tsunami, to a family seated at a food court dining table with the parents preparing to announce a divorce. “Sit” is a creative collection with individualistic, stand-out traits displayed by each story.

“Sit” is a undemanding, quick, easy-to-read anthology targeting young adults but certainly satisfying even for discerning adult readers. Ellis’s prose is simple, basic and yet, illustrative and complex at the same time. The text carries the reader away and creates an emotive world but with a natural and organic ease that is almost shocking. A certifiable depth/complexity lies under the simplicity.

Ellis truly digs into the reader’s psyche and is able to connect through her words resulting in introspection from the reader. Again, this illustrative depth is surprising for something so light-weight.

Naturally, some of the stories in “Sit” are tighter than others and possess a stronger gravitational pull. Despite this, “Sit” as a whole flows well, makes sense, and has a lively beat. The stories are worth reading and almost beg or Ellis to flesh them out into longer novels.

The final two stories in “Sit” wrap up the collection in a memorable way with the first revisiting an earlier story in a sort of ‘update’ manner and the second addressing the entire book and book title. Ellis certainly knows how to leave with a climatic bang and satisfy the reader.

“Sit” is an accessible, fast, collection of short stories with a relatable theme that never comes off as ‘cheesy’ and makes the reader ‘think’. “Sit” is very much recommended for fans of short stories or those seeking a doctor’s office or beach read but with substance.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tiny book packs a powerful punch. It covers many difficult topics, each handled by a child who has to make the choice to “sit” and endure, or stand up and take action. Everything from divorce, human smuggling, child labour, solitary confinement, German concentration camps, and gun violence is covered, to name a few topics. It’s hard to pick a favourite out of this collection of short stories, but I think given the current atmosphere with regards to immigrants and racism, particularly in the States, I’d probably choose Gretchen’s story about her class visit to Auschwitz as one of my top picks. But really, there were no duds in this collection. I really liked the way Ellis finished off the book with two stories from characters from the beginning of the book. It was a nice way to wrap up their stories and see where they were headed.

My only criticism would be that with the exception of perhaps two minor characters, all the adults in the stories are portrayed very negatively. I totally understand that these stories were written to inspire kids and show them that they have the power to take action, but kids also have to know that sometimes they need help from an adult and that there are many good adults out there that they can trust. This book easily would have received 5 stars from me, but for this issue. This is the only reason why I’m giving it 4 stars.

Nevertheless, this a great collection of short stories that would be appropriate for middle school kids (especially if parents/teachers read along with them to answer some inevitable questions) and young adults. Adults will definitely enjoy it, too.

[Rachel Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a book in the style this. I really enjoyed the different short stories,I really enjoyed how the author provided information about the situation and character in a very small way. That left some open room for you to make an inference and use your imagination to fill in some of the details. I was surprised to see that the author could wrap up the stories so quickly and for it to not seem rushed, I really loved how some of the stories came back toward the end in a different characters prospective or the same character. The reason I like this type of writing is because if you don't like one story there are other ones that you can still enjoy. One thing I wanted to see was the characters ages because in some stories they are obvious or the author said it but for some of them I was lost in the story because it was difficult to feel for the character and the situation. I would have also loved to have a next book of a perspective of all the different chairs they sat in but I would want it to be the chairs in these short stories. Over all I really enjoyed this quick read!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book and had a strong visceral negative reaction to it, but maybe that's the point?. The blurb inside the cover states, "children find courage to take control over their lives in ways large and small...". I don't think this came across very well, I was left feeling more bleak and depressed than hopeful and optimistic. It felt too heavy and unbalanced. Again, maybe that's the point, I'm basing this on my emotional reaction. It's been nominated for a Silver Birch award, which is targeted at grade 3-6 students. I would be uncomfortable giving this to a student in grade 3.

[Tracy Trofimencoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books I’ve read in a long time. A great collection of short stories told from the perspective of children facing hardships from all over the world. Ellis uses the simple object of a chair to tell each child’s story. She also revisits a few of the children’s stories as the collection ends. This book would be great to share with 10 year olds and up. Great teaching tool for empathy, compassion and giving.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is amazing. It is much more intense, deep, and powerful than I anticipated. Absolutely brilliant! This book is on a whole other level than my other five-star reviews. Reading this book will change you.

[Maggie Ignasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

World awareness is so important! I hope more books come out just like this one, because people of all ages need to be aware of the struggles of others and of their own privileges.

[Elizabeth Appenheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful, powerful stories filled with emotion and reflection. I loved that each one read differently, even though they were all by the same author, on the same theme.

[Cindy Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to use these short stories to establish culture and expectations at the beginning of the school year!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried so many times while reading this middle grade short story collection from Ellis. She must remember what it was like to be a child because the reader can feel the injustice and/or experiences of these children vividly. Many of these children were going through crap, but every story was incredibly powerful and hopeful in some way!
I highly recommend this to everyone who has a child or children in their life... and then read these stories with them.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 stories starting with children sitting.

The singing chair: Impoverished Jafar works in a furniture factory, helping make chairs, but dreams of a better life in the future. I liked this one, though Jafar's situation is heartbreaking--I like that he still has a little spark of hope.

The time-out chair: Macie, at seven, is way too old for her pink plastic time-out chair, but her harshly controlling mother will find any reason to badmouth Macie and force her into the chair. So Macie has to find her own way to escape. This one was just sad. Macie's future while she still lives at home looks bleak.

The question chair: A modern-day German girl, seeing Auschwitz, wonders what her family's role was in the war--and what she might have done or not done. While I understand why the girl is German, I think this is a question that can apply to any of us, so maybe more impact if not a German girl?

The knowing chair: A ten year old boy with his family in the mall looks around and notices things about other people, then finally recognizes what he is seeing in his own family as well. I liked this one, with the observant child that adults overlook. Kids see more than we give them credit for.

The plain chair: An Amish boy helps demolish his school after a tragedy occurs. Sad. I liked the unusual perspective, and the reflection that community doesn't need to be narrow.

The day-off chair: Bea takes a day off from school because her home situation is so difficult. Another one in which kids see more than we think, and have to grow up sooner than they should have to.

The freedom chair: An incarcerated boy must endure two months of solitary confinement for tiny--and imaginary--infractions of jail rules, and must find ways to cope through connection. Another sad and difficult one--you never find out what country this is in or what Mike did to get in jail, which makes it feel even more hopeless.

The hiding chair: An illegal refugee orphan girl from Pakistan is crowded into a tiny apartment with many other illegal refugees for months and months. This was the most heartbreaking, and I've heard of situations like this in this country, which makes it even more heartbreaking.

The war chair: The younger sister from The Knowing Chair stages a minor sit-in on the ground to protest the war between her parents. I really liked how the counselor tried to help the kids understand that the parents' war was not about them, and that they needed to find things to build their own identities away from their parents.

The hope chair: Back to Jafar from the first story, whose next seat is in a makeshift school that is his hope for the future. Good to see him still dreaming.

Overall I liked this, though I felt it was too young for most of our students. We could possibly use one or two of the stories in isolation, though. A thoughtful, thought-provoking collection.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to @kidlitexchange and Groundwood Books for a free advanced copy of Sit in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Sit is a powerful collection of stories, all connected by one theme: the ways we sit and observe the world. Author Deborah Ellis shares the experience of seven children as they try to understand the situations they find themselves in and the world at large. Each is faced with a choice: to continue to sit or to stand up and take action. I truly enjoyed this collection and found several ways in which older middle grade and young adults could connect and relate. Read on to hear what I loved, what I didn't enjoy, and my rating!
From issues like divorce to jail to refugees, each of these stories can spur a conversation or help a child feel like they are not alone in any difficult situation. Each chair is given a title, the "Knowing Chair", the "Hiding Chair", and the "Hope Chair," just to name a few, and each provides just a little bit of peace for the person who is sitting in it. The stories take place around the world in locations that are as familiar as a swing set or a mall food court to more diverse locations like a school tour of Auschwitz or a crowded apartment for refugees in Uzbekistan. While each story is very short (no more than 20 pages), they all provide the opportunity to learn more about the locations and discuss the themes with others.
Several of the topics and conversations are some that I would not consider suitable for the younger middle grade audience, even though it is solicited to that age range. The language and themes would be better suited for older middle grade (ages 12 and up) and the young adult readers.
My only qualm with these stories is the negative light in which the majority of the adults are painted. Not one understands the child in each story, nor do they attempt to do so. While it teaches readers to develop their own agency and to take charge of their fate, it doesn’t teach them to talk about these issues with the adults around them. If you are a parent or teacher reading along with your kiddos, this would be a great opportunity to talk about these ideas.
Ellis focuses on one significant moment in each character’s life, showing readers that every moment is a chance to make positive impact on their own lives. I highly recommend Sit and give each of its stories four out of five stars!
TL/DR: Seven stories all connected by the power to stand rather than sit. Great for readers that feel stuck in a situation.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Barry took hold of his little sister's hand. She yanked it away.
Their mother said. 'We've got something to tell you.'
Barry kept his eyes on his parents through the whole unraveling, while Sue cried and his fatehr cried and his mother siad that she knew they should have told them at home...
I'll get my own van, Barry thought. I'll take sue and we'll go see the giant nickel and we won't invite them to come with us.
He tried to hold his sister's hand again.
She would not let him.
He kept on trying."

Read this because it was a Silver Birch nominee this year and I thought the concept - different short stories based on places kids are sitting - was interesting. I liked it a lot more than I expected to, and the ones that really got to me were the ordinary ones. There were stories set in child labor factories and detention cells, but the one at the mall food court (above) and the one about the little girl who has temper tantrums and her mother makes her sit in the time out chair were really excellent. I really appreciate how much respect Ellis shows for her child characters. This would be good for a reluctant reader, although the quick changes in character and situation might be difficult to follow for some kids. I think this is a cool introduction to short stories and how they can be related or separate, and how they can form a larger picture together. Overall, very impressed, would definitely recommend. I'll have to read her famous book, The Breadwinner.

[Meag McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a middle-grade short story collection like this before - it covers a lot of really tough topics from a child's perspective, making them even more heart-wrenching. Some young readers may not be ready for a few of these stories, but for middle-graders open to a challenge that can handle the "tough stuff," this is a great collection.

I was particularly touched by a few of the stories: "The Question Chair," (about Gretchen, a German girl wondering how her family and friends would have acted if they had lived during the Holocaust), "The Knowing Chair" and "The War Chair" (connected stories about a brother and sister and their parent's divorce), and "The Hiding Chair" (about Noosala, an orphaned refugee girl in hiding from the Taliban). But really, each and every story was well done - I could see them all popping into my mind in the future, which I can't say about many (any?) short story collections.

[Emerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book has been sitting untouched in my library for a bit now — I ordered it simply based on a catalogue I received advertising it for the age groups I teach. I was about to book talk it but decided to read it first and I think I might send this book to the middle school rather than keep it with me.

Not that it’s inappropriate for 4th and 5th grade students (although some parents would definitely argue that point) but because I think there are a lot of middle school students that this would really resonate with. And high school students as well. As our schools become more diverse, specifically with our growing Muslim community, I think a lot of these mini stories will connect with our students in ways they didn’t fully connect with me.

I liked this book — especially the idea behind starting all the stories with a character sitting — but it isn’t one of my favorites. I think there’s a good lesson here, though, and I can’t wait to pass this up to the middle school.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit, I didn't finish the whole book, so the rating is really for the first few stories. It's possible they got better and less depressing later in the book, but the first few were so incredibly dark I couldn't keep reading.

The settings of three of the first four stories were a sweatshop, a concentration camp (being visited by a modern German teen), and an Amish community were a school shooting has just happened. And while these are each individually great settings for books, each story was too short to really get into, but just long enough to depress you with the setting and circumstances of the main characters.

I would really only recommend this book to an older kid or adult who was looking for something really heavy to read. Instead, go read No Ordinary Day by the same author.

[Cornmaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly executed set of stories using a chair as metaphor for feelings and concepts. To me, the simplicity of the stories combined with their power reminded me of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.

The last story reprises the character in the first story as a nice completed circle. Two other stories feature the same characters, one at the beginning of the drama, and the other right in the middle of it.

Tough situations figure in all of them, and middle schoolers may readily identify with a lot of them. This book could easily be a book club book in a middle school, high school, or even at an adult book club, it has that much depth.

The cover illustration is deceptive - you might think it is a sweet, juvenile story with humor. It's not any of that.

Highly recommended.

[Jayme Carruthers · Rating 5 out of 5]

@KidLitExchange #partner

5/5 stars.

Deborah Ellis has done it again! I was very excited to read Sit, as The Breadwinner is one of my favorites. :)

Everyone sits. Whether it's a chair, bed, park bench, sofa, bus seat, etc. Often times when we are sitting, big things are going on in the world around us. We may be sitting when we hear the greatest news of our lives, or the saddest. We may be sitting when we are playing or when we are in trouble. Sitting is actually a big part of our lives. Ellis explores these seats and these events and writes about them in such a descriptive way.

Each chapter is a new story - a new seat, a new sitter, a new life event. And each one tugs at your heart in ways you would never imagine.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are not alone. ...Other people have been held in cells like this one, held in even worse cells. Nelson Mandela. Gandhi. Jesus. Those women who wanted to vote. Muhammad Ali. The guy who carved the F and part of a second letter into the wall of this cell. They did it. He can do it."

"The question of her life. It was not who would her parents have been. It was who would she have been? At this moment, she was not sure. Did she help anyone? Did she stand for anything? What did she believe? Did she decide things for herself or did she allow her friends to decide for her?"

"Those things are yours. They are yours whether your parents fight or get along. They are yours no matter what happens. Your parents are choosing to go to war. You can choose to focus on the things you love."

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite profound. These are heavy subjects for any reader and I feel that Ellis has crafted some amazing stories in this book. I have never read, or seen, any children's book that discusses the reality of solitary confinement. In addition, the way the Holocaust is presented to the reader in The Question Chair and how Gretchen reflects on these events isn't like any other story about the Holocaust I have seen for children.
A definite must have for English teachers and anyone else working with children's creative writing. These stories can serve as a starting point for many creative writing activities.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay! Short stories for kids! And they're good, if a bit dark. All of the stories have the word "chair" in the title, but for instance "The Glowing Chair" (which sounds kind of nice, right?) is about the aftermath of a nuclear accident in Japan. "The Singing Chair" features extreme poverty and child labor in a Middle East country. There are stories about divorce, war, and a school shooting (although that is never explicitly mentioned, just implied). The villains in the stories are adults, often the parents or other caregivers. The saving grace for me is that there's hope in these stories, too, and the children featured are resilient, brave, and compassionate.