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Join in: Multiethnic Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults
Here are seventeen original short stories that reflect young adults' views on friendships and prejudice, expectations and disappointments, and connections and confrontations.
Library Binding
First published January 1, 1993
4 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Donald R. Gallo
29 books17 followersDonald 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.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 19, 2010
Completed: 12/09
Snapshot: An inconsistent collection! I found some stories preachy, some unrealistic, and others probably out of the realm of my students’ interests. Among the stories that struck me as potentially meaningful for my students, however, were Rita William-Garcia’s “Into the Game,” Gloria Gonzalez’s “Viva New Jersey,” Julius Lester’s “The Child,” and Danny Romero’s “The Alley,” each of which considers themes of identity formation as treated by a Latino/a or African American teenager, and how that identity connects with friendship and/or family.
Hook: Different hooks for different stories… I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the whole collection. Maybe the short story form itself could be a hook! And: kids their age and in comparable life situations.
Student in mind: Tricky, because of the range of stories… For the Romero story, maybe Oriel, a freshman who despite real challenges (being a parent himself as describing himself as having been in and out of jail) strikes me as a truly thoughtful person who could learn to love reading. Something short about someone like him might appeal to him. Oh no, he wanted humor!
Level: High school, mostly.
Snapshot: An inconsistent collection! I found some stories preachy, some unrealistic, and others probably out of the realm of my students’ interests. Among the stories that struck me as potentially meaningful for my students, however, were Rita William-Garcia’s “Into the Game,” Gloria Gonzalez’s “Viva New Jersey,” Julius Lester’s “The Child,” and Danny Romero’s “The Alley,” each of which considers themes of identity formation as treated by a Latino/a or African American teenager, and how that identity connects with friendship and/or family.
Hook: Different hooks for different stories… I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the whole collection. Maybe the short story form itself could be a hook! And: kids their age and in comparable life situations.
Student in mind: Tricky, because of the range of stories… For the Romero story, maybe Oriel, a freshman who despite real challenges (being a parent himself as describing himself as having been in and out of jail) strikes me as a truly thoughtful person who could learn to love reading. Something short about someone like him might appeal to him. Oh no, he wanted humor!
Level: High school, mostly.
August 10, 2008
Fun mix of short stories. Some stories overuse flashbacks, descriptions and action tags. A few stories felt forced.
My favorite stories are ‘Into the Game’ by Williams-Garcia, ‘No Win Phoung’ by Alden R. Carter and 'Winter Hibiscus’ by Minfong Ho, which I felt was the most powerful short story in the collection. ‘Godmother’ by Sharon Bell Mathis created excellent characters. ‘Bride Price’ by Linda Crew uses parts of Children of the River, a YA novel which I’ve read several times and enjoy.
My favorite stories are ‘Into the Game’ by Williams-Garcia, ‘No Win Phoung’ by Alden R. Carter and 'Winter Hibiscus’ by Minfong Ho, which I felt was the most powerful short story in the collection. ‘Godmother’ by Sharon Bell Mathis created excellent characters. ‘Bride Price’ by Linda Crew uses parts of Children of the River, a YA novel which I’ve read several times and enjoy.
December 7, 2018
The book is really magnificent.
November 3, 2015
This is a spectacular collection of stories. Each individual story made me wish it continued further. Gallo did a wonderful job at collecting stories from not only diverse backgrounds, but diverse writing styles as well.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews