Altogether, One at a Time

by E.L. Konigsburg

Good and bad. Everything is good and bad. Nothing is ever all of one or all of the other. Which is not exactly the way most people like it.

Take Stanley's birthday party. It would have been just great if it hadn't been for Jason. He was Stanley's mother's idea. She insisted on Jason because Stanley had been to his party. But being at a party doesn't mean being with it. Jason was gristle, a sad sort of gristle.

Or take Lewis, who went to see his grandmother. They got along pretty well, his grandmother and he. And he generally understood her pretty well. But on the night of the great meteor shower, he saw another side of her. And it wasn't all pleasant. For him or for her.

All four stories show how things can be both bad and good. You almost always have to take both. And maybe it's better that way. It's more real.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Classics

79 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 1971

About the author

Elaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association award for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American children's literature."
Konigsburg submitted her first two manuscripts to editor Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Publishers in 1966, and both were published in 1967: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the 1968 Newbery Medal, and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was listed as a runner-up in the same year, making Konigsburg the only author to win the Newbery Medal and have another book listed as runner-up in the same year. She won again for The View from Saturday in 1997, 29 years later, the longest span between two Newberys awarded to one author.
For her contribution as a children's writer Konigsburg was U.S. nominee in 2006 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 2 out of 5]

ENGLISH: A short collection of four short stories. Not so interesting as other books by Konigsburg. The last one ("Momma at the Pearly Gates") was the best for me.

ESPAÑOL: Colección corta de historias cortas. Este libro no es tan interesante como otros de Konigsburg. El último cuento ("Mamá en las Puertas del Cielo") me pareció el mejor.

[Jez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inviting Jason - a cute story, but I was disappointed that the MC didn't seem to learn anything. Also, I don't believe Konigsburg gave an accurate portrayal of dyslexia. As someone with dyslexia, I was a little insulted by what she had written. I realize she was trying to show that kids with dyslexia aren't bad...but it came off as her showing that kids with dyslexia are very, very different from other kids, like aliens, and that they couldn't think clearly.

The Night of the Leonids - I liked this story, but I hated the way the pictures were used as part of the narrative, instead of as a paratextual feature. There was one point when Lewis was slapped and it was only in the illustration and I had no idea what was going on until later in the story where it is written that Lewis held the hand that hit him. I don't really see what they bring to the story, either.

Camp Fat - This story had such a long build-up to the moral...and then fell flat when the MC just stated the moral instead of actually learning it and reflecting it in her actions. Also. the ghost seemed a little deux ex machina.

Momma at the Pearly Gates - I liked this story and the way it depicted racial struggles and overcoming them. In this case, I did like the illustrations, because they showed the art that was created in the narrative.

I absolutely love E.L. Konigsburg and each summer I read and study a few of her books. This was my first for this summer, and I have to say, I'm disappointed. I am used to reading Konigsburg's award-winning novels and her novels that should be award winners, and this anthology didn't live up to my expectations of her writing. I realize it is an earlier work than the Epiphany trilogy I so treasure, but even so, in comparison, the writing and story-telling in this book seemed rudimentary.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a lot of short stories, this one is mixed. The first story was a good concept but dated in its portrayal and didn't feel like a fully fleshed out idea. The second one felt very her in the characterizations...I felt like I had met this grandma. The third one felt like a cliche, which is a hard thing to say about a book this old because you wonder if it's a cliche now but not then. The fourth story was my favorite.
It was not the strongest of her works and the illustrations felt VERY 1970s, but it was worth the read.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four short stories narrated by children in the mid-twentieth century. Memorable prose and ambiguous, sometimes unsettling endings.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hm. Definitely the earlier work of someone who became a great author. I really only liked the last story, and the intro to a new work that was included in this edition.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four short stories, four interesting lessons.

[Lisa Huninghake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I was expecting a new book, but it is a collection of stories. Although the stories are good, I was really hoping for something more. This just wasn’t what I was looking for.

[Lisa]

The stories were just okay. The only one that I had an issue with was the last one "Momma at the Pearly Gates". The frequent use of the "n" word surprised me.

[Rut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpected.

[LPR · Rating 2 out of 5]

tbh this didn't age well, but still plenty of that Konigsberg charm around the edges

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

Altogether, One at a Time, a slim book containing four short stories, was originally published in 1971. Each story tells of a particular incident that changes the life of the main character in a profound way.

In "Inviting Jason," the main character's mother forces him to invite a kid he hates to his birthday party. "The Night of the Leonids" is about a boy and his grandmother whose opportunity to see a star formation that only occurs every thirty-three and a third years is thwarted by cloudy weather. "Camp Fat" is the story of a girl who goes to camp to lose weight and encounters a mysterious counselor who comes to her bedside each night with encouragement and advice. In "Momma at the Pearly Gates," a young girl relates the story of how her mother overcame racism in her public elementary school.

Though each story is thematically different, they do share some stylistic similarities. Each story begins in the midst of the action, with not much build-up, and no wasted words. I felt like I got to know the characters instantly, which really paid off when each story reached its pivotal moment. I was also really impressed at the subtle differences between the four main characters' voices. Some authors' characters all sound the same, but these truly sounded like four different people, with four distinct personalities.

Short stories are not very popular among children, but the "Camp Fat" story, especially, has a creepiness to it that will be appealing to Goosebumps fans, and kids who like scary stuff. I actually think any of the stories with the possible exception of the last one, still felt fairly contemporary and could still appeal to a contemporary audience. I also think this book would have come in really handy when I was taking creative writing classes. These are very well-written short stories, and when I do start writing again, I might revisit this book for a refresher.

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read these four short stories, each illustrated by a different person (including Mercer Mayer), as a child, but reread them as an adult. To an adult, the morality lessons maybe seem a bit too blunt, but I think for a child they are exactly as unsubtle as they need to be--proof being that I remembered them well after decades. Get your kids reading this book so they, too, can take these lessons into their adult life.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember everything about this book: how I acquired it, how I felt while I was reading it, how I felt about it after, how I read it again, and how I gave it to my nephew and he lost it, and now it's gone. This is one of those small books filled with pure joy. The stories are wonderful and each one will haunt you and come to mind at the oddest times. I'm going to have to buy another copy now to replace my old one!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the incredibly excellent and much-read "From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" which I remember frondly from my childhood, perhaps more age appropriate than "The Second Mrs. Giaconda," which I can recommend to grown-ups. A bit didactic and moralistic, but just worth reading -- in particular "Camp Fat," and the author's note inside the back cover.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are four separate stories in the book. Each is complete yet not. Each gives much to think about.
This would be a great book to read with a child to start a conversation about growing up, how to think about others, how to think about oneself. It's a good starting point to look at personal values and views.

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippets from the point of view of children; impressionable ones, with each experience telling them something about growing up and life in general. I liked it a lot because it made me look back at the time when I was young as the children in the short stories.

[Malia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd set of short stories. They are like adult fiction short stories, where it's often not as much about plot but more about a setting, a time, a mood, one idea, something like that. I didn't read it as a kid, but the concept is pretty mature even if the language is kid-friendly.

[Mr. Pruden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, entertaining collection of short stories.

[Hazim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best book, kinda of clear

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son continues reading through E. L. Konigsburg. This was an interesting collection of 4 diverse short stories.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 short stories with something to think about in each one. All very different.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love EL Konigsburg, but this one was a little strange...

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has four short stories in it, that each talks about four diffent children learning different life lessons.

[Darlene Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories. OK.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Kongisburg's short stories: simple narratives, simple morals, deeper observations about human relationships. Good for elementary school or adults; middle grade readers would be bored.

[Flannery · Rating 2 out of 5]

E.L. Konigsburg Weeks 2012, Book 8.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A teeny-tiny book, and (alas) not super-memorable ten months later.