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Silver A Collection of Short Stories
Enjoy twelve different stories with such titles as Acts of a Hero, Nick Harte Was Here, Come of Age, Of Missing Persons, The Gold Medal, The Long Winter, Lost Sister, Father and the "1812", the House Guest, The Bet, Going to Run All Night, and Stop the Sun. Your students will enjoy each of these stories. 160 pages.
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
July 10, 2026
This collection that I read in high school is a great introductory book into the short story genre. I think it is expertly collected with stories that aren't difficult to follow and easy to interpret and analyze. I would recommend it to 8th-10th grade students, although advanced middle school students could pick it up, too.
EDIT: More than 10 years later and I still think this collection has some great books. I re-read the entire set of short stories and took notes on each. Some reviews are short, and some are long, but take them as you will.
//Act of a Hero//
This is a good example of an ironic title. The main character doesn't feel like a hero, but everyone else does. It's because of his man-v.s.-self conflict and the knowledge of what he didn't do rather than what he actually did that makes him feel guilty.
//Mick Harte Was Here//
I've heard this story used as a Dramatic Interpretation piece for Speech competitions, and reading the story in its entirety, I can see why. We can't let ourselves linger in the land of "what if's" because it's only going to hurt us. However, in this case, it's what brings together a mourning father and daughter.
//Come of Age//
The title is straight to the point and fits with the plot. This quote describes it well for the main character, Timothy: "...he was eleven years old. He didn't want to know about all these things. He didn't want to know what war really was."
//Of Missing Persons//
An absolutely mind-boggling story. The ending had me stressed out. It's considered a science fiction, and I usually don't enjoy these genres, but safe to say, I loved this one.
//The Gold Medal//
This had the sweetest message ever. Great life lesson for all ages.
//The Long Winter//
This has the potential of having a theme of fathers breaking the generational cycle of tough parenting, but I don't think I can properly categorize this book there due to the short ending. It was a good story, telling of an obedient son and a tough-loving father.
//Lost Sister by Dorothy M. Johnson//
This was SO interesting. I'd love to read this one again if only to experience that ending. It felt heroic. But more importantly, this story perfectly conveys how two different cultures can affect how we live, even if they're the same race and blood. My third culture heart understood perfectly.
//Father and the "1812"//
Although it does not have the ending we would hope for, this story shows the lengths one would go to be close to his dreams.
//The House Guest//
This story felt like something out of a historical fiction book; in fact, it probably was one. It tells the story of an Irish child staying at someone's home in America for six weeks and how it impacts the people around her in that short period.
//The Bet by Anton Chekhov//
This has to be the best one out of the entire collection. It has all the elements of a good plot. It had a smidge of mystery and thrill, but it ended with a beautiful realization of how life cannot be taken for granted.
//Going to Run All Night//
Set during a war, this story tells about a man who has to run across a long distance to deliver an urgent message to the troops on the other side of enemy territory.
//Stop the Sun by Gary Paulsen//
I recognized Paulsen's name from The Hatchet, even though I've never read that book before, so I was excited to read this one. It was a good informative one, showing the impact of a father who had fought in the Vietnam War. He has a form of PTSD, and his son has to navigate his adolescent life while his father's eyes "went away."
EDIT: More than 10 years later and I still think this collection has some great books. I re-read the entire set of short stories and took notes on each. Some reviews are short, and some are long, but take them as you will.
//Act of a Hero//
This is a good example of an ironic title. The main character doesn't feel like a hero, but everyone else does. It's because of his man-v.s.-self conflict and the knowledge of what he didn't do rather than what he actually did that makes him feel guilty.
//Mick Harte Was Here//
I've heard this story used as a Dramatic Interpretation piece for Speech competitions, and reading the story in its entirety, I can see why. We can't let ourselves linger in the land of "what if's" because it's only going to hurt us. However, in this case, it's what brings together a mourning father and daughter.
//Come of Age//
The title is straight to the point and fits with the plot. This quote describes it well for the main character, Timothy: "...he was eleven years old. He didn't want to know about all these things. He didn't want to know what war really was."
//Of Missing Persons//
An absolutely mind-boggling story. The ending had me stressed out. It's considered a science fiction, and I usually don't enjoy these genres, but safe to say, I loved this one.
//The Gold Medal//
This had the sweetest message ever. Great life lesson for all ages.
//The Long Winter//
This has the potential of having a theme of fathers breaking the generational cycle of tough parenting, but I don't think I can properly categorize this book there due to the short ending. It was a good story, telling of an obedient son and a tough-loving father.
//Lost Sister by Dorothy M. Johnson//
This was SO interesting. I'd love to read this one again if only to experience that ending. It felt heroic. But more importantly, this story perfectly conveys how two different cultures can affect how we live, even if they're the same race and blood. My third culture heart understood perfectly.
//Father and the "1812"//
Although it does not have the ending we would hope for, this story shows the lengths one would go to be close to his dreams.
//The House Guest//
This story felt like something out of a historical fiction book; in fact, it probably was one. It tells the story of an Irish child staying at someone's home in America for six weeks and how it impacts the people around her in that short period.
//The Bet by Anton Chekhov//
This has to be the best one out of the entire collection. It has all the elements of a good plot. It had a smidge of mystery and thrill, but it ended with a beautiful realization of how life cannot be taken for granted.
//Going to Run All Night//
Set during a war, this story tells about a man who has to run across a long distance to deliver an urgent message to the troops on the other side of enemy territory.
//Stop the Sun by Gary Paulsen//
I recognized Paulsen's name from The Hatchet, even though I've never read that book before, so I was excited to read this one. It was a good informative one, showing the impact of a father who had fought in the Vietnam War. He has a form of PTSD, and his son has to navigate his adolescent life while his father's eyes "went away."
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