Flying Lessons & Other Stories

This short story collection, edited and introduced by We Need Diverse Books cofounder Oh, features 10 stories "for all of us" from authors who include Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Meg Medina, and Walter Dean Myers. Each story stands on its own, but the collection as a whole highlights the importance of perspective, perseverance, wonder, courage, and creativity during the middle school years. A thoughtful entry from Matt de la Pena, written in second person, centers on a Mexican-American teenager who does well at school but sees basketball as a "path to those tree-lined lives they always show on TV." In Grace Lin's delightful "The Difficult Path," literacy proves an unexpected ticket to a life with pirates for a Chinese girl eager to escape an arranged marriage. And Jacqueline Woodson's elegiac "Main Street" focuses on the relationship between an 11-year-old white girl and her "tall and brown and beautiful" best friend in a New Hampshire town where "the leaves were the only color." Thought provoking and wide-ranging, this first anthology from WNDB should not be missed. Ages 8-12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Jan.)

Gr 4-6--This anthology, published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, presents 10 short stories from a stellar list of authors: Kwame Alexander, Matt de la Pena, Jacqueline Woodson, Soman Chainani, Grace Lin, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Federle, Meg Medina, Tim Tingle, and Kelly Baptist. De la Pena's linguistically grooving basketball story will have readers swaying in their seats. Verbal roadblocks are hurled at the protagonist from the street-smart players inside the gym: he's too young, too skinny, too Mexican. His resolve yields multiple life lessons on and off the court. Woodson's haunting "Main Street" follows Celeste, the only girl of color in an all-white New Hampshire town, and her friendship with lifetime resident Treetop. Both are suffering from different losses: Treetop's mother has recently passed away, and Celeste isn't accepted in her new home. Their warm connection soothes their mutual pain and promises to last even after Celeste and her mother decide to return to familiar and welcoming New York. Each tale offers realistic and fully developed characters with whom a wide range of readers will identify. VERDICT Inclusive, authentic, and eminently readable, this collection of short stories is an excellent addition for libraries and classrooms.--Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA