Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: January 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Crown BFYR
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Anthology, Diversity, Culture, Life Lessons

BLURB:

Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers.

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To my astonishment, I was able to read this book in one sitting.

I’m not surprised I could read *a* book in one sitting, but anthologies are not my thing. In total, I may have – may have – read two or three others in entire life, and there isn’t one I read from beginning to end, without skipping at least two short stories.

That’s because anthologies = multiple authors = multiple writing styles. It’s rare for someone to enjoy twelve or so short stories equally. And yet, I loved the hell out of each and every one of these cultural stories.

They truly each contain an important lesson that can help young people grow into intelligent, aware and sympathetic adults. Even the short story told in verse was a hundred percent enjoyable to read and smartly-told. So beautiful.

I could say that I read this because I didn’t want to go to sleep, but I honestly did not plan on finishing it so fast. I was going to alternate between this book and CIRCUS MIRANDUS, but I couldn’t physically put this book down.

Oftentimes, short stories are slower paced than full length novels, perhaps because there is more description – more need to set the scene – but I flew through these wonderfully-diverse slice-of-life written works.

So, so, so recommended.

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