Recommendations, please?

Short Stories

I have used several Roald Dahl short stories in my 9th/10th grade English classes. I am looking for some easy-to-read, engaging short stories that are appropriate for high school students. I have purchased general anthologies of short stories as well as collections by specific authors such as Hemingway, Malamud, Carver, and Wolff. I've found many interesting stories, buy very few that meet my needs as a teacher.

Any suggestions?

Michael Wolfe said:

Engaging and easy to read is a bit generic, but I would think a number of Hemingway's stories would fit that bill. I remember very much enjoying The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber when I was roughly the age of the students you mentioned.

For something simple and straighforward, maybe something like The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, or for something a bit more sophisticated, maybe one of Richard Bausch's stories. Glass Meadow would be a good one, imo.

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Yeah, it is a little generic, but I'm looking for a book that is appropriate for high school students and yet entertaining/funny/scary/strange enough to keep their interest.

Many "classic" short stories have too many difficult words, are filled with philosophical messages that students can't grasp, the language is outdated, the subjects discussed are inappropriate, etc. Even some that are in the anthologies (which I do use, but I like to add other stories), aren't so great for the age group.

Lady MacBeth said:

Kelly Link's stories are a fun read.

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This seems to be the type of writer/stories I'm looking for. I ordered Stranger Things Happen. Thank you.

Silver King said:

What are your needs, specifically? If you tell us, it might help to generate suggestions that would agree with your curriculum.

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The classes are 30 minutes per day-- time set aside for preparing the students for state exams.

I am teaching the concepts of personification, point of view, symbolism, metaphor, setting, mood, etc. I prefer to teach them through literature, but I am looking for stories that the students don't read in other classes (stories not in the six reading anthologies--grades 7-12). I find that students (especially vo-tech students) like Roald Dahl. I've read probably 8 or 9 of his stories in class, and most of the students enjoyed them.

I am reading John Collier and Charles Beaumont right now.

But I'm open to anything that grabs them from the beginning and makes them want to read.

I don't want to exclude good writers I'm unfamiliar with by being too specific. I'm really open to anything good that doesn't have too much sex or explicit language.