Little Worlds : A Collection of Short Stories for the Middle School

Great Shape & Came as Advertised

Different topics, easy stories

Collected and introduced by Peter Guthrie and Mary Page, Little Worlds (copyright 1985) offers a wonderful assortment of both well-known (“To Build a Fire”) and lesser-known (“The Catbird Seat’) classics that are certain to ignite interest and generate discussion in your classroom. Wayside Publishing is a smaller, independent publisher that has done a very nice job with this edition and offers a companion teacher’s guide with discussion questions for each of the book’s stories.One especially helpful aspect of the book is the way Guthrie and Page have organized it. Part One of Little Worlds offers a quick, 1-page intro of a particular literary element such as plot or irony, and then gives you two stories that exemplify that element. For instance, after introducing the concept of setting & atmosphere, they include Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death” and Shirley Jackson’s chilling story “The Lottery.”Even better, instead of trolling the internet for quality stories, Part Two offers sixteen more stories to reinforce concepts from Part One, or to use in place of the earlier stories. For instance, for point of view, a great choice is Kay Boyle’s dazzling “Winter Night,” a post-war meditation on finding comfort where we can. Likewise, for an example of symbol you have stories such as Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” a tougher, but still worthwhile read for your eighth-graders.Whichever stories you choose, the design, content, and wonderful writers Page & Guthrie have assembled will leave you happy you’ve chosen Little Worlds as an addition to your Language Arts toolbox.

This book is full of the most wonderful short stories as well as a great guide to different types of writing. But it is not completely academic and the stories alone are worth getting the book even if you don't look at the explanations of the author's style. I not only use this with my students but have read each story at least once. For students, or anyone, who does not like to read these short stories are a great way to quickly finish a story and enjoy or learn something literary. Very highly recommended for everyone, not just middle schoolers.

This is a great selection of stories that showcase the various parts of literature. It was a great addition to my classroom.

I am a seventh and eighth grade literature teacher. While some of the stories in this volume are excellent, I thought that others were either too difficult or simply not engaging for a middle school student. However, I think the volume is a great addition to a teacher's library. I will be able to incorporate several of the stories into my curriculum.

Good quality book for my middle school great-niece.

I'm a middle school teacher and I have used and abused this book. I have photocopied it, underlined it, highlighted it, etc. It has a great selection of well-known stories and ones that I was not familiar with but that now I love. It's a really wonderful book and an excellent tool for a Language Arts teacher.