# Teaching > General Teaching >  Looking for Appropriate Short Stories

## LitNetIsGreat

Hi, I am looking for appropriate short stories to read to children 11-13 with reading difficulties. Essentially I am focusing on improving basic literacy, and I will be working with students who are quite weak in this area.

However, I don't want to "dumb down" these students with stories aimed at readers with a lower age range. I want to challenge them and engage them with suitable, but readable material. 

Has anybody got any good suggestions that might work? I could also do with these being available on-line if possible, out of copyright as I don't really have a budget to work from as such. I could take extracts of novels, and I will do so regardless, but I would like the satisfaction of a conclusion which would naturally come with the short story form. 

Thanks in advance, as I realise it is not an easy ask.

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## JuniperWoolf

I don't think that "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson was too difficult, and I remember loving it when I was thirteen (it was the first short story that I liked). Plus, you won't be dumbing them down, as this story makes for some pretty good conversation. It's on the web:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html

If you're looking for something that's pretty easy but still interesting that delivers a good dose of social signifigance, my highschool teacher had us reading Graham Greene's "The Destructors." I've found that kids tend to like that one a lot. 
http://www.geocities.com/borderline_...c8132df01.html

Edit: Oh, and you mentioned it on another thread, maybe The Happy Prince? And I know that its a poem, but it kind of also works as a story (plus its short and the kids that I read to think that its cool) how about Tim Burton's "Anchor Baby?" http://prikazkite.hit.bg/anchor.htm

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## Lady Otter

How about _The Ransom of Red Chief_  by O. Henry?

http://classiclit.about.com/library/...-ransomred.htm

If your kids don't mind a couple of multiple-syllable words in the first couple of paragraphs, they will enjoy this story!

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## LitNetIsGreat

Thanks for the ideas, I've made a note of those.

Yes I have tried _The Happy Prince_ before though it didn't seem to go down that well with a whole class, but I think I'll try it again with a smaller group. I don't think that children are very good at seeing irony or metaphor, they often don't "get it" in my past experiences anyway, though I will try again.

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## mollie

Would O. Henry's Last Leaf be any good? I remember reading that in Primary school aged 11 or twelve, and it was simply written and had plenty to discuss in it. http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lastleaf.html

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## JCamilo

H.C.Andersen is perfect, not only he is a great writer as his stories works with anyone with any age for 2 centuries by now. And there is plenty of great stories for you to pick. 
They may get irony and metaphor, Happy Prince and Nightingale and Rose work well, but really, I would use them after Andersen. 
Anyways, Neely, do you read for them, they read for you, or do you use any oral storytelling to incentivate those kids?

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## LitNetIsGreat

> Would O. Henry's Last Leaf be any good? I remember reading that in Primary school aged 11 or twelve, and it was simply written and had plenty to discuss in it. http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lastleaf.html


That's cool I'll add that to the list and check it out.




> H.C.Andersen is perfect, not only he is a great writer as his stories works with anyone with any age for 2 centuries by now. And there is plenty of great stories for you to pick. 
> They may get irony and metaphor, Happy Prince and Nightingale and Rose work well, but really, I would use them after Andersen. 
> Anyways, Neely, do you read for them, they read for you, or do you use any oral storytelling to incentivate those kids?


Yes Hans is a good one, I did think of that, I have a couple of those on the shelf too. Using Wilde after that may work better as well. 

I will probably share the reading, or I read slightly more, take the main part/narrator in a play sort of thing. Oral storytelling is an idea. I would think about bringing in some drama elements to try and engage on that level, some tend to like that, though it can get a bit manic sometimes.  :Eek2:  

Thanks.

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## prendrelemick

I don't know if you'd call it dumbing down, but Roald dahl really engaged my kids when they were that age. "The Twits" got my daughter reading on her own.

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## LitNetIsGreat

> I don't know if you'd call it dumbing down, but Roald dahl really engaged my kids when they were that age. "The Twits" got my daughter reading on her own.


No, that's not a bad idea, maybe not short enough but I could read it over sections.

Does anyone have any more suggestions that might fit the bill? Thanks.

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## Virgil

Oh you might want to try Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow." Those are great for young adults. I know Kipling has some good stories for young people, but I personally don't know which. Also try Hemingway. Some of them have mature themes, but something like "The Battler" is a great short story for boys.

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## Scheherazade

British Council's website is always worth checking. Although they are ESOL materials, I find they are good while teaching basic literacy:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories.htm

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learne...s-homepage.htm

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## LitNetIsGreat

Thanks for that, there is a lot of stories in the archive that are just the thing.

Oh, and yes Virgil maybe something short and gritty from Hemingway will work for the boys, which I am statistically likely to have, I'll try that, thanks.

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## Scheherazade

Neely,

I am not sure if you are familiar with BBC's My Story campaign. Though it is concentrating on writing mainly, there are great ideas to implement grammar and other language aspects within the activities.

For more information and activity suggestions, please visit here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/raw/partners/tutors/mystory.shtml

They are offering training sessions as well, one of which I will be attending in September. I am really looking forward to it.  :Smile:

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## Nightshade

What about Colfer's Spud Murphy? Again noyt very literary,was one of the world book day special books a few years ago but somehow ended up on the BBC RAW quick reads list ( atlthough most of that list is adult aimed books with an average reading age of 8). 
 :Nod:   :Biggrin: 

I am supposed to be in bed, but I just rembered a short story I read at school that was very good, as I still have my comprehnsion books I will look it up and get back to you onthe details, this is just to remind me to do that!
It was about this blind boy and how he 'saw' the world, full of onamatapia and descripptions.  :Biggrin:

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## gbrekken

got me thinking-By the Waters of Babylon (Stephen Vincent Benet)
Bargain (A.B. Guthrie)

O. Henry, Thurber, S. Jackson, etc. You'll find plenty, and need to decide which is best. You did say you were reading to them? A copy in their hand at the same time may be advisable.

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## giventofly

You can't go wrong w/ stories from O. Henry... When I was teaching, my students always enjoyed (especially the male students) "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty. It's a good one, easy to read but full of good stuff to discuss in a Lit class.

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## gbrekken

Can't believe I failed to mention "Flowers for Algernon"

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## virginiawang

I think, Heidi, a Girl of the Alps, is a good book for young children at the age of 11-13. It has beautiful themes and was written in a good style.
I guess Washington Irving's stories like Rip Van Winkle are a bit too difficult for children, for they were written in an older form of English, with long sentences and abtruse vocabulary.

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## novlist*star*

This is a helpful and amazing link

http://http://www.perfectionlearning...yID=44&level=0

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## Dinkleberry2010

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is a wonderful book, albeit it is a novel--but not a long one. It is wonderfully suited for 11-13-year-olds.

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## LitNetIsGreat

Thanks for all the suggestions, I have plenty to go on now, though I can't fit much of it in of my choosing - I have to go by the big red government handbook! I managed to slip a bit of Checkhov in and a few other little things though, thanks.

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