Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories -- Edited by Ellen Oh

This is a great collection of short stories. When I was younger, I really enjoyed short story collections. As I've gotten older, I've moved away from them. I don't know why, since they are a perfect fit for a working parent. This collection focuses on diversity. A lot of them focus on the quiet support of an adult in the background. After you read so many YA novels, (especially anything that's not realistic fiction) you begin to wonder if there are any responsible, sensible adults around! Perhaps that's why I like Matt de la Pena's "How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium" and Meg Medina's "Sol Painting, Inc." best. In the background (but really foreground) of both stories, is a quiet, strong, supportive dad. I guess these stories are very touching to me, even though my dad could be a real talker, too, at times.

I also really loved Soman Chainani's "Flying Lessons" in which a grandmother pushes her shy, awkward grandson to bloom. "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin was more historical fiction with a pirate twist, so as a fan of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, I took to the ending of this quickly.

Long enough to feel connected to the characters, but short enough to read in one sitting. This was really a pleasure.