Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590360310 ISBN 13: 9780590360319

Publisher: Scholastic, 1998

Synopsis

An outstanding collection of short stories written by eleven popular authors varies in content but produces the same message: that young women deserve recognition and have much to say about their futures.

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Reviews

Grade 7 UpAThough their experiences are varied, all of the adolescent girls in these stories endure the trials of puberty that young women everywhere share. Short chapters illustrate a wide array of themes from learning to accept oneself, and maybe Mom's new boyfriend, to love on the wrong side of the tracks and the tragedy of a teen who must face the legal and moral consequences of killing her abusive brother-in-law. Several award-winning names grace the pages of this compilation including Norma Fox Mazer, M. E. Kerr, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Author profiles, many of which include e-mail addresses, are appended. Though the main characters are all female, these selections are likely to appeal to both sexes due to their brevity and the messages that ring true for either gender. As in life, the stories are not neatly resolved; only a portion of the picture is revealed. Overall, this book is an excellent mix of light and darkness, humor and dead seriousness. It encourages readers to discover who they are and to stay true to themselves.ATammy J. Marley, Charles County Public Library, La Plata, MD
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In her first short story anthology, Singer (All We Need to Say) brings together works by 11 distinguished authors, including M.E. Kerr, Rita Williams-Garcia, Norma Fox Mazer and Singer herself. Thematically related by their emphasis on learning to navigate life's tailspins through self-reliance and self-discovery, the stories are nevertheless widely diverse in style and subject. From the more predictable twist on the Cinderella story found in Anne Mazer's "The Transformations of Cindy R.," to C. Drew Lamm's eye-opening take on adolescent soul-searching in "Stay True," readers will find characters and situations, both comfortable and disturbing, that reflect their lives and concerns. More importantly, the stories depict thoughtful young women ably meeting their challenges with courage and wit. Amid a recent outpouring of volumesAfiction, nonfiction and biographyAaiming to encourage and inspire teen and preteen girls, Singer's collection stands out as proof of fiction's ability to create distance and to subtly alter readers' perceptions of the world. Thus, these stories will likely function for readers the way trees do for Lamm's protagonist: "I can feel them hard-stroking my brains, untangling and freeing my mind. And when I leave, I'm in place." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Eleven well-known authorsall womenuse humor, pathos, and fantasy in a skillfully wrought panoply of short stories that resound with a ``you go girl'' attitude toward life. From pieces that focus on learning to look beyond surface appearances, to vignettes about being your own person, each story can be enjoyed for its entertainment value alone. However, discerning readers searching for appealing female role models will find numerous insights from writers such as M.E. Kerr, Jennifer Armstrong, Anne Mazer, and Rita Williams-Garcia about what it takes to develop a strong and unique personality. One girl takes pity on the man auditioning to become her stepfather, another dispenses with the whole Cinderella/fairy godmother routine in the name of accomplishing her life, her waywithout enchantment. In every story, the heroine faces her problems head on, outwilling a willful grandmother over a summer job or deciding to live large, counting the cost of staying true as a life lesson everyone must learn. It's an unambitious, often charming sampler, sure to make readers smile, think, and dream. (Fiction. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 7^-12. Rita Williams-Garcia's "Crazy as a Daisy," which plays gloriously with language, is one of the best stories in this purposeful collection of 11 new tales that depict teenage girls finding their own strengths. Although a couple of the stories seem rather alike ("Building Bridges" by Andrea Davis Pinkney and "The Pale Mare" by Marian Flandrick Bray feature girls escaping ethnic stereotypes imposed on them by their own families), there's still some variety. Peni R. Griffin's story, about a girl who shoots her abusive brother-in-law, packs the strongest punch; Anne Mazer's concerns a modern-day Cinderella who doesn't fall for the fantasy; and C. Drew Lamm's title story is a glimpse at the struggle girls begin when boys enter the picture. M. E. Kerr and Norma Fox Mazer are among the other authors included. An anthology to add if short stories are in demand. Stephanie Zvirin

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590360310
• ISBN 13: 9780590360319
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 204
• Editor: Singer Marilyn