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A Collection of Short Stories
A Collection of Short Stories
Maggie Ffrench | 2020 | Children
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The stories are only a couple pages long each. (0 more)
Sadly the book has a bunch of errors. (0 more)
Created with the intention of parents or other caregivers reading it to children
A Collection of Short Stories by Maggie Ffrench was created with the intention of parents or other caregivers reading it to children and sharing the experience.

 Written my Maggie Ffrench for her grandson “Jamie’s” first birthday (if the story in the book is true) this book contains twelve imaginative stories to read to young children. All the stories focus on a fictional Jamie and his adventures both by himself and with his family.

 Some of the stories like “Bubbles” where Jamie climbs into a bubble and flies over the town, or “The Present” where Jamie’s clay creations come alive are firmly in the realm of imagination. On the other hand “The Box” where Jamie plays with a box and “Looking” where Jamie looks out the window are placed in reality. This (almost) even mix offers a good balance for families.

 What I liked best was that this book contains twelve short stories, each only a few pages long. Those pages even only have a couple of sentences on most of them at that, making them great for young ear who are easily distracted. Unfortunately there was quite a bit wrong with this book for how short it is. At least one of the stories cuts off without an ending and twice the book itself is referenced in stories. Some of the sentences are missing words completely while others have words like “controversial” which is an awfully big word (and strange one) to have in a children’s book. Then there is the page and a half that looks like it was photocopied.

 This book appears to have been designed for parents to read to small children. The introduction even talks about how important the author believes it is for parents and children to read together. I rate this book 1 out of 4 or 2 out of 5. The concept is good but sadly the overall book is not. This book did not appear to have been edited very well and comes off as extremely amateurish. Honestly I really wanted to like this book, but for me it missed the mark big time.
  
Short Cuts
Short Cuts
Sigmund Brouwer | 2005 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Learning Lessons with Ricky Kidd
This book collects eleven short stories starring Ricky Kidd and the rest of the Accidental Detectives. While they don’t all feature mysteries to solve, they do include plenty of action and fun. Ricky has a bully or two to deal with. He and Mike take a dangerous canoe ride. And a new classmate’s sculpted replica of a hand leads to a crisis of faith.

Adding to the book, after each story author Sigmund Brouwer shares some thoughts on the theme of the story and the inspiration behind it. These are just as fun as the stories themselves and could almost work as a devotional if they included scriptures. The stories themselves are quick adventures with the characters we love, and fans will be very happy with them.
  
RC
Ron Carlson Writes a Story
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In Ron Carlson’s very insightful book Ron Carlson Writes a Story, writers are able to glean information on how Carlson wrote his short story “The Governor’s Ball.” This helps give both readers and writers a better insight on how the process of writing a short story works for some writers. Though not all writers use this kind of format for all of their stories, the basic ideas can be transferred from story to story. There are always the important features such as detail, setting, and dialogue that are necessary to a story. While these are all very important to the story, there are other aspects that make the story even more compelling. However, there are also important features such as the characters, the inner story, and the outer story. The characters must be realistic, but can also have a few surprises in what they do. The inner story and the outer stories are connected to each other. The inner story relies on the outer story to exist. The outer story helps the inner story take flight. The vast amount of craft that goes into writing a story, especially a short story, is made evident in Ron Carlson’s book.