AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. AdLit.org is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital, and is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and by the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.
Short Stories
These short stories have plenty of intrigue to keep students engaged. And Teachers can use them to teach literary devices including plot, characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. In addition, these stories have content that will provide for rich discussion about society, morals, ethics, and values.
Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Free Expression
Age Level: 16-18
Wallis' book is full of political cartoons killed before publication. Each cartoon is accompanied by a brief narrative explaining why it was considered too controversial for publication.
A Good Man is Hard to Find
Age Level: 16-18
A family with a talkative grandmother comes across a hardened and extremely dangerous criminal, The Misfit. Can the grandmother convince him to leave her family alone or will they be his next victims?
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Age Level: 16-18
How much would you allow someone else to suffer so that you could be happy? When the residents of Omelas, a place with no sadness, come of age, they are forced to make the decision: live happily but with the knowledge of someone's extreme suffering or leave their beloved city.
The Sniper
Age Level: 14-16
Amidst the gunfire in Dublin, Ireland, the Republican sniper prepares his weapon, shoots, and kills his enemy. When he goes to the body, he is upset. Who has he killed?
Man from the South
Age Level: 14-16
An old man bets a young soldier that he can't flick a lighter ten consecutive times without missing. The bet? The old man's Cadillac for the young soldier’s finger.
Lamb to the Slaughter
Age Level: 14-16
Mary Maloney, a homemaker, is content with her husband and her life until he tells her something terrible and implies that he is leaving her. Upset, she does the unthinkable. What will she do with her unusual murder weapon? Will she get away with her crime?
The Most Dangerous Game
Age Level: 14-16
Rainsford, an accomplished hunter, is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by another hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff has become bored with hunting animals and decides he needs a greater challenge: humans. Will Zaroff get his new trophy or will Rainsford prove to be more dangerous than Zaroff anticipates?
The Story of an Hour
Age Level: 14-16
Mrs. Mallard, a woman with a heart condition, learns of her husband's untimely demise and pretends to be upset. How will she react when she finds out he is really alive?
The Gift of the Magi
Age Level: 9-12
A very poor, young couple, who are deeply in love, want to buy each other Christmas presents but have no money to do so. They each figure out a way to get the money to buy each other gifts. What unpleasant surprises await them on Christmas Day?
The Lottery
Age Level: 14-16
It is time for the yearly lottery, but none of the townspeople seem to want to win the prize. In fact, some seem hesitant about attending the drawing but are afraid of the consequences of not attending. What prize could be so terrible to win?
A Rose for Emily
Age Level: 14-16
Emily Grierson is in love with Homer Barron, but is very upset that he has not proposed to her. Distraught, Emily buys arsenic, which some believe she will use to commit suicide. However, Homer and Emily disappear; only the servant goes to and from the home. What horrifying surprise will the townspeople find when they finally go into Emily’s house?
