For instance, Kwame Alexander... Why have you not showed up before in my To Read pile? His short story, Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents, is exactly the kind of imaginative and lyrical read that my younger self would've been trying to emulate. As for the titled Flying Lessons by Soman Chainanu, I absolutely enjoyed the Auntie Mame-like hijinks Nani kept making happen to teach her young grandson to let loose.

Some of the weaker stories for me were Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains by Tim Tingle and Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push by Walter Dean Myers (though the ending question for this one was a good one). As for Grace Lin's The Difficult, I think if Grace could've fleshed this out more, it would've clicked with me better. As it was, I felt she raced to the finish. I also enjoyed

Sol Painting Inc. by Meg Medina (again, this is where the ending hits its punch)
Secret Samantha by Tim Federle (loooooved this)
The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist (nicely written)

I've been familiar with all the accolades Matt de la Peña and Jacqueline Woodson have been collecting over the years, but there stories were just ok for me.

I hope Ellen Oh or someone else can help curate future anthologies just like this -- think Guys Reads but under the umbrella of We Need Diverse Books! (And if Ellen is busy, someone please contact me to help make this happen!!!)

This is a simply incredible collection of stories that feature middle-school children from a variety of diverse backgrounds. The authors of the stories are the best in the children’s book business, including Kwame Alexander, Tim Federle, Matt de la Pena, Tim Tingle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, and Jacqueline Woodson. The stories feed into one another, creating a quilt where the patches are of different colors and textures but the quilt is one unified structure. The stories feature children of color, children who are LGBT, and those who are differently-abled. It is a book about our differences and our similarities, a book about what makes each of us fly.

There are several stories that will stick with me. The one by Matt de la Pena has a gorgeous tone to it, almost oration where the reader is being spoken directly to about opportunities, hard work and taking risks. It’s all about basketball, the art of the game and the willingness to put yourself out there and play. Grace Lin’s is an wonderful mix of humor and drama, showing reading as a way forward into a life of adventure and individuality. Woodson’s story is spare and lovely, looking directly at racism and staring it down with friendship. The others are marvelous too, I could write about each of them in turn, each just as special and jeweled as the last.

This is a book that should be in all libraries, it speaks to the power of diverse books in our communities, their ability to transform all of us no matter what our background or color. Appropriate for ages 10-13.

A literal “who’s who” of contemporary children’s literature has contributed to this highly readable and relatable collection of short stories. Inspired by the We Need Diverse Books campaign and edited by co-founder Ellen Oh, characters reflect many different experiences: physical disabilities, intergenerational, racial, and gender conflict and all but one of the stories take place in the present day. Horn Book Magazine’s review comments “In one way or another, most of the characters here are caged, trapped by circumstances and seeking an escape.”, but it’s my opinion that’s reading more into it than is actually there. Readers will appreciate the change in writing styles from one story to the next, perhaps turning them on to an author they have not read before. This volume is the literary equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet prepared by master chefs. How can you pick a favorite when each story is so unique and satisfying? But perhaps out of respect, Oh saves Walter Dean Myers’ tale for the last treat and readers will be awed by his skill. Myers describes protagonist Chris’ father while mumbling something negative under his breath: “Mom says he’s chewing up his words to see how they taste before he spits them out.” What a brilliant expression: it’s the mark of a great writer to find a new way to evoke a familiar image. Perfect for a classroom read-aloud, family book discussion, it’s a first purchase – and more than one copy – for every library.

review book



I'll Meet You Theretitle: Flying Lessons & Other Stories
authors: Ellen Oh, Sherman Alexie, Jacqueline Woodson, Kwame Alexander, Walter Dean Myers, Meg Medina, Tim Tingle, Kelly J. Baptist, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pena, Tim Federle, Grace Lin
pages: 240
format: Kindle e-ARC
buy it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
rating: 4/5 (from hated to loved) or 6/10 (all books I've ever read)



Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children’s publishing and popularity as New York Times bestsellers.

From these distinguished authors come ten distinct and vibrant stories.

in depth

I'm excited to break my holiday blogging hiatus by telling you about this wonderful short story collection, a partnership between We Need Diverse Books and a slew of kidlit all-stars. I'll admit, it's probably not something I would have picked up on my own. I rarely read short stories that aren't adult literary stuff, and I don't read much middle grade that isn't fantasy. But when the publisher approached me to do a feature and give an honest review, I was intrigued. I always tell myself I should branch out, and so branch I did--with great success.

Flying Lessons & Other Stories is aptly named. It's about soaring, living, being. Growing up. Basketball. Family drama. Crushes. Disappointments. Most importantly, it's full of culture and diverse realities. It's Own Voices. It's about Latinx kids, Asian kids, black kids, Indian kids, white kids, disabled kids, kids discovering their gender and nascent sexuality (in an age-appropriate way). There are echoes of power, privilege, and prejudice, but it isn't tragedy porn. It's kids telling their stories, all kinds of stories, from a range of backgrounds. They are the heroes. They are hopeful. A microcosm of what kidlit can be if we keep demanding representation from all voices.

There are so many stories, I can't give a full critique of them all. In brief: Matt de la Pena's story is a rare 2nd person gem about a young Mexican boy's basketball dreams. Grace Lin's is the brief adventure of a girl servant in a Chinese-inspired fantasy setting. Meg Medina's is about privilege and power for a Latinx girl who dreams of taking over her father's business. Tim Federle's is about a girl who wants to be called Sam, and how we define girls. Kelly J. Baptist's is about a black boy connecting with his father's stories. Tim Tingle's covers the way an uncle's silly versions of Choctaw folklore bring him closer to his nephew. Jacqueline Woodson's is about escaping, being a person of color in a colorless town. Soman Chainani's is about an Indian boy learning to let go. Kwame Alexander's is a fanciful English essay in verse. And Walter Dean Myers writes about wheelchair basketball bringing together father and son.

Hopefully these short descriptions give you a taste of what this anthology has to offer. I read it in a sitting, and enjoyed it vastly. It does have the quirks of short stories that often irks me. Everything ending in media res. Some areas where I wanted more context, more description. A few stories that seem too big to be shoved into little packages. I'm also curious to see what actual middle graders will think. These are the kind of stories I can appreciate now, literary and beautiful, but I'm not sure I'd have appreciated them as a 6th grader hung up on fantasy adventures.

Then again, if I'd read it in school, I'd probably have loved it and loved hearing my classmates talk about it. Maybe it's the book I didn't know I needed then. I'm sure it's a book many of my marginalized peers needed then. I wholeheartedly recommend it to both kids and adults. The stories are poignant, with an authentic slice-of-life feel. The voices are loud as only such masters of the craft can manage. This anthology is whimsical, hopeful, dreamy, and wistful in the best way. In the way that will make you (like me) want to read each of these authors again.

in a sentence
Flying Lessons & Other Stories is a solid collection of "kids" telling their stories, all kinds of stories, from a range of backgrounds. Of every kind of kid getting to be the hero.

Flying Lessons and Other Stories is a solid anthology. I love the recurring theme of the short stories which is the lessons you can glean after reading each one. All of the stories feature those kids who are usually unseen. The underprivileged, the weird, the outcast, the brown and black kids. It’s a necessary mirror for all ages, particularly for middle grade readers. I can’t recommend it enough.

Since this is a collection of short stories, I’ll rate separately the parts that left a mark on me:

The Difficult by Grace Lin — 5 stars
This was so short! This is so beautiful I had to wipe away the mist in my eyes. A tale about rising above, compassion. Young readers would love Lingsi and her journey.

Sol Painting Inc. by Meg Medina — 4 stars
A spectacular, needed story about visibility and racism. I love the family aspects, it’s heartwarming. I wish there was more.

The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist — 4 stars
A touching story about a a kid named Isaiah who is coping with the death of his father. It also tackles poverty and hope.

Main Street by Jacqueline Woodson — 5 stars
The people who don’t want breaks sometimes get them.
This is a lyrical, heartfelt story about grief. I love it so much. A must read.

Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push by Walter Dean Myers — 4 stars
Another heartwarming necessary read about a disabled main protagonist playing basketball.

Fantastic book of short stories by some of the best writers for children & young adults! Readers will find a plethora of both windows and mirrors within this collection. A necessary addition for classrooms and libraries. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.

This is a fantastic story collection by some of today's most talented authors. Some of these authors are personal favorites of mine, like Matt de la Pena and Grace Lin, and others were new to me. Each of the stories were short but memorable and beautifully told. I treasured each of them and the unique perspectives they gave. Stories should be both a "window" and a "mirror" for our students: allowing them to see themselves in books, as well as give them the opportunity to understand those who are different from them. These stories are both, and they do it beautifully. An important book that should be in all libraries; I have already ordered a copy for mine.

FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES is a short but powerful anthology of diverse stories by diverse authors. Really, these stories could fit into any anthology, because the themes — sibling relationships, first crushes, friendship, etc — are universal. But these stories are extra important for young readers (and old!) who might not see themselves reflected in many books and stories.

The stories in FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES span a range of voices from a boy on vacation with his eccentric grandmother to a disabled basketball player to Sam, who’s awed by/wants to know the new girl at school. I would’ve liked to read longer versions of every story in the anthology, which for me, was a sign of each author’s success at pulling me into their characters’ lives in a handful of pages. I’m a greedy reader — I always want more when I get invested in characters.

The opening story, “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium” was a bit of an outlier at first for me. Unlike the others, it’s written from the second-person POV. But after I got further into the book, I personally took Matt de la Peña’s story as a way to open my mind. Grace Lin’s story about a Chinese girl sold into slavery who escapes her fate in an unusual way… I definitely want a book about Lingsi! And Meg Medina’s “Sol Painting, Inc.” hurt my heart for Merci and Papi. “Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains” was the one story that I didn’t understand.

I didn’t find any of the stories too preachy or heavy-handed with messages. The kids are kids, doing their thing, and hopefully along the way, they’ll show the rest of us how to be more tolerant and open-minded of others who have different backgrounds/viewpoints than us. A great book for the intended middle-grade audience and adults too!

Such a wonderful variety of diverse short stories for middle school readers! A must-have for all middle school libraries and classroom libraries. While the age range for the book says grades 3-7 and some of the stories feel like they will especially appeal to grades 4-6, there are at least a couple of stories (especially Matt de la Pena's and Meg Medina's) that will be of interest to older middle schoolers as well. I'm so glad this anthology exists and am eager to share the stories with students.