War at the Snow White Motel and Other Stories
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
An insightful and funny new collection of short stories from award-winning author Tim Wynne-Jones.
In “War at the Snow White Motel,” Rex and his family are vacationing in Vermont. A thoughtless act launches him into war with an older teenager at their motel, but a much bigger conflict — the Vietnam War — looms large on the horizon.
Ant wants to join the #FridaysForFuture movement — and impressing the new girl at school is only one good reason why. Joseph and Danny are determined to right an old wrong, no matter the consequences. Michel takes a road trip to spot a rare bird, and along the way learns what his father is really afraid of. Robin has to battle her anxiety when her great-grandfather sends her in search of an old stuffed toy with a storied past. Walker is home for the summer, in time to help his little sister expose a local company’s dubious environmental practices. A boy can’t figure out why the class bully won’t leave him alone — it’s not anything he could have foreseen.
Tim Wynne-Jones brilliantly captures pivotal moments small and large as these characters fight for understanding, courage and a better future. This new collection features six brand-new stories and three that have been previously published.
Key Text Features
author’s note
humor
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6
Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Each thought-provoking short story in this collection by Wynne-Jones (The Starlight Claim) features a different boy navigating a decisive situation with grace and resolve. Most of the tales are contemporary and set in Canada, but the titular one highlights Rex (from the author's Rex Zero trilogy), whose family travels to Vermont in 1964, where, while staying in a fairy tale themed motel, Rex encounters a young man who registered for the draft just as America is entering into Vietnam. "Ant and the Praying Mantis" proves particularly topical when the main character, Anthony, learns about Greta Thunberg, climate change, and FridaysForFuture while trying to befriend a new girl at school. The powerful "Journey to Ompah" sets Michel and his father on a trek to find a rare bird and unearths a secret about his father's past that shines light on his dad's upbringing and character. And in "Jack," the protagonist experiences bullying and develops unexpected empathy for his attacker. An interesting author's afterword offers insight into the creation of each narrative. With a nostalgic, wholesome feel, these stories offer tales of quiet courage. Ages 9 12.
