Parent Plots, Teacher Tales & Student Stories

This highly entertaining book is full of funny, sweet, poignant, clever stories with unexpected endings and unanticipated insights. In the first, an old salesman makes an unusual sale; in another, a father tries to find the perfect Christmas gift for his son on an budget of less than fifty dollars. A clever use of text messaging tricks a slacker, and a white family tries to better understand racism.

“The Fridge Monster” and “A Perfect World” were the most poignant, the latter causing me to abruptly reassess the impact my actions may have on those around me. The characters are swiftly sketched, but real and believable, and the writing flows like a conversation with an old friend. The author sympathizes with and genuinely likes his characters, even if he doesn’t always approve of them. The book is short and a quick, easy read – a wonderful afternoon’s diversion that will bring a smile for a long time to come. Such a refreshing set of stories doesn’t come along very often; I hope this author has many more to share.