From Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner Laurel Croza comes a mesmerizing collection of short stories about the whirlpool of adolescence.
Charity takes small steps to escape her controlling father. Jasmine endures the rumors about her at school, even though no one really knows what happened last summer. The Oh! So Perfect Hair Dolly wishes for just the right child to take her home from the store. Nicola has a run-in with a classmate on her first day at a new school in the big city — or is the classmate a wolf in disguise? A squirrel ruminates on the nature of life and death. Dani fights for her dream, in spite of her father’s insistence that her older brother should be the one to play hockey. Mike finds the kind of family he has longed for in his coworkers at the restaurant where he works.
In these seven stories by Laurel Croza (author of the award-winning picture books I Know Here and From There to Here), five teenagers, a doll and a squirrel break out of the expectations placed upon them. Featuring beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Kelsey Garrity-Riley.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
From Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner Laurel Croza comes a mesmerizing collection of short stories about the whirlpool of adolescence.
Charity takes small steps to escape her controlling father. Jasmine endures the rumors about her at school, even though no one really knows what happened last summer. The Oh! So Perfect Hair Dolly wishes for just the right child to take her home from the store. Nicola has a run-in with a classmate on her first day at a new school in the big city — or is the classmate a wolf in disguise? A squirrel ruminates on the nature of life and death. Dani fights for her dream, in spite of her father’s insistence that her older brother should be the one to play hockey. Mike finds the kind of family he has longed for in his coworkers at the restaurant where he works.
In these seven stories by Laurel Croza (author of the award-winning picture books I Know Here and From There to Here), five teenagers, a doll and a squirrel break out of the expectations placed upon them. Featuring beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Kelsey Garrity-Riley.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — May 1, 2018 |
| Specifications | 96 pages | 5 in x 7.5 in |
| Keywords | challenges of adolescence; short stories; coming of age; bullying; violence; abuse; peer pressure; defying expectations; finding your place; belonging; fitting in; rumors; school; courage; empathy; respect for self; perseverance; acceptance; narration from different points of view; child as narrator; symbolism; metaphors; figurative language; simile; imagery; personification; connecting; inferring; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 6; middle grade fiction; |
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Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt |
| Written By |
LAUREL CROZA is the author of the picture book I Know Here, illustrated by Matt James. It won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among many other accolades. She also wrote the sequel, From There to Here. The Whirlpool is Laurel’s first short-story collection. She lives with her husband in Toronto. |
| Illustrated by |
KELSEY GARRITY-RILEY grew up in Germany and Belgium before moving to the US to pursue her love of art. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010. She has also illustrated Other-Wordly by Yee-Lum Mak. Kelsey lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. |
| Written By |
|
LAUREL CROZA is the author of the picture book I Know Here, illustrated by Matt James. It won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among many other accolades. She also wrote the sequel, From There to Here. The Whirlpool is Laurel’s first short-story collection. She lives with her husband in Toronto. |
| Illustrated by |
|
KELSEY GARRITY-RILEY grew up in Germany and Belgium before moving to the US to pursue her love of art. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2010. She has also illustrated Other-Wordly by Yee-Lum Mak. Kelsey lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. |
| Audience | ages 10 to 14 / grades 5 to 9 |
| Reading Levels |
Guided Reading Z+
Lexile 620L Fountas & Pinnel Text Level Z+ |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 |
“There's a persistent yet subtle sense in every story of the strive to rise above the ordinary and gain a higher view. . . . A thoughtful read for a contemplative teen . . .” —School Library Journal
“. . . the stories are beautifully written and described. This short story collection would be a great tool within the classroom . . .” —CM Magazine
“[A] highly recommended collection of seven short stories about a series of fascinating and unique characters.” —Resource Links
[P]acked with emotional growth ... With The Whirlpool, Laurel Croza has provided a worthwhile addition to the young CanLit collection of short story anthologies as it enlightens, reassures and inspires.
” —CanLit for Little Canadians Blog