shortsonline | showcasing the world's best short stories for learning and reading pleasure

Gren’s Ghost

Post category:Grade 7-8 Stories

Gren's Ghost: Short story by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick In this story by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, a usually timid 6th grader who is ridiculed at school because of his unusual name has an experience that boosts his pride and self-confidence. At midnight, he sneaks out of his house to help a classmate with a task he says needs two to pull off. Despite concerns about being set up for some kind of hazing, the boy goes to the meeting-place at the Seven Castles ruins and learns that their objective is to capture a photograph of the famous Priory Ghost. Themes include identity, fear, courage, pride, self-confidence, “friendship”, manipulation.

The Fiddler

Post category:Short Stories

The Fiddler: Short story by Herman Melville In this story from Herman Melville, the major theme (finding the right balance between ambition, fame and happiness in life) is introduced indirectly through a chance meeting. A struggling writer is in a “desperate mood” after negative reviews of his latest work. His life changes when he is introduced to a contented, good-humored man who goes house to house teaching the fiddle. The writer admires the way “commonplace” fiddler, who appears to have no special talents, is able to live life to the fullest. Enlightenment comes when he learns the fiddler’s secret. Other themes: accepting criticism, judging by appearances.

Zlateh the Goat

Post category:Grade 5-6 Stories

Zlateh the Goat: Short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer It is easy to see why this story from Isaac Singer is said to be derived from Jewish folklore. Zlateh, an anthropomorphic goat, is about to meet the fate of many farm animals. No longer producing enough milk to justify her keep, she faces a final trip to the town butcher. Fortunately, a freak snowstorm interrupts the journey and gives her a chance to redeem herself. Themes: (general) love and loyalty, obedience, trust, resourcefulness, inter-dependence, survival; (religious) sacrifice, faith, acceptance: We must accept all that God gives us—heat, cold, hunger, satisfaction, light, and darkness.

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Approximate Reading Times

Quick Read: under 5 minutes
Short Story: 5 to 30 minutes
Novelette: 30 to 90 minutes
Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

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Abuela Invents the Zero
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Valediction
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The Fat Girl
Short Story by Andre Dubus. A mother’s efforts to control her daughter’s diet by shaming her about becoming overweight result in a serious eating disorder. Fortunately, the birth of a child brings about an epiphany through which the daughter is able to be comfortable with who she is.
Absit
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The Toxic Donut
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Short Story by S. Rajaratnam. A pregnant Malay woman tells fellow villagers about her encounter with a tiger as she bathed in a river. She feels uneasy when a party of men set out to shoot the apparently harmless animal, and is horrified by what they find after killing it.
The Prince Who Wasn’t Hungry
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