Quick Read by Ernest Hemingway. Two waiters (one young, the other middle-aged) talk about an old man sitting alone at one of their tables. The story reflects what many young people think of the old, and how some old people live their later years in emptiness and despair.
Grade 5-6 Story by Francisco Jiménez. The author describes his first year at school. Although slightly nervous because of his older brother’s stories about his first grade experience, he is excited to learn. Unfortunately, his academic progress and relationships with classmates are held back by a complete lack of English.
Novelette by Jeffrey Archer. A couple go from rivalry-inspired hatred at first sight to literally being unable to live without each other. From the time they meet as Oxford undergraduates, a fierce sense of competition spurs them on to topping their class, attaining professorships, and earning royal honors.
Short Story by Thea Astley. An Australian aboriginal woman desperately tries to save her baby from being forcefully removed and placed in a missionary school by authorities. When a white farming family offers her a safe haven away from the wretched camp she lives in, her answer is “Not same”.
Short Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A spoiled teen is too weak-willed to resist imitating the petty thefts of his peers, yet so cowardly that the only person he steals from is his mother. His life changes when he is brutally punished and “disappeared” under the so-called Nigerian justice system.