Peaking the interest of younger readers gets harder and harder each year. There is a fine balance between finding a piece that is school appropriate and is still high interest. Year after year I have found these five classic short stories still invoke a response within readers–especially if it is the student’s first time reading the pieces.
Here are my favorite short stories to read with students:
1. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Summary
In a small American town, the local residents are abuzz with excitement and nervousness when they wake on the morning of the twenty-seventh of June. Everything has been prepared for the town’s annual tradition—a lottery in which every family must participate, and no one wants to win.
Jackson is the queen of horror. I love her work! I try to work The Lottery in to fiction units whenever I can. When I do, the reaction of students is always priceless. Often students say The Lottery is their second favorite to Poe’s short stories.
Interested in reading The Lottery? Check out the links below:
2. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
Summary
The tale centers on two matters, a black cat and the deterioration of a man. The man is one who enjoyed family life with his wife and numerous pets, but then he changed radically for the worse.
This is story is unhinged. The Black Cat is violent, so it may not be a good fit for your students. When I have read The Black Cat with student they enjoy this savage tale.
Interested in reading The Black Cat? Check out the links below:
3. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
Summary
It is set in a nameless Italian city in an unspecified year (possibly during the eighteenth century) and concerns the revenge taken by the narrator on a friend who he claims has insulted him. Like several of Poe’s stories, and in keeping with the 19th-century fascination with the subject, the narrative revolves around the possibility of a person being buried alive or enclosed in a small space with not possibility of escape (aka immurement).
I will admit, before teaching The Cask of Amontillado was not a favorite of mine. I prefer Poe’s poetry but have grown to really enjoy teaching his short stories. The Cask of Amontillado was the first of Poe’s short stories I taught and the students’ reactions was priceless. To get the full experience I highlight recommend reading The Cask of Amontillado in class with festival inspired masks and music.
Interested in reading The Cask of Amontillado? Check out the links below:
4. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
Summary
The Most Dangerous Game features a big-game hunter from New York who becomes shipwrecked on an isolated island in the Caribbean and is hunted by a Russian aristocrat.
I like to start the year with The Most Dangerous Game but it makes for a great read at any point during the year. Students enjoy acting out the scenes and the bizarre plot.
Interested in reading The Most Dangerous Game? Check out the links below:
5. The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
Summary:
A man goes on daily walks. During one of his walks he is stopped by the police who question his profession and interest in walking.
Anything by Bradbury is a hit in the classroom. Post-online school (in the US) The Pedestrian has sparked interesting conversations and discussions surrounding technology. I have read most of Bradbury’s short stories over the years with students and all are well received.
Interested in reading The Pedestrian? Check out the links below:
Have you read any of these classics?
Lit Lemon Books 
What a great list of books! I’ve read The Black Cat and The Cask of Amontillado.
LikeLiked by 1 person