From the author of the wildly popular Extraordinary Shorts comes a new and amusing second book in this series of 10 minute stories that entertain, provoke questions and invite opinions. Perfect for children who might be intimidated by longer reads, Kids in Shorts can be read in a few minutes and each story is new and different - with unexpected endings! These are characters and situations that we can all relate to, even possibly turn to each other and say “I know a kid like this!” or “I’m going through an issue like this now.”

This time the stories mainly focus on children that have a problem, be it physical, emotional or circumstantial, and, through the characters, show how they cope. Some of the tales are a little spooky, some set in unexpected places, but all bursting with good humour and lively descriptions and all entirely relatable. Each story is also accompanied by a beautifully detailed line drawing that cleverly captures the essence of the narrative.

The author has tried to obey all the rules about writing to give children high-quality but exciting examples to base their own work upon. They may be asked: “Can you write a story like this about someone you know?” The collection is therefore ideal for teachers to use in reading groups to stimulate the imaginative process. With many of the ideas based on real events and characters, these are interesting, amusing and inspiring kids in a medley of colourful shorts!