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danalheywood's review against another edition
3.0
Guys Read: True Stories is a collection of true short stories focused on a the teenage boy audience. The stories range from adventure, science and everything in between. There is also an inclusion of poems, informative non-fiction and of course memoirs from the authors. The stories are not too long and are short enough to keep the attention of a hyperactive boy. The stories also included different cultures and points of view from the world in order to better educate the reader. Overall its a great book and would be a wonderful asset in a 6-8th grade classroom.
I really enjoyed the stories that I read from the book. It is shocking what some of the works cover. One of my favorites was titled "A Pack of Brothers", which was a story about a little girl in Vietnam who wants to hold her own with her brothers. The story itself shows the different cultural aspects of Vietnam during the war and it also give the readers a little taste of what its like to be an immigrant. The other stories in the book are also amazing and really held my attention.
Censor: There is talk of cannibalism, death, immigration, etc.
I really enjoyed the stories that I read from the book. It is shocking what some of the works cover. One of my favorites was titled "A Pack of Brothers", which was a story about a little girl in Vietnam who wants to hold her own with her brothers. The story itself shows the different cultural aspects of Vietnam during the war and it also give the readers a little taste of what its like to be an immigrant. The other stories in the book are also amazing and really held my attention.
Censor: There is talk of cannibalism, death, immigration, etc.
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
As a teacher, I was always looking for new and different reading for my students, which sent me to many, many different publisher's sites looking for teaching guides. Every now and then I'd run across something that became a "go-to" resource; something that, once I knew where it was, I could count on it, in a pinch.
The Guys Read series of short stories was one of those resources.
The Guys Read short story collections are older works by now. However, on a limited teacher's budget, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It meant I could find copies in plentiful quantities in used book stores at a fraction of the retail price, which meant I could buy multiple copies and loan them out to students -- and not stress if I never saw them again.
In addition, the FREE publisher's reading guide questions that accompany each story - awesome, right? - made the short stories a quick, easy "alternative" assignment for my students. There are only 2-3 questions per story, but that was generally all that was needed to keep students focused and reading.
Harper Collins offers hundreds of these reading guides for its books, so to make it easier, here's the direct link to the page with the Guys Read reading guides. The only Guys Read books it doesn't offer questions for are Heroes and Villains and Thriller. But they're still great to have on the bookshelf in case of emergency!
There's one additional volume, Guys Write for Guys Read, which doesn't have a free teaching guide, but my favorite site, Teachers Pay Teachers, offers a set of comprehension questions for the stories for a few dollars.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
The Guys Read series of short stories was one of those resources.
The Guys Read short story collections are older works by now. However, on a limited teacher's budget, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It meant I could find copies in plentiful quantities in used book stores at a fraction of the retail price, which meant I could buy multiple copies and loan them out to students -- and not stress if I never saw them again.
In addition, the FREE publisher's reading guide questions that accompany each story - awesome, right? - made the short stories a quick, easy "alternative" assignment for my students. There are only 2-3 questions per story, but that was generally all that was needed to keep students focused and reading.
Harper Collins offers hundreds of these reading guides for its books, so to make it easier, here's the direct link to the page with the Guys Read reading guides. The only Guys Read books it doesn't offer questions for are Heroes and Villains and Thriller. But they're still great to have on the bookshelf in case of emergency!
There's one additional volume, Guys Write for Guys Read, which doesn't have a free teaching guide, but my favorite site, Teachers Pay Teachers, offers a set of comprehension questions for the stories for a few dollars.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
aubreynm's review against another edition
2.0
"Guys Read: True Stories" is a collection of nonfiction stories specifically targeted to young adult males. The book not only contains short stories; it also contains poetry and graphic stories. The wide range of stories vary from survival stories, to animals, music, science, and art.
As an adult female, I did not personally enjoy the book very much. Some of the stories seemed more like fiction that fiction--inserting author bias. Also, I felt that some of the stories were still not particularly intriguing for the intended audience. However, as an adult female, I cannot make many judgments in this respect, as my tastes are naturally very different.
Content Warning:
Violence
Graphic details of survival
Drugs/Alcohol references
Sexual Affairs
As an adult female, I did not personally enjoy the book very much. Some of the stories seemed more like fiction that fiction--inserting author bias. Also, I felt that some of the stories were still not particularly intriguing for the intended audience. However, as an adult female, I cannot make many judgments in this respect, as my tastes are naturally very different.
Content Warning:
Violence
Graphic details of survival
Drugs/Alcohol references
Sexual Affairs
reader_fictions's review
2.0
Since the series began, I’ve been keeping an eye on the Guys Read books. In theory, it’s a great idea, because more boys should be reading for fun. However, by marketing them as “guy” books, girls are being excluded and it’s continuing the idea that books are gendered. This story is ONLY for girls, and this one is ONLY for boys. As a concept, that needs to die, as it’s based on the sexist values inculcated in our society. They’re clearly making some effort to mold young minds in a good way, based on the inclusion of two female authors and one female MC, but the name itself is still troublesome. Shelving this, though, Guys Read: Other Worlds is a collection of fast-paced stories that will appeal to reluctant young readers, of either gender.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
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