Take the Stairs

Behind each tightly locked apartment door at rundown 64 Wilnut Street lie the hidden stories of the inhabitants. There is David, who tries to talk to his father's ghost, and Jennifer, who flirts with men she does not want. Asim, who faces hatred directed...

at 64 Wilnut Street -- Better Known As The Building -- Troubled Teens Confront The Challenges In Their Lives. There Is David, Who Tries To Talk To His Dead Father's Ghost, And Jennifer, Who Flirts With Men She Does Not Want. Asim, Who Faces Hatred Directed Against His Muslim Family, And Allie, Who Spends The Night On Suicide Watch For Her Depressed Mother. This Novel In Thirteen Voices Reveals The Private Thoughts And Secret Hopes Of The Teens Who Live In The Building As They Struggle To Turn Obstacles Into Opportunities And Make Their Way Into The Larger World.

nancy Chrismer - Kliatt

in This Set Of Interconnected Stories, 13 Teenagers Tell Of The Circumstances And Challenges They Face. The Teens Are All Connected By The Building In Which They Live, Referred To By All Of Them, Not By Address, But By The Term The Building. The First Is Petra, Who Runs Away From The Building And An Abusive Father, But Who Leaves Her Memory With The Teens Who Remain, And Who Later Returns To Help Her Mother Escape From The Abuse That She Too Faces. Other Teens Who Tell Their Stories Include Louis, Who Earns Self-respect And The Respect Of His Peers By Conquering A Difficult Bike Path; Magda, Who Finally Sees Her Self-centered, Demanding Boyfriend For What He Is; David, Who Is Trying To Accept His Father's Death; And Allie, Whose Mother Is Emotionally Ill And Suicidal. In All Of The Stories, The Teens Cope In The Best Way They Know How With The Difficult Circumstances That Life Has Dealt Them. Despite The Challenges The Teens Face, There Is A Ray Of Hope That Threads Itself Throughout The Stories And Keeps The Reader Intrigued. Kliatt Codes: Js—recommended For Junior And Senior High School Students. 2003, Second Story Press, 181p., Ages 12 To 18.

A collection of intimate stories that reveal the troubled encounters and secret hopes of thirteen teens who live in The Building as they struggle to turn obstacles into opportunities and make their way in the larger world. Thirteen teenagers labor to overcome the challenges in their lives in the inner-city