We all scream for ice cream, a wonderful dessert. What about short stories involving it? Let’s discuss!
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The Ice Cream Machine by Adam Rubin is a unique read. It is a collection of six short stories that share the same title. They are fun, ice cream-themed, and individually unique. Are these short stories life-changing? No, they’re not. The true beauty of this book is that the author shows the reader how inspiration can create wildly different stories just from one title.
Targeted as a middle-grade book, Rubin created six separate worlds, sharing an ice cream element. There is a bully, an inventor, aliens, and more. Oh, and of course, lots of ice cream. A warning for those that care: in one of the stories, an alien is interviewing a human and asks what the appeal is for “tongue kissing.”
I listened to the audiobook, so I didn’t benefit from the physical book. A child can use their copy of The Ice Cream Machine to mail in their own short story to him, where some are selected and featured as bonus material at the back of his book.
My favorite part was how encouraging the author was at the beginning and end of the book for students to write their stories. One short story even finishes open-ended, leaving room for a child to write the ending. If you have a child who is a budding author or you know a teacher or homeschooling family, share this post with them. They may gain a lot from this book.
Do you have any good middle-grade books for young authors? Please share in the comments. Make sure to check out additional Mighty Reader Monday posts for more good reads.
Image by Pixabay
