Mr. Lawrence Nissim's writings focus on stressful situations in which young people find themselves in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their schools. Readers may be able to identify with the characters who appear in each plot.
A first example rises in "Befuddled," the first of seven stories found in A Collection of Favorites. Two longtime buddies, Trent and Dominic, who inseparably hang out together, have an angry confrontation. During the melee, Dominic is punched, fell, and smashed his head on a park bench. He does not move. What does Trent do next?
"Risky Excursion" takes two twelve-year-olds on a bike-riding adventure with some risk. Mitch disobeys his mother and follows Carl to the shopping center then later finds himself in a police car. A surprise ending follows.
In "I Did It for You," Todd's lunch recess at school began peacefully. He simply wanted to join his friends in their daily basketball game. But his practice shots were interrupted. Looking across the active schoolyard, he witnessed some behaviors that rekindled memories that caused him and his family much distress last summer. He felt he had to cross the yard and get involved. But was his decision wise?
The fifth story in A Collection of Favorites is "Daughters." Two eighth-grade girls were longtime friends. They were bored with their summer vacation, so both of them decided to take a shopping excursion to their local mall. But neither had any shopping money. One of the girls felt mischievous and broke the law then encouraged her friend to copycat the behavior. Their responses to each other affected a change in their relationship.
In "David's Crisis," David's parents are in a marital crisis, and David thinks his father is abusing his mother. Is it true, or is David wrong? What can a teen do about a situation such as this one? Can the school help solve David and his parents' issue?
In "Fancy Jeena," Jeena is being bullied in her new junior high school. Four girls have been harassing her at school. She tries to avoid them in the halls, the cafeteria, and the schoolyard. One of the bullies pushes and hurts Jeena after class one day. There are no witnesses to this incident. What is the cause of the bullying?
Readers will discover, at the end of each of the seven stories, a short list of discussion items, which will relate to the preceding presentation.
The items are designed to encourage the reader's interest in the story's theme.
