Boys can be Trouble

Whether earning a living - as many young boys did in the 'old days' - or just trying to find their place in their everyday world, boys seem to attract 'trouble'. Or, maybe, it's the other way around. Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and O. Henry's Red Chief are just two of the boys you'll meet in these stories. 

Girls can be Awesome

Here are some stories about girls. From ancient Greece to far-future America, proof that girls can, indeed, be awesome...

Meanwhile, at the Front

War is brutal, and at its lowest level it brings out the worst in some people. But there are also times of bravery and compassion; and at that level, combat can produce some of humanity's noblest moments. And a few humorous ones as well.

They Made Great Movies

Some great short stories were developed into great movies. Helmed by such directors as Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, John Ford, and Howard Hawks, and featuring actors such as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart,and Bette Davis, they became film classics. 

  Strange Things can Happen

Stranger things can indeed happen, when a well-meaning person tampers with science, and the laws of nature. And sometimes, strange things happen to ordinary people just because. Sometimes the strange things are funny, other times they're...anything but funny.

Writers such as Jules Verne, Frank R. Stockton, H. G. Wells, and Jerome K. Jerome gave us some interesting thoughts on what might result from such experimenting. 

Just Doing My Job

Sometimes, what starts out as just another day on the job takes an unexpected turn - and then interesting things happen.

 Time for a Hero

Call them heroes, call them superheroes. They were faced with a problem, and they were tough enough, strong enough, and brave enough to overome it. A few of the tales are a bit tongue-in-cheek, because even hero stories can use some lighter moments.

Some of these stories have been around for many, many years, yet they still resonate with today's readers. The Odyssey, for example, was probably written at least 2500 years ago. Yet it's still appealing enough to generate a current movie starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, and Anne Hathaway, and directed by Christopher Nolan.