Teachers who are looking for a short story to pair with To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, may find that Jesse Stuart’s short story, “The Split Cherry Tree” works well. In the short story, the protagonist must stay late at school as punishment, which causes his hard-working father to make a visit to the son’s teacher, because the son is needed at home to do chores, and the father cannot spare him. The father and teacher come to an understanding and the punishment is worked out. This short story is a ‘fish out of water’ story and a classic story of bias and judgement, and why it is important to get to know people, rather than judge and make impulsive decisions. In addition to Mockingbird, “The Split Cherry Tree” would work with The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, or even The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls.
