These short stories, all written by New Zealand authors, have a number of different plots, but if you compare them, you'll find that they have some similarities. I grouped them into three categories: character development, pain, and sacrifice. Read on to find out how each story fits into its category and what makes it interesting to read. In all of these stories, the main character changes his mind by the end of each story. “Violet” is a teenager who doesn't fit in at her school. Her behavior has totally changed in the space of two weeks, from strange to popular, but that doesn't make her any happier. The author, Lucy Ellingham, described how Violet tried to change her personality to blend in with the popular crowd. He also wrote in a "casual" tone to show that the narrator is a student and how they would talk to each other in school. She is labeled “uncool”; she is described as "weird" and is called a "loser" by everyone except her best friend Leo, who adores Violet for who she is. Violet usually doesn't care what others think of her, but one day she gets tired of being so unpopular and decides to change her "loser" image. Leo is confused by his actions and afraid of losing his best friend, but Violet ultimately realizes that she can't be content with being anyone else but herself. "Cyclone" is the story of a girl whose name is very rare and no one in her class can pronounce it correctly. The author, Sita Heti, included rhetorical questions and the first few paragraphs are written in a frustrated manner to show that Saikoloni really didn't like her name. “I was so ashamed of my name. Why couldn't I have a normal name like Jane or Susan?" Saikoloni hates the appeal...... middle of paper......r since they hatch from their eggs, their goal is to find a host ( preferably something/someone that is fat) and inject the eggs into it. The eggs produce a powerful drug that slowly penetrates the host's bloodstream and he will feel devoted to keeping his parasites safe and well fed. Indeed, the host he will love them so much that they will be willing to sacrifice their lives for the parasites. Eventually, almost the entire human race was wiped out by these bloodthirsty aliens. I think being willing to sacrifice yourself for someone or something you love is a move very courageous and generous, and these stories are great examples of different situations in which you might choose to sacrifice yourself. These stories show the reader different scenarios and how the characters react to them, giving some examples of how the reader might act if they happened in the. real life.