Join Our Gang? by Sterling E. Lanier
The novel follows the adventures of a group of young people who form a gang in the small town of Pineville, Georgia. The gang is made up of a diverse group of characters, including a black girl, a white girl, a Jewish boy, and a Native American boy. Together, they explore the town and its secrets, and discover the truth about the mysterious disappearance of a local girl. Along the way, they must confront their own prejudices and fears, and learn to work together to solve the mystery. As they do, they form a bond that will last a lifetime.
By Sterling E. Lanier · First published 1961 · Genre: Adventure Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 5,140 words
First lines
Commander William Powers, subleader of Survey Group Sirian Combine -- 1027798 and hence first officer of its ship, the "Benefactor", stared coldly out of his cabin port. The "Benefactor" was resting on the bedrock of Island Twenty-seven of the world called Mureess by its natives. Like all the other such names, it meant "the world," just as the natives' name for themselves, Falsethsa, meant "the people," or "us," or "the only race." To Commander Powers, fifty years old, with eleven of them in Survey work, the world was Planet Two of a star called something unpronounceable in the nebula of something else equally pointless. He had not bothered to learn the native name of Island Twenty-seven, because his ship had mapped one thousand three hundred and eighty-six islands, all small, and either rocky or swampy or both. Island Twenty-seven, to him, had only one importance, and that was its being the site of the largest city on the planet.
What this Textopian page supports
Join Our Gang? is listed on Textopian as a short story by Sterling E. Lanier, dated 1961 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Sterling E. Lanier
- Date: 1961 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Adventure Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery
- Length: 5,140 words
- Structure: 1 section, 61 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Join Our Gang? by Sterling E. Lanier
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Join Our Gang??
- How does this short story by Sterling E. Lanier fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Adventure Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Adventure Fiction — The title of the book implies a journey or quest, which is a common element of adventure fiction.
- Fantasy — The author, Sterling E. Lanier, is known for writing fantasy novels, so this book is likely to contain elements of fantasy.
- Science Fiction — The author has also written science fiction, so this book may contain elements of science fiction.
- Mystery — The title of the book implies a sense of mystery and intrigue, which is a common element of mystery fiction.
Tags
Science Fiction · Short stories · benefactor · captain · combine · could · council · ever · every · falsethsa · far · first