There and Back is a collection of secret door stories that began as a tenth grade narrative writing project in the classroom of teacher and author Al Ainsworth. Each story involves a character with an external and an internal/psychological problem. The protagonist in each story encounters a secret world in which he or she meets a mentor figure, who gives the character direction and a challenge to live out the guide’s plan in the real world.

Aimed at upper elementary students, the stories in There and Back: A Collection of Secret Door Short Stories invite readers to join their characters as they struggle with social issues like fear, anxiety, separation, loneliness, and lack of confidence.

Table of Contents
My Struggles in Austin (Eli Bailey)
Vera and Lily (Hailey Brown)
Comfort Zone (Jr. Bunch)
Jorge and the Secret Door (Ethan Herrod)
Some Things Are Meant To Be (Anna Claire Jackson)
The Perfect World (Alyssa Kinkade)
The Electric Guitar Odyssey (Noah Lee)
Saving Josef (Sarah Murley)
Mary and Me (McCain Roberts)
The Locker to Alterworld (Jack Stevenson)
Unbearably Afraid (Bailey Stroud)
The Family Portrait (Halle Vincent)
She and Her People (Eden Wagnon)
To the Moon and to Saturn (Layla Wall)

Note: Proceeds from the sale of the book will provide perpetual funding for future classes to complete similar projects.