Take the Stairs is a collection of short stories that deals with some of the important issues that teens face today such as abuse, abortion, death, AIDS, suicide, runaways and racism. The novel's 13 characters are interconnected in that they all live in the same rundown apartment which is notoriously called "The Building," a place they cannot wait to leave. The teens cope with some difficult circumstances, but they still have a feeling of hope in their lives.

English language arts grade 9 (2009).