Lyn Ford
Storyteller and teaching artist

Step by step, Story by Story provides a clear, concise blueprint for creating and maintaining a successful storytelling troupe. Veteran troupe leader Karen Chace offers honest and practical insights into the process, pitfalls, and pleasures of working with the schools and students, as well as a treasure trove of valuable sources and resources. With this handbook, you have a mentor who will take you by the hand and guide you along your way.

Sherry Norfolk

Karen Chace's wonderful new book, Story by Story: Building a Student Storytelling Troupe, is a must have for librarians, teachers, storytellers or anyone interested in providing an enriching, meaningful experience for children. Using ideas gathered from many sources, Karen has improved them and put them all in one handy helpful book. I wish I had this book when I started my storytelling club 25 years ago. I especially love Karen's "Tips and Tricks to Ensure Student Success, as well as her activities to help children develop characters and internalize their stories. As the "expert" on websites, Karen's list of Story Websites, Curriculum Connections and Grant Resources are invaluable.

Judy Sima
Storyteller - Author - Teaching Artist

Karen Chace's book, Story by Story, Building a Storytelling Troupe is a must have for anyone even slightly interested in starting a storytelling group with students. I know I am guilty of sometimes skipping over sections, but every word that Karen writes is important and useful distilled (and therefore potent) information. Ms. Chace not only tells you what to do to run a successful troupe, but also WHY you need to do it. This is, to me, very important. Sometimes one is tempted to skip things, but this book explains how important the steps are. Everything from how many hours Karen thought it would take, to ACTUAL hours, where the funding comes from, how and why to lay foundations and expectations (including 'no teasing policies' and group dynamics), right the way through presentation skills to advertising the event and getting bums on seats (emphasis important)!

Over the years Karen has and continues to come up with new and inventive ways of teaching the skills of storytelling, and a great many of these exercises and activities are included in the book. When it comes to research and materials as well as technique, Karen adds new meaning to "thorough". There are links to websites for stories, for grants, for microphone techniques, and how storytelling connects to the school curriculum and more. And if you prefer to read books, there is an extensive bibliography, too.

Basically, I believe if you want to succeed in building a storytelling troupe or group, all you need is Karen Chace's book, Story by Story, Building a Storytelling Troupe and to do everything Karen suggests. I am sure it would be very hard to fail if you follow her words of wisdom between the covers of her goldmine of a book.
Simon Brooks, storyteller, and educator

"Karen Chace, one of storytelling's finest teaching artists, offers a clear and generous template for working with schools and children to develop and sustain a storytelling troupe. She shares age-old, tried and true methods, plus her teaching innovations, plus her incomparable web knowledge. This book is a MUST-HAVE for teachers, librarians, and storytelling teaching artists."

- Jane Stenson, Youth, Educators and Storytellers SIG Chair and Storytelling Teaching Artist

Karen Chace's Story by Story - Building a School Storytelling Club is a gem of a resource - for teachers, parents - indeed anyone who works with young students. Karen's methods address all learning styles and provide a safe, fun atmosphere for developing proficiency in written and oral skills, while building self-esteem and confidence in even the shyest of speakers, as well as empathy and teamwork with their storytelling club peers. I've witnessed the results of her work at her student storytelling festivals; the student performances are nothing short of amazing. To see a 'shy' student confidently take the stage and delightfully tell a story with enthusiastic creativity is testimony to Karen's thoughtfully constructed program. Now others may benefit from Karen's generosity, and use this jam-packed, informative resource to create and inspire a storytelling group in their own communities.

Meg Gilman
Storyteller