How to make students more curious about learning tow short stories?

How to make students more curious about learning tow short stories? I would like to tell about the way I use to teach the theme of the relationship between generations: Adults and children in two short stories:1/ "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" by Walter Dean Myers2/ Thank You Ma'm" by Langston Hughes

As a preface, I tell the students about the writers.Both writers were novelists. Both were raised in Harlem. Both were Afro-Americans. Both showed the beautiful side of the Harlem people with accordance to the saying: "Black is Beautiful", Both were very sensitive about social problems and used to bring the readers nice perspective about problem-solving and wrote in their stories some "educational" solutions for children protagonists.Most of my educational work was done for children with special needs and they would react with much sympathy to the writers and the stories' characters.Before we start reading the story "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" I ask them to think what a treasure is? I ask them to give as much as possible answers and examples. Most of the time they would say a treasure is: gold, coins, money, lands. Few would say something of archeologic value but they never would say - a simple object of emotional value to its holder. They discover that the treasure of Lemon Brown is old newspaper clippings and an old harmonica.
This may change the students' perspective about treasure and make them surprised.At the beginning of the story "Thank You Ma'm" we read about the first two paragraphs and talk about the setting of the story. We read about a young boy that tries to steal a woman's purse but she catches him. I ask the student – what do you think the woman will do with the boy? Most would say she will take him to a police station or call the police, she will punish him…Later on, the students discover that the "punishment" for the young boy is nothing more than a concern for a child who has tried to steal the woman. She worries about feeding him, explaining to him what was wrong and even gives him an advice for life and even gives him money. That's why the main heroine is called Ma'm.Value-added - the students see the "other" writers and the way they present the story quite surprisingly.