A downloadable PDF version of this list is also available.
A Reading List Featuring Short-Story Anthologies
Super Puzzletastic Mysteries: Short Stories for Young Sleuths from Mystery Writers of America, by Chris Grabenstein and Various Authors (Grades 3-7) (Mystery)
New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and his all-star cast of contributing authors team up for Super Puzzletastic Mysteries, a group of interactive short stories that invite the reader to solve the mystery themselves.
Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories, by Dan SaSuWeh Jones (Grades 4-6) (Horror)
Thirty-two short stories chosen from the tradition of ghost stories from American Indian cultures across North America, featuring witches, walking dolls, hungry skeletons, skinwalkers, and other supernatural beings.
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories about Mythic Heroes, edited by Rick Riordan (Grades 4-8) (Fantasy)
A collection of ten stories by authors from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint that remix myths for modern readers.
Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, edited by Jonathan Maberry(Grades 4-8) (Horror)
Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times bestselling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us, edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby (Grades 5-8) (Various Genres)
Featuring contributions from Eric Bell, Katherine Locke and A.J. Sass, this first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-grade readers presents stories of queer fantasy, historical and contemporary stories for every letter of the acronym.
Together Apart, by various authors(Grades 7-10) (Romance)
A collection of short stories set during life in lockdown includes a tale of a girl with a mask-making business and her potentially famous crush, and the story of a connection sparked with the help of two balcony herb gardens.
A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Patrice Caldwell (Grades 7-12) (Fantasy/Science Fiction)
Black girls, including gender non-conforming individuals, star in this collection of sixteen stories of fantasy, science fiction, and magic.
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love, edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond (Grades 8-12) (Various Genres)
Presents interconnected stories where food goes beyond nourishment to reflect love, grief, family, and culture in the lives of thirteen teens.
Game On: 15 stories of Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between, edited by Laura Silverman (Grades 8-12) (Various Genres)
From the slightly fantastical to the utterly real, light and sweet romance to tales tinged with horror and thrills, Game On is an anthology that spans genre and style. But beneath each story is a loving ode to competition and games perfect for anyone who has ever played a sport or a board game, picked up a video game controller, or rolled a twenty-sided die.
Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories about Living Fabulously Fat, edited by Cassandra Newbould (Grades 8-12) (Various Genres)
Sixteen stories celebrating fat teens with bodies of many shapes and from many communities, cultures, races, genders, and orientations in contemporary settings as well as fictional worlds.
Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home, edited by Adi Alsaid (Grades 8-12) (Realistic Fiction)
This book illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience, from authors who have been shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home, and to find home.
Blackout, by various authors(Grades 8-12) (Romance)
Six critically acclaimed, best-selling and award-winning authors celebrate Black teen love in this interlinked novel of heartwarming and hilarious stories that shine a bright light through the dark.
Rural Voices, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Grades 9-12) (Realistic Fiction)
Presents a collection of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays about the complexity and diversity of rural America and its inhabitants.
Reclaim the Stars: Seventeen Tales Across Realms & Space, edited by Zoraida Cordova (Grades 9-12) (Fantasy/Science Fiction)
Proving that stories are truly universal, this brilliant collection that features contributions from best-selling and acclaimed authors, as well as two new voices, takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world.
Battle of the Bands, edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith (Grades 9-12) (Realistic Fiction)
This collection of 16 stories, told in the harmonic blend of first- and third-person narrative voices, takes on a memorable high-school rite of passage: the battle of the bands.
His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined, edited by Dahlia Adler (Grades 9-12) (Horror)
Thirteen of Poe’s terrifying works are re-imagined in new and unexpected ways for modern readers. Poe’s own stories are included, so readers can compare.
Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise, edited by Laura Silverman (Grades 9-12) (Various Genres)
A collection of thirteen short stories by young adult authors, all revolving around the theme of staying up late into the night.
That Way Madness Lies: Fifteen of William Shakespeare’s Most Notable Works Reimagined, edited by Dahlia Adler (Grades 9-12) (Various Genres)
A collection of re-imaginings of Shakespeare’s plays and poetry by young adult authors.