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  • General Recommendations
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Blank Canvas: Short Stories for Teens

It's Day 40 of the Blank Canvas Summer Reading Challenge, the first day readers are eligible to pick up their second prize book. But don't worry if you're still working on it--we've got you covered! Trying to figure out what to read for your 20 minutes a day? Try a short story. These anthologies bring short stories by new and established authors together. Covering a variety of genres and topics, there is sure to be a story for you. And bonus, many of these collections will also fill the Expand Your Shelf prompt for an anthology with diverse voices. For more information about Expand Your Shelf, see the link at the bottom of the list. List created by Laura from the Woodneath Library Center.

User from Mid-Continent Public Library

15 items

  • When we think of love, we often think of love stories and romance. This collection of stories in verse goes beyond that narrow definition. Here we find stories of love for family, friends, and self alongside romance. With stories set in a variety of…
    Book, 2025New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025. — YF WILSON
  • The White Guy Dies First

    13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power

    Benton-Walker, Terry J.,
    In this collection of stories by authors of color many classic horror tropes are upended. Featuring well-known authors such as H.E. Edgmon, Chloe Gong, Mark Oshiro, and Tiffany Jackson this collection will encourage readers to confront the…
    Book, 2024New York : Tor Teen, 2024. — YF BENTON-WALKER
  • Ab(solutely) Normal

    Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

    Carpenter, Nora Shalaway
    "You can struggle with a serious mental health condition and still live a good and full life" is the message the editors of this anthology are sending out to their readers. These stories, in a variety of formats and styles, cover topics ranging from…
    Book, 2023Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press , 2023. — YF CARPENTER
  • Everyone is a fan of something. That is certainly true of this collection of stories which celebrate the varied interests of teens today. Featuring all Black characters, these stories explore what it means to be a modern geek while also dealing with…
    Book, 2023New York : Viking, 2023. — YF STRONG
  • This collection of sci-fi/fantasy stories features myths and legends of Southeast Asia. The stories are approachable and vary in genre from funny to scary. Some of the stories include notes at the end to help further understanding, but every story…
    Book, 2023New York : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2023] — YF CHARAIPOTRA
  • Study Break

    11 College Tales From Orientation to Graduation

    Avachat, Aashna,
    Over the course of one year on the same fictional campus there are ups and downs, crushes and missed connections, best friends, roommates, and group projects. These 11 stories sweep across the campus and highlight what it is like to be in college…
    Book, 2023New York : Feiwel & Friends, 2023. — YF AVACHAT
  • Game on

    15 Stories of Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between

    Silverman, Laura,
    Spanning many genres, these stories all highlight the love of games and competitions. From sports and board games, to video games and ttrpg's, there is a story for every player. Read along for the wins, losses, and everything in between.
    Book, 2022New York : Viking, 2022. — YF SILVERMAN
  • What makes a collection? Some of the most lauded names in youth literature have explored that question. These unique and varied stories remind us that we are allowed to take up space, we are more than the objects we collect, and only we can decide…
    Book, 2023New York : Dutton Books, 2023. — YF KING
  • His Hideous Heart

    Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe's Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined

    Adler, Dahlia
    In a collection of anthologies, it would be a tragedy to not include Edgar Allan Poe. This book we get 13 of Poe's wonderfully-eerie stories reimagined for modern day along with the originals. New and old fans of Poe and other spooky tales will…
    Book, 2019New York : Flatiron Books, 2019. — YF ADLER
  • In this collection stories we get one author's perspective on love. David Levithan shares stories of love that range from a child's view of parental love on Valentine's Day to having a crush on a quiz bowl teammate. The story "We" even captures the…
    Book, 2020New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. — YF LEVITHAN
  • Firsts and Lasts

    16 Stories From Our World ... and Beyond!

    Silverman, Laura,
    This book explores the many firsts as well as some of the lasts that people may face as they move from teen to adulthood. These stories may have universal themes, but the settings and genres are anything but typical. From magical realism, to…
    Book, 2023New York : Penguin Workshop, 2023. — YF SILVERMAN
  • Rural Voices

    15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-town America

    Carpenter, Nora Shalaway
    Rural people and culture are often seen as one-dimensional and flat. This books showcases how diverse and deep the lives of people in rural America really are. Through stories, poems, personal essays and illustrations we explore some of the many…
    Book, 2020Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2020. — YF CARPENTER
  • One day. Sixteen stories. These interconnected tales travel through the day of a school's battle of the bands. From behind the scenes, to ticket takers, to the beleaguered stage manager, to the judge who has romantic ties to two separate lead…
    Book, 2021Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2021. — YF GIBALDI
  • Spanning centuries, this collection of horror stories follows one Cherokee family. Each story is accompanied by illustrations by Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards.
    Book, 2022Montclair : Levine Querido, [2022]. — YF ROGERS