Short Story Collections Selection: 5 Must-Read MG Anthologies

Winter break can be a great time to dive deep into a novel, but the busyness of the season (and maybe a new gift or two!) can also lend itself to shorter reading experiences.

What better way to sample multiple author offerings than with a collection of stories or essays? Collections like the incredible ones below can also provide a chance to discover a new favorite writer or see an established author branch out in a new genre or style.

Either way, these collections will be sure to entertain and enrich – no matter the time of the year or the amount of time to read.

A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems Edited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt

Everyone knows that superheroes are supposed to have awesome powers like strength or invisibility or flight. But what happens when you’re a mostly regular kid . . . who’s just a little bit super?

In these hilarious and thought-provoking stories from today’s top middle grade authors, fourteen young people are each coping with a recently discovered minor superpower.

The Haunted States of America Edited by SCBWI

Every state has an urban legend that evokes fear and curiosity in equal parts, and this collection chronicles all of these logic-defying horrors… strap in for this spooky cross country tour, but be extra careful not to let any of these terrors follow you home.

You Are Here: Connecting Flights Edited by Ellen Oh

An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport.

As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers–some helpful, some hostile–as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar.

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood Edited by Kwame Mbalia

Black boy joy is…

Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit.

Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race.

Finding your voice–and your rhymes–during tough times.

Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching.

And more! From seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories, comics, and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.

Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers Edited by Rose Brock

In a collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and bestselling artists from Matt de la Peña and Veera Hiranandani to Max Brallier and R.L. Stine write about how hope always wins, even in the darkest of times.

From a family restaurant to a hot-dog shaped car, from an empty road on a moonlight night to a classroom holiday celebration, this anthology of personal stories from award-winning and bestselling authors, shows that hope can live everywhere, even–or especially–during the darkest of times.

No matter what happens: Hope wins.

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These short stories and essays are the perfect fit for busy times and busier readers – and taking a moment to enjoy them will be sure to improve any season.

Jason Peterson

Jason Peterson is the author of the upcoming picture book BLUES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE (Astra/Calkins Creek) and is a middle grade writer and musician. His writing has appeared in Performer Magazine, American Songwriter, Living Blues, and The Onion News Network. When not writing, Jason can be found building a to-be-read pile of books that will hopefully not topple over and bury him - and also playing bass guitar. He was born and raised in Chicago and now lives with his wife, two kids, and a scruffy dog in south Louisiana, where he’s still getting used to trading in snow for swamps.