Posts Tagged anthologies

A Story’s A Story, No Matter How Small

By on October 14, 2026   /   Book Lists, WNDMG   /   Leave a comment

In recent news, the Guiness Book of World Records just named Advay Jain as the youngest person to publish a book at the tender age of 3 years and 345 days old! This news caught my eye since it takes me longer than that to simply finish a draft for my novels. However, this record-breaking news had me thinking about what makes an author an author and what makes a story a story. 

 

We all have narratives to share and everyone has the ability to write. With busy schedules and shrinking attention spans, readers may turn to short stories instead of full length novels. So this month’s post highlights some notable anthologies from recent years that put diverse authors at the forefront. Reluctant readers and busy bibliophiles alike can find themselves within the pages of these anthologies. 

 

LKM 2024 Anthology

Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology

 

LitKids Magazine 2024 Anthology  Edited by Rebecca Weber. Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology is filled with stories, poetry, art, and photography made by children who noticed something, wondered about it, and shaped it into their own creation. Inside, you’ll find small things and big things, funny things and serious things, imaginative things and thoughtful things. Each piece is proof that creating is an adventure, full of risks, surprises, and discoveries. Together, these pieces tell an important story: creativity is alive, powerful, and worth nurturing, especially in childhood.

 

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids  Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Featuring sixteen Native American authors—including Joseph Bruchac and Traci Sorell— this anthology weaves fantastic stories centered around a single intertribal powwow in Michigan. An incredible celebration of stories and poetry filled with humor, family joy, and contemporary Indigenous resilience.

 

 

 

 

 

The Door Is Open  Edited by Hena Khan. This anthology includes delightful stories written entirely by South Asian and Desi-American voices. Focusing on the diversity and of South Asian American experiences in a bustling community center in a fictional New Jersey town, your reader will love this exploration of  identity, new crushes, and cultural pride.

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices  Edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed. The more we read, the more we know and what better way to experience the joy of Eid al-Fitr than with this incredible anthology. Showcasing fifteen different Muslim authors writing about the universal spirit of this holiday, this collection highlights a massive spectrum of global cultures, covering Shia and Sunni traditions, West African perspectives, and convert experiences. 

 

Black Boy Joy Cover

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood  Edited by Kwame Mbalia. If you’ve never heard of this uplifting collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and realistic stories, you are missing out! Seventeen Black male and non-binary authors (including Jason Reynolds and Jerry Craft) share moving stories that celebrate triumph and happiness to challenge heavy media stereotypes.

 

 

On the Block  Edited by Ellen Oh (published October 2024). This anthology explores the lives of immigrant families living in a single apartment building. From beautifully honest looks at culture and family structures, this collection features twelve stories from authors like Jasmine Warga, Erin Entrada Kelly, Debbi Michiko Florence, Minh Le, and so many more!

 

 

 

You Are Here

You Are Here: Connecting Flights  Edited by Ellen Oh (published March 2023). A star-studded anthology of concurrent, interwoven stories following twelve Asian American kids embarking on a massive international airport terminal during a single incident. What could possibly go wrong? Find out through the work of Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, and Christina Soontornvat.

 

Black Girl Power

 

Black Girl Power  Edited by Leah Johnson (published 2024). A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

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Creating Community with Diverse Story Collections

By on March 19, 2025   /   Articles, Book Lists  

Spring is right around the corner, and along with it comes the blooming of flowers. What better time to highlight anthologies! The Greek word anthology is made up of anthos, which means flowers and logia, which means collections. I invite you to check out these five, recently published short story collections written by rock star authors. While each of these titles focuses on different subjects, voices, identities or ethnic groups, they all embrace themes of community building.  Each stellar story stands on its own but blossoms in the collective storytelling.

 

Black Girl Power: 15 stories celebrating black girlhood. Edited by Leah Johnson. Hyperion, 2024.

Contributing author Kwame Mbalia states, “power is the ability to control a narrative,” and this anthology does just that. These transformational narratives uplift Black girls, and help them build confidence and dream big. Young readers will find much to love in these stories which include, a horror story, poems, fantasies as well as realistic stories. The universal themes such as family expectations, grief, and friendship have wide appeal, as do the strong characterizations.

 

Calling the Moon:16 period stories from BIPOC authors. Edited by Aida Salazar and Yamile Saied Mendez. Candlewick, 2024.

Period power is explored in this group of poems and stories featuring Black, Indigenous, and people of color with different cultural and faith-based beliefs and attitudes towards menstruating. These pieces celebrate how those “who menstruate are in sync with the natural rhythms of humanity and with the luminescent orb floating through space on a monthly cycle,” – Aida Salazar.

 

 

The Door is Open: stories of celebration and community by 11 Desi voices. Edited by Hana Kahn, Little Brown and Co., 2024.

Welcome to the Maple Grove Community Center in New Jersey. Through interconnected stories featuring the diverse world of South Asian Americans, you will find out how a group of kids gathers together to pursue a variety of activities in this space, and also to save it. Light-hearted stories of crushes and friendships are included alongside more serious topics of racism and identity.

 

 

 

A Little Bit of Super: with small powers come big problems. Edited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion, 2024.

We often think of super powers as being big and flashy – like flying faster than a speeding bullet or being stronger than Hercules. These humorous stories, comics and poems show how kids can use small powers to positively affect their worlds. The variety of powers – shape shifting, ascertaining the ripeness of an avocado, and hearing the thoughts of animals are fun and fascinating. The book champions the idea that each of us possesses a little something special that makes us super.

 

 

 

On The Block: stories of home. Edited by Ellen Oh. Crown, 2024.

Reading these stories is like peeking through the windows of the Entrada apartment building and learning about the interconnected lives of the immigrant families inside. You will observe ghosts, first crushes, bigotry and more. The anthology includes families from Cuba, India, Nigeria and other countries, sharing their stories and food, and depicts a place where new immigrants find friendship, support and safety.

 

 

 

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Short Story Collections Selection: 5 Must-Read MG Anthologies

By on December 27, 2024   /   Book Lists  
Book turning pages

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

[Cover of A LITTLE BIT SUPER.]

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

[Cover of THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA.]

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

[Cover of YOU ARE HERE.]

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

[Cover of BLACK BOY JOY.]

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

[Cover of HOPE WINS.]

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.

 

 

 

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