Short Stories for Teens

The list below includes some of the best works of short fiction for Young Adult readers.

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

A collection of short stories featuring characters from earlier books by Chris Crutcher.

Be very afraid!: more tales of horror by Edo Van Belkom (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

In the past, the real horror in horror stories took the form of aliens from outer space or terrifying swamp monsters. Today's teens face horrors that are closer to home: guns, alcohol abuse, eating disorders, bullies. Winner of the Aurora and Bram Stoker Awards, Edo van Belkom has gathered tales about modern-day terrors from some of North America's best horror writers.

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

Previously available only in Australia, this haunting short story collection by the acclaimed author contains ten wholly realized fantasy worlds that exist just beyond the realm of everyday life--so familiar and so surreal, they will not be forgotten.

The Book of Wizards by Jennifer Schwamm Willis, ed. (Location: Central Library)

You're off to see the wizards -- lots of them, in Oz and beyond -- in this dazzling and delightful collection drawn from classics of the whimsical and fantastical.

The coyote road: trickster tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (Location: Central Library)

Coyote. Anansi. Brer Rabbit. Trickster characters have long been a staple of folk literature-and are a natural choice for the overarching subject of acclaimed editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's third mythic anthology. The Coyote Road features a remarkable range of authors, each with his or her fictional look at a trickster character.

Dark Times by Ann Walsh (Location: Central Library)

Thirteen deeply moving stores about young people experiencing grief and loss.

First Crossing by Donald R. Gallo, ed. (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

Covering a wide range of cultural and economical backgrounds, these stories by 11 well-known authors touch on a variety of teen experiences, with enough attitude and heartfelt angst to speak to young adults anywhere.

First French Kiss by Adam Bagdasarian (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

Memories of childhood and adolescence are revealed through stories told by Will as he grapples with karate lessons and school-yard fights, and dreams of being a writer. Stories flash back to the age of 5 and forward to the age of 20 with a fair amount of time devoted to the wondrous, yet tortured, years in between.

Friendships by Budge Wilson (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

A subtle and moving collection of stories about surprising moments of understanding from unlikely sources. These perceptive and contemporary stories show struggling boys and girls making a connection with someone who can bring them to a kind of balance.

Geektastic: stories from the nerd herd by Holly Black (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

Stories for your inner geek!

How they met and other stories by David Levithan (Location: Richvale Library)

A collection of eighteen stories describing the surprises, sacrifices, doubts, pain, and joy of falling in love.

The Human Fly and Other Stories by T.C. Boyle (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

Presents a collection of short stories about teenagers, including

Lunch with Lenin and other stories by Deborah Ellis (Location: Richvale Library)

Deborah Ellis's first collection of short stories explores the lives of children who have been affected directly, or indirectly, by drugs.

Mythspring by Julie E. Czerneda and Genevieve Kierans, eds. (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

Song and story. Myth and tradition. They are a shared legacy that both satisfies and inspires. Join 15 talented authors as they celebrate the rich, diverse, and occasionally truly odd culture of our country. Mythspring is an anthology of original short speculative fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, and horror, where each story is derived from a Canadian song, folktale, myth, or other cultural source.

Oddest of all by Bruce Coville (Locations: Central Library, Richvale Library)

A collection of nine short stories featuring ghosts, half-humans, unicorns, and other unusual creatures.

Owning it: stories about teens with disabilities by Donald R. Gallo (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

This anthology by a stellar cast of YA authors introduces teens with a mix of physical and psychological problems from asthma to Tourette's syndrome. The young people's challenges are broad and diverse, and the settings range from high school to hospital environments.

Secrets by Marthe Jocelyn, ed. (Locations: Richmond Green Library, Richvale Library)

A dozen stories about secrets, in all their diversity-from shameful secrets, such as a girl who pretends that her alcoholic father is dead, to practiced deception, such as a girl who pretends to be

The starry rift by Jonathan Strahan (Location: Central Library)

Whether on spaceships, in suburbia, or in simulated gaming worlds, whether about cloning, battle tactics, or corporate politics, the stories of

Tomorrow all will be beautiful by Brigid Lowry (Location: Central Library)

A collection of short stories about growing up and leaving home, about feeling wobbly and learning how to be wonderful, about friendships and freedom and flaws. It deals with love, death, coffee, bad-hair days, and everything in-between.

Weeds and Other Stories by Jacqueline Pearce (Locations: Central Library, Richmond Green Library)

In Weeds and Other Stories you will find bullies and mystical coyotes, environmental warriors, loners, clowns, and the best of friends; and, of course, some fresh takes on teen relationships.