Want to finish an entire story in one sitting? Don't have much time to read and don't want to get totally caught up in a book and then have to put it down? Try a short story. 

Short stories are often only a few pages long, but are complete with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Anthologies are collections of stories written by different authors, so instead of browsing the shelves, you can browse within the book and see what piques your interest. Stories in an anthology are usually connected by a theme, but how each author interpretes that theme is up to them. You can try a different genre (realistic, science fiction, humor, sports) without investing too much of your time. You can try different writers, see if you like their writing styles, and maybe find a new author to binge.

Here are some suggestions to get you started. All are available as e-books through NYPL's SimplyE app.

Been There, Done That: School Dazed by Mike Winchell

Eighteen authors take one real incident from their elementary, middle, or high school days and turn it into fiction. "What Really Happened" becomes "The Story".

Some authors stay true to their memories. Howard Cruise turns the time he stood at the front of the classroom imitating his teacher into a short comic crediting it as his start in comedy and writing. Some use it as a jumping off point for the fantastical. When she was a child, Jacqueline West had a hard time separating pretending from lying, which inspired her story of a girl's imaginary trolls coming to life. Others take a bad experience and give it a more positive ending. While in real life, Ellen Yeomans did stand up to a bullying school bus driver, in her story in verse, she also makes the adults around her listen and believe.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales

Fourteen writers use the enigmatic drawings, titles, and captions in Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick as the inspiration for their short stories.

Kate DiCamillo takes on "The Third Floor Bedroom" where a wallpaper bird comes to life. In "Mr. Linden's Library", Walter Dean Myers writes about a young girl who gets captured by a book. In Stephen King's "The House on Maple Street", a wooden house is slowly replaced by metal and machinery.

 

Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh

There's something for everyone in these diverse stories told by ten well-known authors. In each, ordinary kids figure out who they are and what they can become as they learn to deal with everything life throws at them.

Kwame Alexander's Monk finds that he can now read everyone's mind in this lighthearted read. Meg Medina's Merci learns about parental sacrifice the summer before she starts private school. Soman Chainani's Santosh discovers that life should be filled with what makes you happy when his lively 92 year-old grandmother takes him on a tour of Europe.

 

Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever. edited by Betsy Bird

Contributions from over 25 female authors and comedians are included in this collection of short stories, essays, quizzes, and comics covering themes of family, school, friendship, and puberty, all told with a sense of humor.

Stories vary from the autobiographical, such as Carmen Agra Deedy's account of her mother setting fire to the bathtub, to the fictional, such as Alison DeCamp's exchange of letters between a girl demanding money and her grandfather's responses. In short comics, Meghan McCarthy shares how she accidentally stapled her thumb, while Raina Telgemeier tells of an unfortunate encounter with a bee.

 

Guys Read: Other Worlds edited by Jon Scieszka

These ten tales are not for guys only, but will appeal to anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy.

In "Bouncing the Grinning Goat", Shannon Hale's Spark steals her brother's armor, runs away, and by pretending to have magic, gets a job as a tavern bouncer. Everything goes well until Ash Riders invade the village. In "The Dirt On Our Shoes" by Neal Shusterman, the colony ship bringing "life to the stars" will soon be arriving at its final destination. But only Tanner and Morena wonder—why does the delivery ship to the planet have no engine or landing gear? Is there something they are not being told? Other titles in the Guys Read series are also available.

The Hero Next Door edited by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

13 authors come together to celebrate everyday people who make the world a better place. The majority of the stories are realistic fiction, but you will also find fantasy, science fiction, and spooky tales.

In Lamar Giles' "Ellison's CORNucopia", Leen and Wiki, twin girls who secretly make and sell robots to their neighbors, use them to catch a thief at the farmer's market. In Suma Subramaniam's "Rescue", Sangeetha and her mother, running from abusive Appa, must decide if they  will turn back to retrieve the dog they left behind. In "Los Abuelos, Two Bright Minds", Juana Medina pays homage to her grandparents' courage, tenacity, and love for each other.

Scream and Scream Again: Spooky Stories From Mystery Writers of America edited by R.L. Stine

Browse through these twenty tales of suspense, horror, and surprise endings that all "begin or end with a scream!"

Two boys choose the wrong kids to bully in R.L. Stine's "The Best Revenge". While out trick-or-treating, a little boy sees Death in Steve Hockensmith's "Ring and Run". You don't want to eat the ice cream from Beth Fantaskeys's "I Scream Truck." And after reading Daniel Palmer's "The Nightmare Express", you'll never want to be late for anything ever again.

 

Sports Shorts: An Anthology of Short Stories 

Eight writers share autobiographical stories about their experience with sports when they were growing up. Motivating, funny, or embarrassing, they all prove that you don't have to be athletic to love sports.

Even though Joseph Bruchac was the scrawniest kid in the gym, he loved  "bombardment," an aggressive form of dodgeball. And then one day, he was picked to be team leader. Alexandra Siy wanted to play Little League in a time when girls weren't allowed on the team, so she and her mother decided to bike the "Century"—100 miles in 12 hours or less.

Totally Middle School: Tales of Friends, Family, and Fitting In edited by Betsy Groban

Thirteen authors take on the challenge of reliving their middle school years with these fictional stories, letters, essays, and poems.

Some are funny, such as Lois Lowry's letters to her new English teacher, who also happens to be her aunt, outlining her guidelines for their new relationship. Some are serious, such as Gary Schmidt's story about a boy's realization that war changes everything. But the majority speak directly to the everyday concerns of school life. Readers will relate to Katherine and Jordan Paterson's Amanda who texts her older cousin for advice about everything, and will empathize with Margarita Engle when she worries about attending her first school dance.

 

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

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