Short Stories for All Ages

In the room beneath a stage’s trapdoor, Shakespeare’s dead teenage girls compare their experiences and retell the stories of their lives, their loves, and their fates in their own words. Bestselling author Joy McCullough offers a brilliant testement to how young women can support each other and reclaim their stories in the aftermath of trauma. Highly recomended new release, available for preorder at Ink-a-Dink. Watch for Spotlight Review and Giveaway!

Four brilliant new tales in If It Bleeds are sure to prove as iconic as their predecessors. Once again, King’s remarkable range is on full display. In the title story, fan-favorite Holly Gibney (from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider) must face her fears and possibly another outsider - this time on her own. In Mr. Harrigan’s Phone an intergenerational friendship has a disturbing afterlife. The Life of Chuck explores, beautifully, how each of us contains multitudes. And in Rat, a struggling writer must contend with the darker side of ambition.

Written by teens for teens. These sci-fi, short stories all have underlying themes of mental health, and the authors are young writers ages 11 - 17. Available at Ink-a-Dink.

A star-studded anthology with a devilish hook, whose proceeds benefit 826nyc: the fabulous literacy non-profit founded by Dave Eggers.

Can you imagine the most cantankerous book editor alive? Part Voldemort, part Cruella de Vil (if she were a dude), and worse in appearance and odor than a gluttonous farm pig? A man who makes no secret of his love of cheese or his disdain of unworthy authors? That man is Herman Mildew. 

The anthology opens with an invitation to a party, care of this insufferable monster, where more than 80 of the most talented, bestselling and recognizable names in YA and children’s fiction learn that they are suspects in his murder. All must provide alibis in brief first-person entries. The problem is that all of them are liars, all of them are fabulists, and all have something to hide. 

Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They’re also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.

Needed more than ever, 28 well-known people who struggled with mental health. Four-color, great for readers ages 8 and up. -KC

Meet 28 icons, from pop stars to sporting heroes, and discover how they overcame a range of mental health issues, from anorexia to depression, to live inspiring lives. At a time when kids' mental health is under more pressure than ever, this book celebrates the message that it's ok not to be ok. Includes Hollywood icons, artists, scientists, Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, even royalty. Great art and interactive pages accompany each story, expertly designed by and produced by Laurence King Publishing.

All-time favorite book growing up and reading to four children. -KC

Meet Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! She lives in an upside-down house with a kitchen that is always full of freshly baked cookies. She was even married to a pirate once! Best of all, she knows everything there is to know about children.
When Mary turns into an Answer-Backer or Dick becomes Selfish or Allen decides to be a Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has the perfect cure. And her solutions always work, with plenty of laughs along the way. This is the book that started it all! Perfect for fans of Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee, this classic series is all about learning and problem-solving. Readers young and old will love this book.

Imagine living with a skunk in your closet, a bat in your refrigerator, and a tarantula in your purse! In this hilarious autobiographical account, Newbery Medal–winning author (Julie of the Wolves) and acclaimed naturalist Jean Craighead George describes her adventures in a house full of wildlife enthusiasts—and the amazing animals themselves. 

A classic collection that should be reaed by everyone at some time in their lives. In the beloved title story of this handsome collection, a man and woman each long to bring home just the right gift for the other. But with so little money, how can there be hope? The poignant twists and heartwarming conclusion of this perfect plum of a story help explain the lasting appeal of this most American of authors. Writing under the famous pseudonym 0. Henry, William Sydney Porter breathed life into characters, creating moments that touch readers with their sensitivity and humanity. He portrayed lovelorn cowboys and headstrong urbanites with the same authentic touch, using sympathy, irony, and the wit for which he is justly famous.

What were all those fairy-tale characters thinking? The authors answer this question in paired poems, with sometimes startling results. The Princess claims all those mattresses kept her awake—not a silly pea—while the poor pea complains that the princess snores. One Snow White begs the witch to settle by the bay and throw that mirror away. Another boldly tells the mirror she “won’t be guided by a glass that’s so one-sided.” Grumbles from the Forest is a bewitching brew of voices—grumbling, pleading, bragging, reminiscing, confiding—that bubbles with magic and wonder. The spectacular paintings that tie the poems together are full of surprise and intrigue. This stunning collection includes end notes that briefly describe the tales and their history and an introduction that invites readers to imagine their own poems from unusual perspectives.

Each story told in Sleepy Stories drifts deeper into a beguiling dream world, telling of an elasticgentleman who stretches his body across town to effortlessly slip into bed, or of another sleepy young man who curls inside an upside-down umbrella to take a snooze. In Diego Bianki's magical universe, the waking world is made small (a French press and a red top hat shrink before our eyes), while the dream world Levrero and his son Nicolás build together (a land of sly frogs, giant apes, and smiling squids) waltzes across the page. On the last of Bianki's whimsical illustrations, Nicolás holds the book over his father's nodding head and says, "Another." This is a book to giggle with and curl up with, to take onevery sleepy adventure.

In this fourth wall-breaking picture book, young readers will delight inthe strange twists on familiar tales. From “The Stinky Cheese Man” to“Cinderummpelstiltskin,” these unique, hilarious retellings poke fun at classic stories and characters. The wonderfully off-beat and bizarre illustrations and design play with the text and create interactive pages for each story, making this a one-of-kind masterpiece ffilled with humor, by the excellent author and illustator teach, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

For thousands of years, people have been telling each otherstories, passing them from generation to generation. Some of the popular and enduring tales in the world feature tricksters — wonderfully inventive characters who outsmart others and use their wits to prevail in the most difficult circumstances.

The eleven stories in this book present a fascinating cast of animal tricksters, gathered from the storytelling ring of the slave trade during the American Plantation Era. A fiddling alligator is outsmarted by a rabbit. A chameleon is tricked by a spider and a lizard into transforming himself into a boat. And a turtle outwits a leopard and rides him like a horse--a small sampling of excellent animal tales.

This feast of Middle Eastern folklore from an award-winning Iraqi storyteller is paired with vibrant cut-paper art. The twenty fables and folktales in this illustrated storybookhave taken a long journey. Many have roots that stretch across Europe, Asia, and Africa, but when award-winning writer and gatherer of tales Rodaan Al Galidi learned them in his homeland of Iraq, it was as Arabic folktales and as part of the Arabic storytelling tradition. When he migrated to the Netherlands, he shaped twenty of those tales into his debut book for children, which was translated to English by Laura Watkinson. Filled with wisdom about love and acceptance, and warnings against folly, these elegantly translated stories—many unknown in the United States—of donkeys and roosters, kings, sheikhs, and paupers--are exquisitely illustrated by cut-paper artist Geertje Aalders. Beautifully packaged, The Three Princes of Serendip is a rich and varied introduction to the world of Middle Eastern folklore. 

To a small child, words are magical. And the most magical ofall are the beloved words of Mother Goose. Here, folklorist Iona Opie has gathered more than sixty treasured rhymes in their most perfect, honest forms, from “Hey Diddle, Diddle" and “Pat-a-Cake” to “Little Jack Horner” and “Pussycat, Pussycat” — familiar verses that have been passed from parent to child for generations and are every child’s birthright. With watercolors by Rosemary Wells capturing the simple joy and sly humor of the classic nursery rhymes, includes a note from the illustrator on the unparalleled influence of Mother Goose, during childhood and beyond.

A finger against the inside of a mirror... a wood where the trees look back... a basement door blocked by a brick wall so thick, it stifles the screams from below ... This original collection of chilling poems and tales contains the only true ghost stories in existence (as the book itself will tell you)—13 eerie encounters perfect for sharing...if you dare. Accompanied by striking illustrations and building to a truly spine-tingling conclusion, this haunting book will consume the imagination and keep readers of every age up long past their bedtimes.

Fifteen young adult authors and one real-life rock star band together for one epic interconnected memorable high school rite of passage. Must read for lovers of YA and music!

Elisha Cooper spent a year hanging out at a Chicago high school— listening, watching, questioning, and sketching the students. He followed eight kids in particular, mostly seniors, through their entire year, and by telling their specific stories—of classes, extra-curriculars, friends, romances, and family—a picture of what it’s like to be a high school student today.

Part documentary, part soap opera, part sketchbook, this is an eye-opening, thoroughly entertaining account—one that will appeal equally to readers who are looking forward to high school and those who are looking back.

In this powerful collection, well-known YA authours answer real letters from teens all over the world about the dark side of love: dating violence, break-ups, cheating, betrayals and loneliness. This book contains a no-holds-barred, raw outpouring of the wisdom these authors have culled from mining their own hearts for the fiction they write. Their responses are autobiographical, unflinching, and filled with love and hope for the anonymous teen writers.

Twelve dangerous tales of mystery, magic, and rebellious hearts, each twists like a spindle, revealing truths full of warning and triumph; truths that free hearts long kept tame; and truths that explore life and death. 

In these pages, writers, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and philosophers reflect on the joys of reading, how books broaden and deepen human experience, and the ways in which the written word has formed their own character. On the page facing each letter, an illustration by a celebrated illustrator or graphic artist presents that artist's visual.

Breathtakingly illustrated and hauntingly written, Tales from Outer Suburbia is by turns hilarious and poignant, perceptive and goofy. Through a series of captivating and sophisticated illustrated stories, Tan explores the precious strangeness of our existence. He gives us a portrait of modern suburban existence filtered through a wickedly Monty Pythonesque lens. Whether it’s discovering that the world really does stop at the end of the city’s map book, or a family’s lesson in tolerance through an alien cultural exchange student, Tan’s deft, sweet social satire brings us face-to-face with the humor and absurdity of modern life.

A collection of four novellas in different genres, including a western about a farmer who grows living toys and a rancherwho grows half-living people; a science fiction story of the near-future in which the world is as easy to manipulate as the Internet; a crime story in which every wish comes true and only the Imaginary Crimes Unit can stop them; and a comedic love story in which Death describes himself as a charismatic hero.

A collection of novella-length stories set in the future, illustrated with black-and-white artwork.
No world is like the other. Within this collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems. With tales of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe. Each story begins with a hope for a better end, but always end with a better understanding of the beginning.

Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark.

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…

A first meeting.

Long-time friends.

Bitter exes.

And maybe the beginning of something new.

When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.

A stunning collection of short stories about the intersection of family, culture, and food in the lives in teens, from bestselling and critically acclaimed authors, including Sandhya Menon, Anna Marie McLemore, and Rin Chupeco. 

The Brothers Grimm’s enduring fairy tales are brought to life for a new generation of readers in their original, uncut, uncensored form, in a lavish new edition by the master of the gothic macabre—bestselling illustrator Gris Grimly. For lovers of classic literature and horror in their orginal gory formats, these fairy tales are not for the faint of heart.

Horror lovers and Edgar Allen Poe fans get a real treat in this collection of his most popular and thrilling stories and poems, retold with clockwork gears, parasols, air balloons and all things Steampunk!

Award-winning translator and author David Bowles brings together twenty-five darkly memorable stories of the southern borderlands of Texas, retold in his unique voice. Ranging from the age-old folktales heard at his grandmother’s knee, to urban legends collected down the years, each of these narratives is brought to stunning visual life by artist José Meléndez.