Open Books Challenge 2026: Short Story Collection

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "Short story collection."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Open Books Challenge 2026: Short Story Collection

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "Short story collection."

Happy Reading!

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Those who saw the sun : African American oral histories from the Jim Crow South
Avery, Jaha Nailah
Paper Book
NYPL BEST OF THE YEAR BEST OF THE BEST, BLACK CAUCUS OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION A stunning collection of oral histories from Black elders who grew up in the Jim Crow South The past is not past. We may think...
The lady in glass and other stories
Bishop, Anne
Paper Book
A magical collection of stories new and old spanning across all of Anne Bishop's most beloved fantasy worlds. Here, together for the first time, the shorter works of New York Times bestselling fantasy author Anne Bishop are included in one dazzling volume. A...
Quentin Blake's Fantastic Journeys
Blake, Quentin
Paper Book
Savor the work of the well-loved and lauded illustrator Quentin Blake in this keepsake collection of fun, quirky drawings that will delight both longtime devotees and emerging young fans. A chef in mid-fall, balancing a towering, toppling cake. A bespectacled gentleman riding a...
Hope wins : a collection of inspiring stories for young readers
Brock, Rose
Paper Book
In a collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and bestselling artists from Matt de la Pena and Veera Hiranandani to Max Brallier and R.L. Stine write about how hope always wins, even in the darkest of times. Where does hope live? In your family? ...
Faeries never lie : tales to revel in
Cr?dova, Zoraida
Paper Book
A collection of fun and thought-provoking short stories that center faeries of varying genders and cultures, described by Kirkus Reviews as "a tantalizing taste of trickery and enchantment!" and perfect for spooky season! There's something to be said for starting...
5-minute dinosaur stories
Donohue, Moira Rose
Paper Book
Travel back in time to unlock the secrets of the dinosaurs with these 12 fascinating true tales of prehistoric life! Join National Geographic on an expedition into the past to explore kids' favorite topic- dinosaurs! These dino-mite true tales are all the ideal length to be read...
High spirits : short stories on Dominican diaspora
Gomera-Tavarez, Camille
Paper Book
Pura Belpré Honor Book BEST OF THE YEAR Chicago Review of Books · Kirkus · Los Angeles Public Library Publishers Weekly Flying Start High Spirits is a collection of eleven...
Everyday Bean
Graegin, Stephanie
Paper Book
4 STARRED REVIEWS! . A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2025! . Join adorable hedgehog Bean in the first picture book of a new series full of tiny stories about big everyday adventures that will warm quills - and tickle funny bones! Meet Bean, a very tiny hedgehog. She...
I can grow it!
Greenawalt, Kelly
Paper Book
Princess Truly gardens and has fun with her friends, across three rhyming stories perfect for beginning readers! You can read with Acorn! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy...
Body talk : 37 voices explore our radical anatomy
Jensen, Kelly
Paper Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2020 It's time to bare it all about bodies!   We all experience the world in a body, but we don't usually take the time to explore what it really means to have and live within one. Just as...
Black girl power
Johnson, Leah (Young adult author)
Paper Book
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BEST SELLER Kirkus Reviews Best of 2024 list, Best of Middle Grade 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...
Sitting with dogs : stories of rescue dogs going from lost to loved
Kanaka, Rocky
Paper Book
Rocky Kanaka is known the world over as a dog rescue advocate. His millions of fans follow along each week as Rocky visits shelters and finds dogs in need. He often finds the most hopeless cases-dogs that have been abandoned because they're sick or their owners can no longer care for them, or they...
Lake of Souls : the collected short fiction
Leckie, Ann
Paper Book
Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new...
A view from the stars
Liu, Cixin
Paper Book
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Three-Body Problem series--now a Netflix Original series--A View from the Stars is a new collection of short fiction and nonfiction pieces. A VIEW FROM THE STARS features a range of short works from the...
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity
Mandelo, Lee
Paper Book
Revolutionary and visionary, these twenty-two speculative stories edited by Lambda, Nebula and Hugo finalist Lee Mandelo explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures. USA Today Bestseller! From self-styled knights fighting in dystopian city...
Steve Martin writes the written word : collected written word works
Martin, Steve
Paper Book
A USA Today Bestseller  With an exclusive new introduction and some never-before-published pieces, a collection of greatest hits from one of the most beloved comedians of our time, Steve Martin, now starring in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. ...
It was the way she said it : short stories, essays, and wisdom
McMillan, Terry
Paper Book
"This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut- aging, love, poverty, trauma and plenty of lightness in between."-People From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and...
Serendipity : ten romantic tropes, transformed
Meyer, Marissa
Paper Book
Love is in the air in Serendipity, a collection of stories inspired by romantic tropes and edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer. The secret admirer. The fake relationship. The matchmaker.
Fifty beasts to break your heart : & other stories
Nethercott, GennaRose
Paper Book
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF BOOKS' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR . From the author of the breakout novel Thistlefoot- a collection of dark fairytales and fractured folklore exploring how our passions can save us-or go monstrously wrong. "Real magic, real delight,...
The Best American Short Stories 2025
Ng, Celeste
Paper Book
"Short stories can act like little tuning forks, helping us to clarify our own values," writes guest editor Celeste Ng. "In a time when our values are being tested daily, it's hard to think of anything more important." The Best American Short Stories 2025 resonates precisely at this...
Neighbors and other stories
Oliver, Diane
Paper Book
A bold and haunting debut story collection that follows various characters as they navigate the day-to-day perils of Jim Crow racism from Diane Oliver, a missing figure in the canon of twentieth-century African American literature, with an introduction by Tayari Jones A remarkable talent...
An oral history of Atlantis : stories
Park, Ed
Paper Book
Gilt-edged stories that slice clean through the mundanity of modern life, from the author of Same Bed Different Dreams, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize "Ed Park is one of the funniest writers working today, and...
Baloney and friends
Pizzoli, Greg
Paper Book
Meet Baloney! This book is about him. And also Peanut the horse, his best friend. There's Bizz the bumblebee, too, of course. And Krabbit. He'd rather not be here, but what can you do? In this graphic novel for young readers, watch our pig protagonist perform some questionable magic, cheer him on as...
Banned together : our fight for readers' rights
Pérez, Ashley Hope
Paper Book
A dazzling YA anthology that spotlights the transformative power of books while equipping teens to fight for the freedom to read, featuring the voices of 15 diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators. Books are disappearing from shelves across the country. What does this...
The cursed carnival and other calamities : new stories about mythic heroes
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
A cave monster . . . an abandoned demon . . . a ghost who wants to erase history . . . a killer commandant . . . These are just some of the challenges confronting the young heroes in this highly entertaining anthology. All but one of the heroes previously starred in a popular book from...
The ice cream machine
Rubin, Adam
Paper Book
Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestseller everyone is raving about! From the wild and wonderful imagination of the author of Dragons Love Tacos comes this hilarious, irresistible debut collection of six totally different stories with the same exact name. In these...
Hornbeam by and large
Rylant, Cynthia
Paper Book
Hornbeam and his friends embark on three new larger-than-life adventures in the third book in the Hornbeam series, from the creators of the Gooseberry Park, Motor Mouse, and Mr. Putter and Tabby books! Hornbeam the moose, Eureka the goose, Cuddy the bull, and Adorabelle the skunk...
Show don't tell : stories
Sittenfeld, Curtis
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy "blends acerbic wit, shrewd insight and sharp-eyed observation [in this] bravura collection" (The Washington Post), including a story that revisits the main character from her iconic novel Prep<...
Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Ebook
"A groundbreaking Indigenous anthology for young people . . . A joyful invitation to celebrate the circle of ancestors together." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting...
Legendary frybread drive-in : intertribal stories
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world's best frybread. The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread...
The vanishing point : stories
Theroux, Paul
Paper Book
From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection. The stories in Paul Theroux's fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life's...
Lost dog
Todd, Brandon
Paper Book
Adventure Friends Miguel and Clarke search for a lost dog in this full-color book perfect for beginning readers! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short...
Sweaterweather : & other short stories
Varon, Sara
Paper Book
Back before Odd Duck, before Robot Dreams, Sara Varon created Sweaterweather. This endearing, quirky volume is a captivating look into Varon's creative process. It combines short comics stories, essays, and journal entries, and invites the reader into the world of Sara Varon:...
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025
Winslow, Don.
Paper Book
"While a single sentence can turn a novel, a single word can turn a short story," writes guest editor Don Winslow. The pieces featured in this collection hinge on those small, exacting moments that shock, spook, delight, and change a story entirely. A disgraced ex-cop approaches a...
Mother River
Xue, Can
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