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
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Accidental archaeologists : true stories of unexpected discoveries
Albee, Sarah
Paper Book
Science meets real-life mystery in this adventurous look at incredible unexpected finds that changed history.Secret treasures are buried all around us -- you just have to look for them!Accidental Archaeologists takes you on an adventure through time to relive some of the coolest surprise...
Baseball : amazing but true stories!
Barnes, Derrick
Paper Book
Celebrate the unheralded people and stories that helped shape the game of baseball! Meet unsung pioneers, like John "Bud" Fowler, William Edward White, and brothers Moses Fleetwood Walker and Weld Walker, four African Americans who integrated white teams decades...
The lady in glass and other stories
Bishop, Anne
Ebook
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...
The doll in the hall and other scary stories
Brallier, Max
Paper Book
Beginning readers will love these spooky stories from New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier! 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-story...
Where are you really from : stories
Chou, Elaine Hsieh
Paper Book
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY TIME, NPR AND ELECTRIC LIT * A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 BY LIT HUB, THE OC REGISTER, THE MILLIONS AND MORE * NAMED A BEST BOOK OF AUGUST 2025 BY PEOPLE MAGAZINE * NAMED A MUST-READ BOOK BY THE CHICAGO REVIEW OF...
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...
Super puzzletastic mysteries : short stories for young sleuths from Mystery Writers of America
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
Bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and the Mystery Writers of America bring together twenty peerless puzzles--from bestselling authors such as Peter Lerangis, Stuart Gibbs, Lauren Magaziner, Kate Milford, and, of course, Grabenstein himself--in an anthology of mystery short...
Obligations to the Wounded
Kalimamukwento, Mubanga
Ebook
Sitting with dogs : stories of rescue dogs going from lost to loved
Kanaka, Rocky
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...
Pity party
Lane, Kathleen
Paper Book
Discover an "absurd, funny, and thought-provoking" book perfect for "anyone who has ever felt socially awkward or inadequate" (Louis Sachar, author of Holes and the Wayside School series). Dear weird toes, crooked nose, stressed out, left out, freaked out ...
The purple swamp hen and other stories
Lively, Penelope
Ebook
A glimmering collection of new short fiction from the Booker Prize winner. "Lively writes with an astringent blend of sympathy and detachment, emotional wisdom and satiric wit." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times In such acclaimed novels as The...
Hot shot hockey
Maddox, Jake
Paper Book
Robyn Ray is a young hockey player with lots of speed and one big problem--she can't seem to make a goal. Can her formerly famous hockey star grandpa help her build the skills she needs to score? And will her team come together when it matters most?
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. ...
Thrill seekers : 15 remarkable women in extreme sports
McCallum, Ann
Paper Book
"Ann McCallum Staats has written an uplifting book profiling a handful of extraordinary women whose example proves that nothing can or should hold women back. These women push the boundaries of what was believed possible, achieving the impossible." --Milbry Polk, author of ...
It was the way she said it : short stories, essays, and wisdom
McMillan, Terry
"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...
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...
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<...
Women who dared : 52 stories of fearless daredevils, adventurers & rebels
Skeers, Linda
Paper Book
The perfect introduction for learning about women throughout history who dared to do the extraordinary! Inspire our new generation of women to explore, discover, persist, succeed, and fight like a girl! A great gift for girls 9-12! Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous...
Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the...
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...
Alone in space : a collection
Walden, Tillie
Paper Book
Tillie Walden's complex, lyrical stories about queer love, fantasy, coming-of-age, and cats are now available in this collection. In 'The End of Summer,' Lars is battling illness and boredom in a secluded castle at the start of an endless winter with a giant cat to keep him company and fraying...
Mother River
Xue, Can

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