YA short fiction is more than just a quick fix of literature for the time-strapped youth. 

When crafted well, they let new readers dip their toes into foreign minds and strange worlds that their typical and canonical classrooms cannot offer. 

Yes, YA anthologies are something I deeply care about, having now written one of my own, ‘The Dreamophile’s Diary’. But that’s not the only reason that I decided to do a round-up of some of the best YA anthologies.

You need to read these short story collections because:

• They’re great
• They’re being recognized
• These books are about coming of age, and we’re still coming of age.
• They help you sink into a different reality to encounter feelings you’ll recognize from your own lives.

I could add more to this list. But I decided to add some of my favourite. But if you’ve read some great collections, I’d like to know about them. So feel free to add them in the comments section below.

 

13: Thirteen Stories That Capture The Agony And Ecstasy Of Being Thirteen

13 is an amusing reminiscent of being a thirteen-year-old. It has stories that capture the ecstasy and agony of becoming a teenager. These tales touch on friendships, secrets, sexuality, gangs, crushes, and of course, embarrassment. Each author conveys a specific emotion of being thirteen. 

I may not love the complete collection, but I took with me some beautiful stories, and that’s all I needed. 

 

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start The Conversation About Mental Health

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a guide to understanding mental health and the stigma associated with it. Thirty-three writers, artists, and athletes share their personal experiences with mental illness through stories, essays, lists, illustrations, and comics. 

If you can read only one book about mental health, let it be this one! 

 

Black Enough: Stories Of Being Young & Black In America

Black Enough, a star-studded anthology delves into the hidden experiences, daily struggles, and closeted thoughts of black teens in America. This collection is full of coming-of-age stories that are all different yet feel connected somehow. It follows characters from different walks of life – urban and rural, mixed-race, wealthy and poor, immigrants, and more. 

 

Fragile Things: Short Fictions And Wonders by Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things is a compilation of stories that are creepy, disturbing, and horrifying. Each of these tales are written in Gaiman’s distinctive style. And as with previous Gaiman’s collections, I found Fragile things extremely variable in quality. 

To me, the standout entries were How to Talk to Girls at Parties and A Study in Emerald. But I’ve no complaints about other stories either because unlike most anthologies, this one has more hits than misses. 

 

A Thousand Beginnings And Endings By Ellen Oh 

Ellen Oh’s A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is a short-fiction anthology that re-examines South and East Asian folklore and mythologies. Written by fifteen Asian writers, these tales cover a wide variety of genres including teen fiction, sci-fi, fantasy,  romance, and horror. There’s also an overall theme melancholy, filial piety, loneliness, and identity crisis. 

Like any collection, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is also a mixed bag of good and average stories, but overall, it’s a great YA read.

 

Have you read any of these anthologies? How did you like it? Or perhaps you have a favourite I haven’t added. I’d love to know about it. You can leave a comment below in the comments section.