Short Fiction
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Hope Wins
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In a collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and bestselling artists from Matt de la Peña 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? In your community? In your school? In your heart?
From a family restaurant to a hot-dog shaped car, from an empty road on a moonlight night to a classroom holiday celebration, this anthology of personal stories from award-winning and bestselling authors, shows that hope can live everywhere, even—or especially—during the darkest of times.
No matter what happens: Hope wins.
Contributors include: Tom Angleberger, James Bird, Max Brallier, Julie Buxbaum, Pablo Cartaya, J.C. Cervantes, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Stuart Gibbs, Adam Gidwitz, Karina Yan Glaser, Veera Hiranandani, Hena Khan, Gordon Korman, Janae Marks, Sarah Mlynowski, Rex Ogle, James Ponti, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Ronald L.Smith, Christina Soontornvat, and R.L. Stine.
21 Proms
Buy the book:From many mega-bestselling authors, including John Green, Libba Bray, Holly Black, and David Levithan, 21 prom stories you'll never forget.
Prom. It's supposed to be one of the best nights of your life. Or, at least, you're supposed to have a good time. But what if you'd rather be going with your best friend's date than your own? What if a sinister underground society of students has spiked the punch? What if your date turns out to be more of a frog than a prince? Or what if he's (literally) an ape?
There are ways you can fight it. You can protest the silliness of the regular prom by hosting a backwards prom — also known as a morp. You can throw a prom for fat girls. You can stay at home to watch old teen movies and get your cute neighbor and his cuter brother to join you. You can dance to your own music.
Vacations from Hell
Buy the book:Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead?
In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .
From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!
First Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments
Buy the book:Was it magical, momentous, and completely earth-shattering? Or was it sloppy and self-conscious? Cecil Castellucci realizes that bad boys can be good kissers. Lisa Papademetriou relives being a Texas girl at a Vermont summer camp-and one momentous night in the woods. Amy Kim Ganter draws her first kiss with her future husband in full comic-book form. And those are just a few of the many stories in First Kiss (Then Tell), a collection of anecdotes, poems, cartoons, and stories that are altogether hilarious, heartwarming, and memorable-just as a first kiss should be.
This unique collection features pieces from today's hottest young-adult authors, and is packed with extras like kissing advice, trivia, and favorite quotes. First Kiss (Then Tell) will make readers want to relive their own magical moments all over again-or imagine what it might be like someday...
Fireworks
Buy the book:Four of today's bestselling, most beloved authors for teens come together to deliver a sassy, sexy collection of summertime love stories!
Hot sun. Soft white sand. Bejewled flip-flops. Crashing surf. That shirtless blond lifeguard...Summertime is the essence of sexiness, sass, and fun. In this juicy collection, four fabulous, bestselling teen authors each show us a different side of summer romance, from the first flush of a seaside crush to the sting of a breakup on a traveling teen tour. Get out your sunscreen, slip on your shades, and prepare to be dazzled by these sizzling stories.
Girls' Night Out
Buy the book:Too tired to doll up and head out for a night on the town? (It happens to the best of us.) Just dip into this must-read collection for a Girls' Night Out to remember and indulge in tales of reunions and weddings, sisters and friends, endings and beginnings...No waiting in line, no wardrobe malfunctions, no jockeying for position as you try to catch the bartender's eye. With a lineup of fantastic writers like Meg Cabot (The Boy Next Door), Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed), Kristin Gore (Sammy's Hill), Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus (The Nanny Diaries), Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (The Dirty Girls Social Club), and Lolly Winston (Good Grief), you'll be hanging with the VIPS all night long!
Other fabulous writers featured: Jessica Adams, Cecelia Ahern, Maggie Alderson, Tilly Bagshawe, Elizabeth Buchan, Laura Caldwell, Lynda Curnyn, Kathleen DeMarco, Nicki Earls, Imogen Edwards-Jones, Robyn Harding, Lauren Henderson, Marian Keyes, Chris Manby, Carole Matthews, Anna Maxted, Lynn Messina, Sarah Mlynowski, and Pamela Ribon.
American Girls About Town
Buy the book:Born in the U.S.A....
American gals are taking liberties -- and pursuing happiness on their own terms—in this star-studded story collection featuring the nation's red-hot women writers.
They've declared their independence!
Girls' Night In
Buy the book:In this must-have short story anthology, Jennifer Weiner revisits one of her Good in Bed characters (and tells the story from, ahem, his point of view), Jill A. Davis (Girls' Poker Night) offers a darkly humorous take on starting over in New York and working with "the Elizabeths," Sarah Mlynowski (Milkrun) tempts fate (and an on-again-off-again boyfriend) and Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (The Dirty Girls Social Club) considers how different the words lady and woman are when paired with cat. Girls' Night In features stories about growing up, growing out of, moving out, moving on, falling apart, and getting it all together. So turn off your cell phone and curl up on the couch; this is one Girls' Night In you won't want to miss.
Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday
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Dating! Drama! Driving!
Remember what it was like to be sixteen? Whether it was the year your teeth were finally free of braces, or the year you were discovered by the opposite sex, that magical, mystical age is something you will never forget. Edited by Megan McCafferty, author of the runaway hit novels Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday is a compilation of short stories inspired by all the angst, melodrama, and wonderment of being sixteen.
Featuring stories by Steve Almond, M.T. Anderson, Julianna Baggott, Cat Bauer, Emma Forrest, Tanuja Desai Hidier, David Levithan, Sarah Mlynowski, Sonya Sones, Zoe Trope, Ned Vizzini, and Joseph Weisberg, these hilarious, poignant, and touching tales are perfect for both those who have yet to reach that milestone and those who want to reminisce about their "sweetest" year.
Other Short Fiction
Know It All
Buy the story:en Español:Shaun's new roommate Dee claims to be a little bit psychic. Can you be a little bit psychic? Is that like being a little bit pregnant? Dee insists that Shaun's ex-boyfriend Brahm is about to meet and fall in love with someone new. A redhead. At Jeremiah's. Shaun doesn't believe in psychics, and even if she did, she's over Brahm. Definitely over him. But maybe she should head over to Jeremiah's just in case...
A Nice Fling is Hard to Find
Buy the story:Lindsay is on a summer teen tour to France and she's determined to have a fling before she comes home. And not with a fellow American. No, she's only considering boys with foreign accents. Will she find her Jacques or Jean-Claude who will look deep into her eyes and feed her brie on baguettes?
A Little Bit Broken
Buy the story:A heartbreaking and hilarious short story about discovering your happily-ever-after isn’t as happy as you thought...
The honeymoon luggage has been unpacked. The thank you notes have been sent. Jessica has finally found the solid ground she was looking for: Loving husband, cute apartment, career success, and even a miniature schnauzer. Then comes her husband's unimaginable confession.
Will she take him back? Should she? Can you even return six-month-old wedding china?
Cruisin'
Buy the story:Amazon · Barnes & Noble · iBooks · Kobo
Kristin is ready to take the next step...the only problem is that she hasn't found the right guy to take it with her. That's why she agreed to go on the ominously named Cruise to Nowhere with her best friend Liz. There are plenty of cute guys on the ship to choose from, if only Kristin can work up the nerve and stop worrying about the reports in the tabloids that passengers on cruises have been mysteriously disappearing and that someone suspects to has to do with vampires...
The Two-Month Itch
Buy the story:Your roommate has accused you of having the "two-month itch." She claims you're going to break up with your boyfriend now that your two-month anniversary is approaching. Says you always do. This is crazy. You love your boyfriend.
Now you're on a plane, and the boy sitting next to you is stunning. Hours pass. The mystery boy is fascinating. His face is an inch from yours. Do you close the gap and kiss him, or do you stay faithful to a boyfriend you're not even sure you like? At least you know this dilemma has nothing to do with the "two-month itch" your roommate keeps talking about...right?
Party Girls
Buy the story:Two girls: Emma and Drew; two big nights: prom and a sweet sixteen; and two short stories: The Perfect Kiss and Your Big Night.
In The Perfect Kiss, Emma is stuck at home over winter break. Her best friend, Mandy, and her boyfriend, Jordan, are partying in Miami with what feels like the rest of the world.
Emma is determined not to obsess about what Jordan's up to and why he hasn't called. She has other things to worry about. Like a dress, a plot, and a kiss that will hopefully all come together on the night of her best friend¹s sweet sixteen.
In Your Big Night, prom is Drew's chance to show Shane, her ex, that she's moved on. Of course her REAL plan is to make him so insanely jealous that he'll come running back. It's the perfect plan. Now all she needs is the perfect date.
Time to put on your corsage and take out your camera. Here come the party girls.