Short Stories

In this collection of stories set on one block of 145th Street get to know the oldest resident; the cop on the beat; fine Peaches and her girl, Squeezie; Monkeyman; Benny, a fighter on the way to a knockout; Kitty, whose love for Mack pulls him back from the brink; and Big Joe, who wants a bang-up funeral while he’s still around to enjoy it. 

In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, this atmospheric collection of short stories is filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love. These tales take the reader to lands both familiar and strange ― to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

Wallis’ book is full of political cartoons killed before publication. Each cartoon is accompanied by a brief narrative explaining why it was considered too controversial for publication.

A family with a talkative grandmother comes across a hardened and extremely dangerous criminal, The Misfit. Can the grandmother convince him to leave her family alone or will they be his next victims?

How much would you allow someone else to suffer so that you could be happy? When the residents of Omelas, a place with no sadness, come of age, they are forced to make the decision: live happily but with the knowledge of someone’s extreme suffering or leave their beloved city.

A trained sniper doing his job during the Irish Civil War faces a shocking turn of events, after killing an enemy.

Mary Maloney, a homemaker, is content with her husband and her life until he tells her something terrible and implies that he is leaving her. Upset, she does the unthinkable. What will she do with her unusual murder weapon? Will she get away with her crime?

Rainsford, an accomplished hunter, is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by another hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff has become bored with hunting animals and decides he needs a greater challenge: humans. Will Zaroff get his new trophy or will Rainsford prove to be more dangerous than Zaroff anticipates?

This powerful story concerns a wife who learns that her overbearing husband has been killed. The short period of mourning turns to the hope of her new freedom - but then comes the very unexpected climax.

A very poor, young couple, who are deeply in love, want to buy each other Christmas presents but have no money to do so. They each figure out a way to get the money to buy each other gifts. What unpleasant surprises await them on Christmas Day?

It is time for the yearly lottery, but none of the townspeople seem to want to win the prize. In fact, some seem hesitant about attending the drawing but are afraid of the consequences of not attending. What prize could be so terrible to win?

Emily Grierson is in love with Homer Barron, but is very upset that he has not proposed to her. Distraught, Emily buys arsenic, which some believe she will use to commit suicide. However, Homer and Emily disappear; only the servant goes to and from the home. What horrifying surprise will the townspeople find when they finally go into Emily’s house?