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Onward: 16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope
Not yet published
Expected 24 Feb 26A collection of 16 remarkable short stories for aspiring teen activists centered on the climate crisis, highlighting how small actions can make Earth sustainable against climate change.
Young adult powerhouse authors such as Erin Entrada Kelly and Jeff Zentner come together in this anthology of speculative, dystopian, and contemporary realistic fiction.
This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds.
Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a wide range of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. A few
Shayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms.Hana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises.William and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations . . .
There’s also a section where readers can find concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, including resources specific for every story. There’s even a section specifically “For the Severely Overwhelmed.”
This young adult anthology cultivates deep hope and stunning resilience—what we all need in order to make life on Earth more sustainable for us all.
Young adult powerhouse authors such as Erin Entrada Kelly and Jeff Zentner come together in this anthology of speculative, dystopian, and contemporary realistic fiction.
This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds.
Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a wide range of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. A few
Shayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms.Hana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises.William and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations . . .
There’s also a section where readers can find concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, including resources specific for every story. There’s even a section specifically “For the Severely Overwhelmed.”
This young adult anthology cultivates deep hope and stunning resilience—what we all need in order to make life on Earth more sustainable for us all.
- GenresAnthologies
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 24, 2026
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2025
When we see something from several different angles and it looks the same each way, we are probably seeing it accurately. This realization about climate change is the focus of Onward: 16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, published for young readers by Charlesbridge Teen.
Most of the selections are near-future realistic, but some have sci-fi or fantasy elements. The effects of climate change create dramatic situations, so the plotlines involve conditions related to water, heat, agriculture, and other natural elements. Each story also has a dimension of hope activated by young people living in dystopian environments caused by apathy, politics, ignorance, or greed.
In addition to prose fiction, Onward also includes other reading formats, including excellent short stories in verse by Jeff Zentner and Padma Venkatraman. Xelena Gonzalez’s essay “The World Within” is brilliantly placed in the middle of the collection, as it reflects back on the pieces in the first half and shapes a reader’s mindset for what follows.
One of Carpenter’s strengths as an anthologist is bringing together well-known and emerging authors. It’s no surprise that stories by Heather Dean Brewer, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Carpenter’s own contribution are strong selections, but each of Carpenter’s anthologies has led me to investigate other writing by at least one newer writer included in its pages. After reading Onward, I’m eager to find more by Karina Iceberg and Rachel Hylton!
Interestingly, several of the selections refer to our own time as Before. Let that sink in. The young activists in Onward provide hope by showing the actions and attitudes we can all deploy to delay or possibly avoid After.
I highly recommend Onward for young readers and those who guide book choices for those readers. Click here for the excellent free educator's guide provided by Charlesbridge Teen.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this title.
Most of the selections are near-future realistic, but some have sci-fi or fantasy elements. The effects of climate change create dramatic situations, so the plotlines involve conditions related to water, heat, agriculture, and other natural elements. Each story also has a dimension of hope activated by young people living in dystopian environments caused by apathy, politics, ignorance, or greed.
In addition to prose fiction, Onward also includes other reading formats, including excellent short stories in verse by Jeff Zentner and Padma Venkatraman. Xelena Gonzalez’s essay “The World Within” is brilliantly placed in the middle of the collection, as it reflects back on the pieces in the first half and shapes a reader’s mindset for what follows.
One of Carpenter’s strengths as an anthologist is bringing together well-known and emerging authors. It’s no surprise that stories by Heather Dean Brewer, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Carpenter’s own contribution are strong selections, but each of Carpenter’s anthologies has led me to investigate other writing by at least one newer writer included in its pages. After reading Onward, I’m eager to find more by Karina Iceberg and Rachel Hylton!
Interestingly, several of the selections refer to our own time as Before. Let that sink in. The young activists in Onward provide hope by showing the actions and attitudes we can all deploy to delay or possibly avoid After.
I highly recommend Onward for young readers and those who guide book choices for those readers. Click here for the excellent free educator's guide provided by Charlesbridge Teen.
Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this title.
October 23, 2025
Any collection that features a contribution by Jeff Zentner is destined to be powerful. This short story compilation written for young readers features topics, characters, and language that will resonate with the intended audience.
Never preachy; always topical, each author brings a distinct voice to the pressing issue of climate change. Denied by some, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, future generations will be living with the effects of current policies.
This is an important and compelling collection.
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Teen for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Never preachy; always topical, each author brings a distinct voice to the pressing issue of climate change. Denied by some, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, future generations will be living with the effects of current policies.
This is an important and compelling collection.
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Teen for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews