Fresh Ink is a captivating collection of stories from thirteen talented Young Adult authors. This book is unique because it includes stories like a graphic novel and a never-before-seen play by Walter Dean Myers. The stories cover important topics like fitting in, dealing with loss, being brave enough to be yourself, and facing tough times. Each story differs, ranging from real-life situations to exciting adventures and romance. This book is special because it encourages readers to think outside the box and to see the world in new ways. "Fresh Ink" is perfect for anyone who loves stories that make them think and feel deeply. It's a book that shows the power of words to change the way we see the world.

A good array of short stories. Some of them were hit and miss with me, I enjoyed a few but the others were a bit of a struggle to make it through.

A solid enough collection, but sadly not one that's likely to stay with me long-term. It took me a little longer than normal to get through this book, which probably speaks to the interest level it provoked in me. Good, just not great.

Perfect for today’s push for more diversity in YA publishing! It will be an excellent addition to any middle or high school library.

This collection of short stories was well-written and offered a diverse cast. After reading the ARC , I purchased a paperback copy so I can re-read.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

For some reason I didn't really enjoy this anthology. There were maybe 2 stories that I truly liked and the rest were just kind of meh for me.

I absolutely loved this book. It had some of the best short stories where at least one will appeal to every reader and lover of YA. For me, the first short story was difficult to beat because of Jason Reynolds. Overall, this was an amazing read!

Beautiful book that is so well written. My students love this compilation and use it often to read together to practice fluency, to talk about current issues, and to use as a mentor text.

A cute YA anthology series perfect for readers moving from Middle Grade to YA books. Some stories knock their plots right out of the park, while others are slow to tread - regardless, there is something here for every reader.

I apologize but this title did not work for me. I’ve discovered that I don’t enjoy short stories collections and rather than harm the authors I chose not to rate it.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Update: 7/5/2020

When I first received this book in 2018, I was unable to complete my full review. I have now compiled my status updates from then into a full review of each story in this anthology. (The updates have been edited for grammar, accuracy, and content warnings.)

I was very excited to review this book because I have been a huge supporter of We Need Diverse Books and their effort to promote diversity in YA and other children's lit. As one might expect, there is a lot of diversity in this anthology, and as a white LGBT reviewer, I am only able to speak on some of the representation in the book as an OwnVoices reviewer. If you are reading this, I encourage you to explore other reviews by OwnVoices reviewers on the stories that I myself cannot speak on regarding their specific representation.

7/30/18-8/2/18
Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds: 3/5
This was a cute little story about a teenage couple in Brooklyn saying goodbye as one of them moves away. Over, the story was nice, and I thought it was cool that the character was moving to a place that’s an hour or so from where I live, but at times I felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing in the writing. Also, the ‘eraser tattoo’ - just, ouch!

Meet Cute by Malinda Lo: 4/5
THIS WAS PRECIOUS. I love The X Files and Star Trek so I feel like this was personally made for me. I thought the meet-cute was lovely and I didn’t want to stop reading. However, I wonder how entertaining this story would be for people who aren’t the fans of the things it references quite heavily.

Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth: 4/5
This was a really powerful story that points out the failings of teachers towards students of color and exposes the microaggressions and racism that Native Americans face in the education system. I really enjoyed this short story and the end felt like a triumph when the main character stood up to his teacher for his casual racism. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi: 3/5
This is a really hard story to review because I felt like it was cute, but it didn’t work for me personally. I like elements of the story, like the setting and the band, as well as the backgrounds of the characters and how that interacted with their daily life, but other things just didn’t work for me. Someone else might really connect with it, though, so I give it kudos for that.

Tags by Walter Dean Myers: 5/5
(7/5/2020: I did not initially give this story a review because I wanted to write out a more thoughtful one, but now, as it is two years later, I am unable to give a full review of this story because of how much time has passed. However, I did give it 5 stars, so I was clearly impressed.)

Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan: 5/5
This story really hit home for me. My grandma wasn’t an immigrant, and both she and I were/are white, but I felt very connected to this story because my grandma and I had a relationship that revolved around food. Like the main character, I’m also bi and I wish that I could have shared that part of my life with my grandma before she passed the way that Yasi did in this story.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older: 3/5
This was very interesting but hard to grasp at times, I think because of the world-building and the fact that very little was explained - you just kind of had to go along with it. I think I would have caught on a little better had there been more story, but it was cool for what it was.

A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G Flake: 3.5/5
This was a historical fiction story about a boy struggling with homelessness and poverty trying to chase his dreams, while also dealing with the racism he faces for being Black. This was an eye-opening story but some of the dialogue felt stilted and the story felt rushed from time-to-time. I liked the conclusion though.

One Voice by Melissa de la Cruz: 4/5
I enjoyed this story! It discusses a string of hate crimes targeting people of color at Stanford and how it affects the community of the university. I felt like this was a very necessary story, especially for young readers. The ending, however, did feel rushed.

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, Illustrations by Thien Pham: 3.5/5
This was a short comic about a microaggression that a Japanese boy faces from the GM during a D&D-like game with his friends. I enjoyed it even though I’ve never played D&D (I do listen to actual-play podcasts though!) and it was a nice break from the heavier prose that makes up most of this anthology.

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar: 5/5
This was a powerful story about a trans boy who has to face his first day back on the swim team after coming out as transgender. The author is a trans man himself and the first openly trans NCAA Division I swimmer. The story was well written; I loved how it was told partially through flashbacks during a swim race. I feel like everyone should read it. Content warnings for bullying, transphobia, hate speech, transphobic slurs, and the use of the trans character's dead name (these are challenged in the story and not condoned).

Super Human by Nicola Yoon: 5/5
This story is about a superhero and discusses police brutality towards Black people in America. I felt like this was a necessary topic that I was hoping would be addressed in this anthology and the story was a poignant and unique approach to the subject. This is exactly what I wanted from this anthology.

Overall, I gave this anthology a 4/5 because many of the stories hit home or made an emotional impact on me. Regardless of this, I feel that everyone should read this anthology because it has something for everyone, whether it could help them feel represented or seen, or if it could teach them about a culture/identity they didn't already know about.

This is by no means an exhaustive review, but I thought I would compile what thoughts I had while reading these stories so that others might be able to know if this anthology is for them (although I feel it's really for anyone who reads YA).

An amazing anthology of some of the best and most diverse authors in the game. We need more anthologies that bring so many awesome people together.

I don't want to speak too soon, but I've been in a slump for a while, and this anthology felt like a breath of fresh air.

I wasn't expecting the mixed story formats, either; I really enjoyed the surprise of a play and a comic (if that is the proper term for it) mixed in. I think the stories were also really easy to glide through, and there was not a single one that dragged for me.

My favorites were TAGS by Walter Dean Myers, WHY I LEARNED TO COOK by Sara Farizan, A BOY'S DUTY by Sharon G. Flake, ONE VOICE by Melissa de la Cruz, and SUPER HUMAN by Nicola Yoon. I'll definitely be looking more into these authors to try and read more of their work, and I appreciate having this anthology to introduce me to them.

One thing I also appreciated was how these stories, for the most part, weren't about suffering. Many of the BIPOC characters I get to read about usually have their suffering at the center of their narrative, but I got to see those characters happy and fulfilled many times over in this anthology, and I loved it a whole lot.

My shelves definitely are not diverse, and that's a fault of both mine and the publishing industry. I'm always trying to read more OwnVoices stories, and this is a great launching pad to do that even more.

This collection of authors was the most incredible group to write this compilation. I loved everything about it, and every single story.

This was such a unique concept for an anthology. That plus having some of the best writers, not just in YA but in all literature, collaborating made this a masterpiece. It was especially special to have it with all diverse voices instead of the usual white cis heterosexual voices that usually get elevated.

I have tried to read this anthology several times. I think that I have finally learned that anthologies are not something that I like. I loved the idea of this collection, but I just don't think short stories are for me. I don't remember any of the stories that I read.

This was such a fresh collection of short stories!
From the diversity and the own voices of each story, I truly enjoyed the entire read. There was just a part of me that wanted more from a couple of these stories which is what led to the lower review.

Fresh Ink is such a powerful and beautifully diverse anthology that gives voice and spotlight to marginalized teens. I didn’t know I needed this in my life. I wish I had known! This is my first ever anthology read and I’m definitely glad for that decision. I am sure I made the right one. Talking about issues concerning race, gender and representation, I love how diverse this collection is – from the characters, to the settings, to the topics, to the emotions it brought me and how each of these stories were binded together. Despite some stories I didn’t enjoy, this is still a surreal beautifully diverse and powerful anthology.

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds – 4/5
Rep: black
T/CW: racism

He knew the string wouldn’t last forever. But the scar would.

What a great start. Tbh I really didn’t know that eraser tattoos were a thing. This is about childhood sweethearts that’s about to separate because the girl and her family’s going to move into another city. I felt everything in this story. It was oozing with cuteness hence, plastering a smile on my face right from the very start. Though, I was confused for a bit of a time because I thought they were still children because that’s how they sounded to me. It was already on the later part when I realized that they’re already teens. It was bittersweet. I was invested enough in such a short time that I am digging for a full-length novel of this.

Meet Cute by Malinda Lo – 4 stars
Rep: black, queer, Asian, f/f
T/CW: claustrophobia

I want to help make sure that someday movies do include people like gender-flipped Sulu and race-bent Scully.

This is LITERALLY a meet cute story. This focuses more on tackling gender issues. I enjoyed this a lot too. It’s cute because it’s kinda like a nerdy story – the main characters are both Star Trek fans, while the setting and the circumstances made this cool and fun. It’s my first time to read a story set in a comic con which is *obviously* filled with people cosplaying. It’s amazing to imagine such a story unfolding in such a scene. It also has a bit of creepiness which strangely blended so well with its cuteness. For the second time in this anthology, I met characters I’d love to follow the story of and read a full-length novel of it.

Don’t Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth – 4.5/5
Rep: Indian, Indian-American
TW: bullying, racism

Those Passing Indians, as soon as they got to the buses, suddenly they were Indian again, like Abracadabra. But if you tried to chat them up in school, prepare to be ignored.

I thought at first that this might bore me or I wouldn’t find something new or refreshing given that compared to the first ones, it is set in a more common place: a school. However, this is probably what made this have more impact eventually. It tackles racism in school – how at such a young age, grade-schoolers are already racists and how Indian kids try to blend, hide or cope with a new environment in school with white people. I like the main character – his voice, his traits and his values. I really like him for embracing who he really is despite being bullied and earning a reputation because of it. He’s quite a strong young character. He sees his Indian classmates hide who they truly are – their color, their race – but he decided not to follow suit. Hence, he became a target of bullying.
The only thing which prevented me from giving this a 5-star rating is the end. I just didn’t like how the story was suddenly cut like that. I mean, I know all of these stories have open ends but it has so many things left unanswered. The thing about Hayley, the conversation with Mr. Cocker, I was left surprisingly unsatisfied, disappointed even.

Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi – 3/5
Rep: black, Japanese, lesbian, f/f

You’re not for girls like me. I’d rather see than be seen.

Shirin has a heart of a scientist. She wants to become a physicist, which I totally cannot relate to but I think she is so amazing and smart. I really love that it was set in a concert. As a music lover, it gave me so many feels. And what made me have high hopes and slightly connect to Shirin is her and her friend’s interest with “tragic historical queens” just because I also have this obsession with real-life royals.
I expected this to be great but turns out it was just okay. I just rated it 3 for the things I mentioned above. The end made me confused and I don’t personally like how Shirin let her feelings for her crush ruin her first concert experience. Moreover, the scene of her confession felt off. It definitely made me feel extremely awkward and wish that it didn’t happen that fast. I mean, confessions are awkward and scary. It’s just that I think I didn’t have the chance to know what Shirin truly feels and understand where is she coming from and why is she like that so I don’t think that embarrassing and awkward moment is worth it. It would have been romantic and cute to me awkwardness and all if I can just truly understand and feel her.

Tags by Walter Dean Myers – 4/5
Rep: black T/CW: racism

“You can’t do nothing to me now. I can’t do nothing to you. It’s too late. The shit is over. We can’t turn it back.”

This is a unique one. It is a play script – it is my first time reading one – and this is about dead people. This seemed like it will leave impact and interesting from the start. It talks about death and life. I enjoyed this one. It was quite fast and really short for me but it was also cool and I really want to know more about what will happen next.

Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan – 4/5
Rep: f/f, bisexual, Persian, Muslim

You don’t apologize for who you are. I’m an old lady now and perhaps that doesn’t mean much in the world we live in, but I exist and I shouldn’t have to be sorry for that. As a woman, you have to know that. Don’t ever apologize for who you are.

I didn’t quite like the writing at first so I had low expectations from the start. The setting of this one is more ordinary than the other ones. The main highlight of this is the dinner of the main character with its grandma. At first I thought I wouldn’t like this but as I got deeper into it, it started to touch me and make me sad because of how they ignore their grandmother. This made me feel strong emotions. I love the values the main character’s grandmother taught xyr. They are words I will also keep. I also love the characters. This is really heartwarming and such a nice read. I just don’t like how abruptly it ended.

A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older – 2/5
Rep: Latinx

Never leave a place the same way you enter.

This is my least favorite in this anthology. I didn’t like the writing, it didn’t catch my attention right from the start and the story was hard for me to follow. Unlike the other stories which are mostly contemporaries, this one was like a fantasy or historical fiction. I wasn’t immersed in its world and I think it was far too complex for a short story. I didn’t connect with any of the characters either. I only managed to understand or get few information about the story. Just a bummer.

A Boy’s Duty by Sharon G. Flake – 3 stars
Rep: black

What’s a boy’s duty to himself? I wonder.

This caught my interest right from the start because of the main character. He is a boy with a dream. He wan away from home because of it. This talks about how there are boys who cannot do what they want because of the duty their own family or the country imposes on them and tries to answer the question, “What is really a boy’s duty? Is it to his family? To his country?”. It was set on WW2 and I like how this also talks about racism and what it is like to be a thief and a homeless kid in such a time. I didn’t like all the characters but I still liked some – especially the cafe owners. The problem is I felt like it was lacking in so many aspects and there was actually no clear plot. Hence, I still didn’t enjoy this completely.

One Voice by Melissa dela Cruz – 5/5
Rep: Filipinx, black, Latinx
T/CW: racism

We’re one voice when we want to be.

Wow, this is quite powerful and timely. Another story of standing up for you and people like you who have been victims of racism. This is an eye-opener, making us see that despite being at Stanford, it is no different – students of color still don’t feel safe. Racism is racism. It shows just how such racist acts deemed by others as “small” can affect students of color. As a Filipina, this story feels close to me. It talks about immigrants, families in the hopes of having a brighter future in a foreign country. I also love the characters – especially the main one. I really love the strength Jaz showed all throughout despite all the struggles she is facing. I love how real her emotions and thoughts are. It’s impossible for me not to like her. The characters are so realistic. Definitely another story in this anthology I would love to become a full length novel.

Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang – 4/5
Rep: Japanese
T/CW: racism

This is a graphic short story and tackles culture sensitivity and claiming one’ identity. I like the illustrations and the concept itself. It is a nice and cute story. Seeing a boy stand up against his friend and claim his identity as half Japanese and seeing a boy take revenge for his friends because of racist crap? I liked them. The only problem is I wasn’t left satisfied. Again, I was left hanging not feeling good about it.

Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar – 5/5
Rep: transgender
T/CW: transphobia

Stand tall, I tell myself. Stand tall, even when they hurt you.

Wow, I have no words to accurately explain how I felt while reading this. This is about a transgender swimmer athlete experiencing different firsts after coming out to the world on Facebook. I saw the main character be mocked, shamed and underestimated after coming out but on the contrary, I also saw how, even just the small acts like calling him with his new name, gave him courage and power. This also welcomes us to the world of swimming and I loooved the imagery the author gave. The author was able to create such amazing vision in my mind – it was like I’m watching a movie where the scene is about the swimmer swimming so hard with all the thoughts he have to keep him going: to catch, pull and drive. I like the main character. He’s so competitive, determined, and I saw how he was really trying to win over all the struggles the people around him put him in just because of his gender. I felt every words in this short story. I unexpectedly felt so much. Just wow.

Super Human by Nicola Yoon – 5/5
Rep: black
T/CW: racism

How can she tell him not to reject the world that has always rejected him?

Wow, I honestly didn’t think I’d love this as much as I did. This is a fresh, powerful, unique superhero story tackling racial issues. I love that even though this is fantasy, the author managed to make this relevant to reality. It also tackles income inequality between Black Americans. I like X, the superhero character but not the female lead, Sythia. I hate how purposefully she turned a blind eye to reality. It’s amazing how the author managed to make such story brilliant. I was shocked and in love on how this ended. I want to read a full-length novel version of this. Definitely the best ending story for this anthology.

Top faves: Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar, One Voice by Melissa dela Cruz, and Super Human by Nicola Yoon
Least faves: A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older and Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi

This fresh anthology from We Need Diverse Books features short stories from greats including Lamar Giles (editor) and Jason Reynolds. Readers will never look at a pencil eraser the same after reading!