Books that Teach Empathy
Gain a fresh perspective with a selection from the Books that Teach Empathy Collection. The titles in this thematic Collection each focus on the ability to understand the feelings of another. With coming-of-age stories, autobiographies, graphic novels, and suspenseful thrillers, this diverse Collection includes selections to appeal to any reader seeking to better understand others.
Everything Sad Is Untrue
Forget Me Not
Fuzzy Mud
George
Ground Zero
Harriet Tubman
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Hoot
In the Shadow of Man
Letters from Cuba
Lily and Dunkin
Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy
Midnight Without a Moon
Money Hungry
Moon Over Manifest
My Life as a Book
New from Here
No Talking
Odder
On the Devil's Court
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Immigration, Place, Coming of Age, Siblings, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Fathers, Childhood & Youth, Animals, The Past, Love, Shame & Pride, Education, Marriage, Perseverance, Politics & Government, Nation, Truth & Lies, Nostalgia, Hope, Loneliness, Grandparents
Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Middle Eastern History, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Friendship, Childhood & Youth
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Environment, Friendship, Community, Fear, Food, Animals, Perseverance, Education, Globalization, Loneliness, Self Discovery, Future, Politics & Government, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger
Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Survival Fiction, Natural Disaster, Science & Nature, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction
In Newbery medalist Louis Sachar’s sci-fi thriller Fuzzy Mud (2015), Tamaya and Marshall cut through the restricted woods behind their school to avoid a bully—but encounter a strange mud that has the potential to destroy nearly all life on Earth. While Marshall struggles with the emotional effects of being bullied, Tamaya develops an unusually aggressive rash from the mud and worries that in protecting Marshall she has gravely injured Chad. Each character faces difficult ethical... Read Fuzzy Mud Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Shame & Pride
Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Genderqueer writer Alex Gino wrote George in response to an unfulfilled, youthful wish for a positive representation of a transgender person. The novel tells the story of ten-year-old George, who is anatomically a boy, but knows she is a girl. George has won the Stonewall Book Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the E.B. White Honor.The novel opens with George sneaking into the bathroom to look at her secret stash of girls’ magazines, concealing them... Read George Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Revenge, Teamwork, War
Tags 9/11, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1955
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance
Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography, US History, Race & Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Women`s Studies
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is a 1955 biography by American author Ann Petry. This book takes the reader on a journey through Harriet Tubman’s life, from her birth to enslaved parents on a Maryland plantation to her death as a free woman in New York in 1913. Tubman is a well-known figure in American history and is best known for her heroic actions as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. After escaping... Read Harriet Tubman Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Good & Evil, Nature Versus Nurture, Community, Fate, Love, Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Perseverance, Hope, Gratitude, Conflict, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Animals
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction
Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen, is a humorous adventure novel for middle-grade readers in which a group of children tries to save the habitat of a colony of owls from being bulldozed. Published in 2002, the book became a New York Times bestseller, won a Newbery Medal, and has been made into a motion picture. Author Hiaasen is an award-winning journalist and columnist for the Miami Herald. He has written nearly three dozen books, including six... Read Hoot Summary
Publication year 1971
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Environment, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Justice, Conflict, Forgiveness
Tags Science & Nature, Animals, Anthropology, Anthropology, Classic Fiction, Biography
Published in 1971, In the Shadow of Man is the third and most famous book by British primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. The work details Goodall’s groundbreaking study of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park and her unlikely journey from being a secretary in the UK to heading a major chimpanzee study in East Africa and becoming one of the world’s foremost primatology experts. Functioning as both a memoir and a scientific exploration of chimp... Read In the Shadow of Man Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Perseverance, Race, Self Discovery, Immigration, Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Latin American Literature, Jewish Literature, Race & Racism, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Friendship
Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart was originally published in 2016. A coming-of-age novel set in contemporary America, the book tells the stories of two unique and inspiring teenagers who find themselves and each other. Lily and Dunkin was named one of NPR’s Best Kids’ Books of 2016, one of Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, and one of YALSA’s picks for Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2017. This guide is based on... Read Lily and Dunkin Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Grief, Race, Coming of Age, Friendship, Equality, Economics, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Community, Power & Greed, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Hate & Anger
Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History
Gary D. Schmidt’s Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2004), an historical novel for young adults, received the Newbery Honor in 2005. It is based on actual events occurring on Malaga Island, Maine in 1912, when the government of Maine placed the residents of the island in a mental hospital and tore down their homes.Turner Buckminster is the son of a reverend living in Phippsburg, Maine in 1912. Turner has just relocated to Phippsburg from... Read Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Hope, Shame & Pride, Race, Beauty, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Social Class, Friendship, Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Urban Development
Money Hungry is a 2001 middle-grade novel by American author Sharon G. Flake published by Little, Brown and Company. A Coretta Scott King Honor book, Money Hungry is the first book in Flake’s Raspberry Hill series. It explores 13-year-old Raspberry Hill’s hunger for money and the lengths to which she will go to acquire it. Stemming from a period of homelessness in her childhood, Raspberry will do almost anything to earn enough money to move... Read Money Hungry Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Nostalgia, Memory, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Death, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Family, Friendship, Community, Social Class, Economics, Immigration, Education, War, Politics & Government, Nation, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, World History
Moon Over Manifest is a 2010 novel by author Claire Vanderpool. It relates the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker, a drifting girl in search of her father, a home, and a sense of belonging. When the novel starts, her father, Gideon Tucker, has just sent Abilene to the Kansas town of Manifest, claiming that he can’t take her to Iowa, where he is allegedly taking a railroad job. It is 1936, and the Great Depression... Read Moon Over Manifest Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Fathers, Mothers
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Education, Grief & Death, Parenting, Relationships, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret
Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Teamwork, Equality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor
No Talking (2007) is a children’s novel by Andrew Clements, and the 2010 recipient of the California Young Reader Medal. In the novel, fifth-grade boys and girls compete to see who can talk the least at school. The competition causes an uproar among teachers and staff, exploring questions of authority in the school setting and building friendships across differences. Andrew Clements was a teacher, author, editor, and book publisher, best known for his debut novel, Frindle... Read No Talking Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Animals, Environment, Appearance & Reality, Place, Beauty, Safety & Danger
Tags Animals, Science & Nature, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Power & Greed, Literature
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy
On the Devil’s Court is a novel aimed at teenage boys that follows 17-year-old Joe Faust through the basketball season of his senior year. Written by Carl Deuker, the book was originally published in 1988 and has remained a popular print title for more than 30 years. On the Devil’s Court was the first of three young adult sports novels by Deuker to be included among the Authors League of America Best Books for Young... Read On the Devil's Court Summary