Childhood & Youth

"We look at the world once, in childhood," writes poet Louise Glück. "The rest is memory." As adults, our childhood may lie in the past, but its influence never leaves us. This collection gathers texts that depict and examine the innocence and insights of childhood and youth.

Harriet the Spy

by Louise Fitzhugh

Publication year 1964

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Childhood & Youth, Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Harriet the Spy (1964) is author and illustrator Louise Fitzhugh’s best-known novel. It appeared on The New York Times Book Review’s list “The Year’s Best Juveniles” the year it was published and is an enduring favorite among middle-grade readers. It is frequently included on lists of children’s classics, including the New York Public Library’s list of 100 Great Children’s Books. Fitzhugh published two other novels featuring the characters from Harriet the Spy: The Long Secret... Read Harriet the Spy Summary

Heartbeat

by Sharon Creech

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Teamwork, Siblings, Friendship, Coming of Age, Art, Birth, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Family

Tags Relationships, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Heartbeat Summary

Heart of a Champion

by Carl Deuker

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Masculinity, Fathers, Grief, Wins & Losses

Tags Sports, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Relationships, Coming of Age, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1993, Heart of a Champion is a young adult novel written by award-winning author Carl Deuker, whose work is primarily about sports and intended for young adult readers. The novel is the first-person narrative of a California boy, Seth, whose father died prematurely, leaving a huge void. Seth befriends Jimmy, whose love of baseball quickly becomes Seth’s passion as well. After the death of his friend after an alcohol-induced car crash, Seth... Read Heart of a Champion Summary

Heaven

by Angela Johnson

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Friendship, Truth & Lies

Tags Adoption, Relationships, Parenting

... Read Heaven Summary

Heidi

by Johanna Spyri

Publication year 1881

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gratitude, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Family, Grandparents, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Food, Animals

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Romanticism

Swiss author Johanna Spyri originally published the middle-grade fiction novel Heidi in German in two volumes in 1880. The novel quickly became a beloved classic children’s book that has since been adapted into 25 film and television versions, including a 1968 made-for-TV movie and a very popular anime series in 1974. It has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Spyri was born in Hirzel, a Zurich village that shares a border with the German... Read Heidi Summary

Here

by Richard McGuire

Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Art, Place, Memory, Environment, Grief, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Indigenous Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Climate, Objects & Materials, Space, Family, Mothers, Beauty

Tags Historical Fiction, Dramatic Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

Here by Richard McGuire is a graphic novel published on December 4, 2014, by Pantheon Books. The graphic novel focuses on the same corner of a room over billions of years. It depicts the area long before the house is built and long after it falls. By using different visual styles, overlapping panels, and non-chronological narration, McGuire creates a narrative that comments on the nature of time and life. Here is considered a transformative work... Read Here Summary

Honey

by Sarah Weeks

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Children`s Literature, Animals

... Read Honey Summary

How Children Succeed

by Paul Tough

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Mental Health, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Education, Equality

Tags Education, Psychology, Parenting, Children`s Literature, Education, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

... Read How Children Succeed Summary

How To Eat Fried Worms

by Thomas Rockwell

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Friendship, Childhood & Youth

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

In the novel How to Eat Fried Worms, a boy accepts a $50 bet from a friend to eat 15 worms in 15 days, but as he nears victory, he faces a flurry of nasty tricks and traps that go wildly out of control. Written by Thomas Rockwell, son of the famous American illustrator Norman Rockwell, and published in 1973, the book sold over three million copies, won several awards, was a target of censors... Read How To Eat Fried Worms Summary

I Am the Cheese

by Robert Cormier

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Classic Fiction

I Am the Cheese is a suspenseful mystery novel published by the American novelist and journalist Robert Cormier in 1977. A longtime resident of the Northeast, Cormier centers his story on a teen boy, Adam Farmer, who believes he is biking from his Massachusetts hometown to a hospital in Vermont to visit his dad—a journalist who risked his life to testify against massive wrongdoing in government. In fact, Adam has been committed to a psychiatric... Read I Am the Cheese Summary

I Beat the Odds

by Michael Oher

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Education, Perseverance

Tags Sports, Inspirational, African American Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Poverty, Education, Biography

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond (2011) is a memoir written by NFL player Michael Oher and journalist Don Yaeger. It tells Oher’s story in his own words, describing his childhood and teen years up to his rookie season in the NFL. His story was first brought to the public’s attention in Michael Lewis’s book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, published in 2006. This book was made... Read I Beat the Odds Summary

Iceberg

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Future, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction

... Read Iceberg Summary