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.
Publication year 2015
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Perseverance, Fear, Conflict, Hate & Anger, Childhood & Youth, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Femininity, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice
Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Grandparents, Childhood & Youth, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Nostalgia, Memory, Love, Loneliness, Joy, Literature, Good & Evil, Fame, Justice, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Place
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature
IntroductionEmma Donoghue’s Room is a 2010 novel about a boy named Jack who lives in a single room with his mother, Ma. Room is a crime thriller novel that explores themes of trauma, innocence, and adaptability through the eyes of five-year-old narrator, Jack. Room has received many awards, including the ALA Alex Award, the Indies Choice Book Award for Fiction, and The New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year award. Room was... Read Room Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Beauty, Death, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age
Tags Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Gothic Literature
Publication year 1970
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger
Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fame, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Published in 2025, Saltwater is a literary thriller by Katy Hays, author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Cloisters (2022). Like her debut, which is in development as a television series, Saltwater blends suspense with a richly detailed, atmospheric setting. The novel follows the wealthy Lingate family on their annual trip to Capri, an island that holds the dark secret of playwright Sarah Lingate’s mysterious death 30 years prior. Sarah’s husband, Richard Lingate... Read Saltwater Summary
Publication year 1974
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Race, Childhood & Youth, Siblings, Education
Tags Realistic Fiction
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Animals, Justice, Family, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community
Tags Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Relationships
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Fear, Guilt, Conflict, Shame & Pride, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Community
Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction
Publication year 1999
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Family
Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Health, Parenting, Disability, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class
Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Poverty, Humor
Scrawl (2010) is a young adult novel by American author Mark Shulman, who has written more than 200 books for young readers. Scrawl follows a young teenage bully, Tod Munn, and his experience in detention where he is required by a guidance counselor to write about himself in a journal. In the journal, Tod describes his struggles with coming from a low-income family, low self-esteem, and his problematic behavior at school. The novel was a... Read Scrawl Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Science & Technology, Perseverance, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Siblings, Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, War, Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, British Literature, Military & War, World History
Secrets of a Charmed Life is a historical fiction novel written by Susan Meissner and published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Random House, in 2015. The book follows two sisters in wartime England, Emmeline and Julia Downtree, who are separated from each other during the Blitz. The book also follows an interview between American Oxford student Kendra Van Zant and Blitz survivor and artist Isabel MacFarland. The novel explores the themes of... Read Secrets of a Charmed Life Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Immigration, Place, Language, Family, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Death, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, The Past, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Grief, Fathers, Nostalgia, Apathy, Loneliness, Self Discovery
Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Survival Fiction, Chinese Literature, Immigration & Refugeeism, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1989
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Postmodernism
Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Trust & Doubt, Friendship
Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Environment, Friendship, Teamwork, Safety & Danger
Tags Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth
Tags Bullying, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Mental Illness, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
First published in 2004, Shooter is a young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers about a school shooting. It delves into the perpetrator’s psychological profile as well as the cultural forces behind the violence. The story examines US gun culture, bullying, drug abuse, and dysfunctional family dynamics as causal factors. Myers tells the story through official interviews, police reports, newspaper clippings, and a diary.Myers has written more than 70 books for children and young adults... Read Shooter Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Space, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Humor
Publication year 2014
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Animals, Art, Order & Chaos
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction