Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Justice, Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age
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.
The Academy
The Acorn People
The Adventures of Pinocchio
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Anxious Generation
The Apothecary
The Bad Weather Friend
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
The Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
The Best Halloween Ever
The Best of Iggy
The Best School Year Ever
The BFG
The birth in a narrow room
The Bite of the Mango
The Black Stallion
The Body Keeps the Score
The Boxcar Children
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Justice, Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age
Publication year 1976
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt
Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Children`s Literature, Disability
Publication year 1883
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies, Fathers
Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Italian Literature, Children`s Literature, World History
Set in the Tuscan region of Italy in the 1800s, by Carlo Collodi’s classic children's fantasy novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) follows the misadventures of a living wooden puppet and his poor puppeteer father. The story was initially published as a serial in a weekly children's magazine; due to reader demand, it was later turned into a book. The Adventures of Pinocchio, translated into more than 260 languages, is considered one of the most... Read The Adventures of Pinocchio Summary
Publication year 1876
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Childhood & Youth
Tags Action & Adventure, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain written for both youth and adult readers. It is a story about Tom Sawyer, a boy from the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. Tom lives a life of constant adventure, drama, self-aggrandizement, and self-inflicted woes as he comes of age. The novel is equal parts comical and poignant, dark and light, and is one of Twain’s many odes to the pleasures and... Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Apathy, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Place, Community, Education, Science & Technology
Tags Education, Education, Science & Nature, Sociology, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement, Health
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Objects & Materials, Place
Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure
Maile Meloy’s 2011 New York Times bestseller The Apothecary is the first in her young adult trilogy, which also includes The Apprentices (2014) and The After-Room (2017). This novel merges the genres of historical fiction and magical realism, and it was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2011. In 2012, The Apothecary also won the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the California Book Awards YA Gold Medal. Set in London after... Read The Apothecary Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Revenge, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Good & Evil
Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Humor
Publication year 1963
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Gratitude, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Place, Family, Marriage, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Southern Gothic
The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories (1951) is a collection of short stories and a novella by Carson McCullers. The author, a seminal part of the Southern Gothic Literature genre, rose to fame with her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), which shares many themes with the stories in the collection. Other notable works by McCullers include the novels Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941) and The Member of... Read The Ballad of the Sad Cafe Summary
Publication year 1798
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Wins & Losses, Memory, Aging, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Place, Grandparents, War
Tags Narrative Poem, Military & War, European History
“The Battle of Blenheim,” also known as “After Blenheim,” is a satirical, antiwar poem by English Romantic poet Robert Southey, written in 1798 and published in the Morning Post newspaper on August 9 of that year. The poem, which is in the form of a ballad, looks back at the Battle of Blenheim, which was fought around the Bavarian town of Blindheim, in southern Germany, on August 2, 1704, during the War of the Spanish... Read The Battle of Blenheim Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Environment, Teamwork
Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Animals, Arts & Culture, Climate Change, European History, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure
The Battle of the Labyrinth is a fantasy-adventure novel inspired Greek mythology and written in 2008 by Rick Riordan. It is the fourth in the Percy Jackson series.The novel begins with Percy Jackson is at his freshman orientation at Good High School. Rachel Elizabeth Dare helps him fight two empousai, spectres who were disguised as cheerleaders. Percy flees to Camp Half-Blood, but Rachel remains. Percy is reunited with Annabeth, and they learn Grover is in... Read The Battle of the Labyrinth Summary
Publication year 1952
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Family
Tags Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Community, Order & Chaos
Tags Special Occasions, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Family, Friendship
Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Humor
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Education, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Justice
Tags Humor, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction
Publication year 1982
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Conflict, Gratitude, Loneliness, Joy, Love, Death, Childhood & Youth, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Humor, Action & Adventure
IntroductionBritish author Roald Dahl first made his mark as a leading writer of children’s literature in 1961, when he published James and the Giant Peach. His subsequent books include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, and his 1982 novel The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), which was illustrated by Quentin Blake and based on a segment of Dahl’s 1975 book Danny, the Champion of the World. His books have been viewed as darker... Read The BFG Summary
Publication year 1949
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Family, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture
Tags Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, Relationships
Publication year 2008
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Childhood & Youth
Tags Military & War, Children`s Literature, World History, Biography
Eleven-year-old Mariatu lives in a small village in Sierra Leone. There are growing reports of rebels attacking villagers nearby but, for over a year, the villagers avoid attack by hiding in the bush.One night, Mariatu dreams of palm oil—a sign that blood will be spilled the next day. Sure enough, the following day, Mariatu is captured by rebel soldiers. She prays for death but instead has her hands cut from her body by child soldiers... Read The Bite of the Mango Summary
Publication year 1941
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Animals, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance
Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Realism, Animals, Historical Fiction
Walter Farley was only 26 years old when he published The Black Stallion, the fictional adventure story of the friendship between a boy and a majestic, powerful horse. Farley’s book, first available in 1941, was an instant bestseller. The Black Stallion and its 20 sequels have sold more than 12 million copies. The novel won the 1944 Young Reader’s Choice Award and inspired three Black Stallion movies and a TV series. At the heart of... Read The Black Stallion Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Childhood & Youth
Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement, Health
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is a 2014 nonfiction work by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. This guide refers to the 2015 edition published by Penguin Books. Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist specializing in various forms of trauma, has worked in trauma therapy for his entire professional career, publishing numerous scientific research studies of his own and contributing to many more. In addition to being a... Read The Body Keeps the Score Summary
Publication year 1924
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Siblings, Childhood & Youth
Tags Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature