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 Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, European History, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a historical fiction novel published in 2006 by celebrated Irish author John Boyne, known both for his adult and young adult fiction. Set around the World War II concentration camp Auschwitz, the novel combines realism with parable. It portrays a young German boy, Bruno, whose father is commander of the camp, and his unusual and ultimately tragic friendship with a Jewish boy, Shmuel. The work sold over seven... Read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Summary

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Realistic Fiction, World History

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The Brothers K

by David James Duncan

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Forgiveness, Memory, Childhood & Youth, War

Tags Sports, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

David James Duncan’s 1992 novel, The Brothers K, is a sprawling family saga set in Washington state against the backdrop of the Vietnam War era. An extended allusion to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov (1879), the story is narrated by Kincaid Chance, the youngest of four brothers, as he chronicles his family’s tumultuous journey from the 1950s through the 1970s. The central conflict revolves around the opposing worldviews of his parents: his father, a minor... Read The Brothers K Summary

The Candymakers

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Revenge, Fathers, Family, Friendship

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Food, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Wendy Mass’s novel The Candymakers is a work of middle-grade fiction that follows four children competing in a national candy making competition. As the children learn more about each other and the Life is Sweet candy factory, they give up their personal ambitions for the common good: to save the factory from a businessman who desires to steal the factory’s secret chocolate ingredient. Brown Books for Young Readers published the novel in 2010.Plot SummaryThe Candymakers... Read The Candymakers Summary

The Castle in the Attic

by Elizabeth Winthrop

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Love, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Family, Friendship, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Good & Evil, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction

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The Celestial Omnibus

by E. M. Forster

Publication year 1911

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Literature, Beauty, Art, Social Class, Self Discovery, Childhood & Youth

Tags Action & Adventure, Symbolic Narrative

“The Celestial Omnibus” is a short story by British author E. M. Forster, originally published in 1911 in an anthology titled The Celestial Omnibus and Other Stories. Forster primarily saw success as a novelist, penning classics like A Room with a View (1908) and Howard’s End (1910), but all of his works are similarly preoccupied with issues of class, gender, and intellectual hypocrisy. In its eponymous collection, “The Celestial Omnibus” joins other stories of fantastical... Read The Celestial Omnibus Summary

The Chimney Sweeper

by William Blake

Publication year 1789

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Justice, Childhood & Youth, Social Class

Tags Lyric Poem, Poverty, Social Justice, Social Class, Romanticism

William Blake’s poem “The Chimney Sweeper” was first published in his poetry collection Songs of Innocence (1789) and then republished in the expanded Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794). The latter collection includes another poem of the same title, which complements the first poem and clarifies Blake’s intention. All poems in the collection are short and deceivingly simple in form, borrowing from and building on the conventions of 18th-century poetry for children, designed to... Read The Chimney Sweeper Summary

The Chocolate Touch

by Patrick Skene Catling

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Childhood & Youth, Conflict, Friendship, Family, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Humor, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Bullying, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

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The Christmas Pig

by J. K. Rowling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Childhood & Youth, Objects & Materials, Family, Siblings, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Children`s Literature

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The Circuit

by Francisco Jiménez

Publication year 1997

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Immigration, Perseverance, Education, Childhood & Youth

Tags Historical Fiction, Poverty, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture

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The Cost of Knowing

by Brittney Morris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Fathers, Equality, Fate, Justice, Safety & Danger, Music, Appearance & Reality

Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Fantasy

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The Courage of Sarah Noble

by Alice Dalgliesh

Publication year 1954

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Indigenous Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, American Literature, Education, Education, US History, World History

The Courage of Sarah Noble, written by Alice Dalgliesh and published in 1954, follows the experience of young Sarah as she accompanies her father to Connecticut. It is based on a true story that took place in 1707, though Dalgliesh admits in the “Author’s Note” that she has “had to imagine many of the details” of Sarah’s story; thus, this is a work of historical fiction and not a biography or nonfiction text.Dalgliesh was a... Read The Courage of Sarah Noble Summary