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.

Tornado

by Betsy Byars

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Climate, Place, Family, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction

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Torpedoed

by Deborah Heiligman

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Nation, War, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Military & War, Children`s Literature

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Tropesick

by Lauren Okie

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Forgiveness, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Contemporary Literature

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Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Fear, Apathy, Memory, Regret, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Plants, Food, Community, Economics, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Literature, Art, Music, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Great Depression, Animals, Realistic Fiction, World History

Turtle in Paradise is a 2010 historical fiction children’s novel by Jennifer L. Holm. Set in the Florida Keys during the Great Depression, the novel follows an 11-year-old girl’s struggles and successes as she visits her aunt and cousins in the town where her mother grew up. The novel won the Golden Kite Award and is a Newbery Honor Book as well as a Junior Library Guild selection. Other works by this author include The... Read Turtle in Paradise Summary

Twisted

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Good & Evil, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson, tells the story of Tyler Miller and his family as Tyler is about to begin his senior year of high school. Tyler has recently been punished with probation and community service after vandalizing school property. As part of his community service, he works with his high school’s maintenance crew to repair the very building he defaced. Due to the physical labor he’s been doing over the summer, Tyler’s put on... Read Twisted Summary

Two Degrees

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Grief, Indigenous Identity, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Mothers, Animals, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Plants, Place, Politics & Government, Community

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Natural Disaster, Climate Change, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Unsinkable

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

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Until Friday Night

by Abbi Glines

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction

Abbi Glines’s Until Friday Night is a young adult romance novel that follows the relationship between the two protagonists, Maggie Carlton and West Ashby. Maggie’s and West’s alternating first-person narratives reveal their complex feelings for each other and their struggles to navigate falling in love. Their evolving dynamic is the basis for the novel’s themes of Coping with Grief and Trauma, The Development of Teenage Romantic Relationships, and The Role of Communication in Healing. This... Read Until Friday Night Summary

War Brothers

by Sharon McKay

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, World History

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Water Moon

by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Ways to Make Sunshine

by Renée Watson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Childhood & Youth, Love, Food, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict, Grandparents

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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We Are Seven

by William Wordsworth

Publication year 1798

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Childhood & Youth, Death, Siblings, Order & Chaos, Wins & Losses

Tags Lyric Poem

“We Are Seven” is a lyric poem by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. Wordsworth wrote it in the spring of 1798 on a walking tour with his sister Dorothy and his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was recalling a young girl whom he’d met on a previous walking tour, at Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire, in 1793. “We Are Seven” describes a young girl who believes herself to be one of seven siblings, even though... Read We Are Seven Summary

We Deserve Monuments

by Jas Hammonds

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

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We Did OK, Kid

by Anthony Hopkins

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Arts & Culture, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Relationships

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Welcome to Dead House

by R. L. Stine

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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