Publication year 1976
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Family, Community, Music, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure
Coming-of-Age Journeys
Coming-of-age journeys, academically known as Bildungsromane, focus on the stories of young people embarking on the path to adulthood. These are stories of self-actualization, questions of identity, discoveries of shortcomings and strengths, and lessons learned. This collection of study guides covers classics to contemporary novels, from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger to As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds.
Publication year 1976
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Family, Community, Music, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1975
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Community, Family, Fathers, Coming of Age, Race
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Asian Literature, Education, Education, World History, Chinese Literature
Originally published in 1975, Dragonwings is a children’s historical novel by Chinese American author Laurence Yep. The story was inspired by the life of Fung Joe Guey (Feng Ru), a Chinese immigrant who came to the United States in the early 1900s and earned acclaim for his work as a pioneer airplane designer and aviator. The book is part of Yep’s Golden Mountain Chronicles, a series of 10 novels that explore the long history of... Read Dragonwings Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Fear, Loneliness, Apathy, Love, Memory, Hope, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Siblings, Friendship, Fathers, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Beauty, Art, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction
In Dreamland, a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen, a teenage girl named Caitlin O’Koren reacts to the disappearance of her sister by breaking away from the path that was set out for her. The novel is broken into three parts that focus on the core of the conflicts in each section. Part I, “Cass,” traces the O’Koren family after Cass, the eldest of two daughters, runs away instead of attending Yale. Part II, entitled... Read Dreamland Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Aging, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Loyalty & Betrayal
Publication year 1924
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Race, Coming of Age, Community
Tags Harlem Renaissance, African American Literature, Southern Literature, Classic Fiction
Zora Neale Hurston’s “Drenched in Light” is set in 1920s Florida and follows a single day of a young girl named Isis Watts, or Isie. The setting of a small town right outside of Orlando resembles Hurston’s own childhood in Eatonville. Published in 1924 by Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, “Drenched in Light” debuted early in Hurston’s career and includes some of her recurring themes dealing with race, gender, and identity. Hurston went on... Read Drenched in Light Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Midlife, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Art, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Romance, New Adult, Music
Publication year 1914
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Education, Education, World History
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by Irish writer James Joyce. Originally published in 1914, the collection met resistance from publishers and critics due to its controversial themes and unusual portrayal of the everyday. Dubliners follows a range of people living in the titular city, often seeking some form of social or emotional transcendence without ever truly achieving it.This study guide is for the 1965 paperback edition from Penguin Modern Classics.Content Warning: This... Read Dubliners Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Coming of Age, Social Class, Gender Identity, Loneliness, Economics, Environment, Femininity, Masculinity, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger
Tags Biography
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Siblings, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery, Perseverance, Coming of Age
Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Natural Disaster, Education, Education
Publication year 1874
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age
Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh was published in 2015 and won the PEN/Hemingway award for debut fiction. The novel is set in 1964. It follows the story of Eileen, a woman planning to escape her life in the New England town of X-ville. Eileen is characterized by self-loathing, depression, and body dysmorphia, all of which developed due to her abusive and neglectful childhood. Before she leaves X-ville forever, Eileen must come to terms with her own... Read Eileen Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Literature, Language, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age
Tags Coming of Age, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Disability, Coming of Age, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice
Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
Eldest is the second book in American author Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, the popular young adult fantasy series that consists of Eragon (2003), Eldest (2005), Brisingr (2008), and Inheritance (2011). This installment follows Eragon’s continuing adventures as he and his dragon, Saphira, take on new responsibilities in their fight against the despotic king, Galbatorix. Paolini also wrote a collection of short stories titled The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (2018), which is set in... Read Eldest Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Place, Community, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 1991
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Justice
Tags Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, American Literature
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Fathers, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Family
Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Love, Gratitude, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Equality, Good & Evil, Literature, Art, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism
Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Disability, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ+, Disability, Realistic Fiction, Jewish Literature, Contemporary Literature
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Coming of Age, Grief, Safety & Danger, Race, Justice, Community, Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Grief & Death, Urban Development, Arts & Culture
Emako Blue is a novel for young adults written by Brenda Woods. Set in Los Angeles, California, Emako's friends and schoolmates relay the events leading up to Emako Blue’s gang-related murder in alternating first-person narration, primarily through flashbacks. The text explores the effects of poverty, gang violence, guns, and how these issues have far-reaching impacts on each member of a community. As the events of the story unfold, each narrator must consider what they want... Read Emako Blue Summary
Publication year 1923
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age