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.

Ordinary Hazards

by Nikki Grimes

Publication year 2019

Genre Memoir in Verse, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Childhood & Youth, Family, Mental Health, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Mothers, Self Discovery, Equality, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Biography, Mental Illness

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Ordinary People

by Judith Guest

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Family, Coming of Age

Tags Psychological Fiction, Grief & Death, Relationships, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Classic Fiction

Ordinary People is the first novel written by Judith Guest and chronicles the life of an American family in the aftermath of two traumatic events. The book was first published in 1976 and was the recipient of the Janet Heidinger Kafka prize. It later inspired a film directed by Robert Redford and starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton. Guest went on to write books like Second Heaven (1982), Killing Time... Read Ordinary People Summary

Orphan Island

by Laurel Snyder

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Family, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Plants, Animals, Food

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Animals, Food, Relationships

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Out of My Heart

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Loneliness, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Music, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Art, Animals, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Out of the Dust

by Karen Hesse

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Death, Social Class, Place, Climate, Coming of Age, Safety & Danger, Disability, Siblings, Community, Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Daughters & Sons, Economics, Music, Guilt, Mothers, Art, Loneliness, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Fathers, Grief, Food, Education

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Agriculture, US History, Great Depression, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust is a historical middle-grade novel in verse first published in 1997. Through 110 first-person free verse poems, the narrative tells the story of two years in the life of Billie Jo Kelby, young daughter of a struggling farming family in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the mid-1930s. After a tragic accident results in the death of Billie Jo’s mother and baby brother, she and her father must find a way... Read Out of the Dust Summary

Out Stealing Horses

by Per Petterson, Transl. Anne Born

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Loneliness, Guilt, Fathers

Tags Historical Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Out Stealing Horses, by Norwegian author Per Petterson, was first published in 2003; the English-language translation by Anne Born was published in 2005. Told in the first person, the novel follows Trond Sander’s meditations on key events in his life and his acceptance of his advancing age and future death. Set in a remote forested area of eastern Norway, the novel moves back and forth in time between its present-tense setting in 1999 and Trond’s... Read Out Stealing Horses Summary

Paint the Wind

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Environment

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Contemporary Literature

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Pamela

by Samuel Richardson

Publication year 1740

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Femininity, Gender Identity, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Social Class, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Social Class, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Finance, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Age of Enlightenment, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

IntroductionPamela is an epistolary novel (told through letters), written by Samuel Richardson and first published in 1740. It is considered one of the first novels written in English, and significantly contributed to the development of this genre. Richardson, a 51-year-old printer when the novel was published, began the project to provide moral instruction to young women who might find themselves vulnerable to seduction while employed by wealthy men. The novel advocates for the importance of... Read Pamela Summary

Pashmina

by Nidhi Chanani

Publication year 2017

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Race, Coming of Age, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Immigration, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Children`s Literature, Magical Realism, Indian Literature, Fantasy

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Perfect Peace

by Daniel Black

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Guilt, Regret, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Community, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, World History, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

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Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

by Marjane Satrapi, Transl. Anjali Singh

Publication year 2004

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government

Tags Middle Eastern History, Gender & Feminism, Immigration & Refugeeism

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return is the sequel to Marjane Satrapi’s bestselling graphic memoir, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, which was published in four volumes between 2000 and 2003. The early memoir documents Marjane’s childhood in Iran during the transition to fundamentalist Islamic control and concludes in her departure at age 14 in 1984. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return was released in 2004 and documents the author’s teenage years in... Read Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return Summary

Peter and the Starcatchers

by Dave Barry

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Power & Greed, Community

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Humor, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Poverty, American Literature

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Peyton Place

by Grace Metalious

Publication year 1956

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Social Class, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Community, Education, Self Discovery

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Peyton Place is a novel depicting sensational and melodramatic events in a small New England town in the 1930s and 1940s; it was written by American novelist Grace Metalious and published in 1956. Peyton Place provoked controversy due to its depiction of taboo topics including sexuality, sexual abuse, and abortion. Nonetheless, the novel sold extremely well, and it was also adapted into successful films and television series. Metalious explores themes such as Shame and Ambivalence... Read Peyton Place Summary

Phantastes

by George MacDonald

Publication year 1858

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Masculinity, Femininity, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Christian, World History, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Religion & Spirituality

Phantastes: a Faerie Romance for Men and Women (1858) by George MacDonald is an extended fairy tale in which Anodos, a youth just coming of age, enters a hauntingly beautiful fairy wood. Ever pursuing his ideal of beauty, he meets many of the inhabitants of the enchanted world, overcoming obstacles as he learns what it means to become not just a man but a good man, eventually achieving union with the divine.George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a... Read Phantastes Summary