Daughters & Sons

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child," exclaims William Shakespeare's King Lear. The fragility or strength of the bond between parents and their children is an eternally relevant theme in literature. In this study guide collection, we've put together texts that examine what it means to be a son or daughter.

Summer Romance

by Annabel Monaghan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Beauty, Order & Chaos

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Bean Trees

by Barbara Kingsolver

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Family, Friendship, Daughters & Sons, Nature Versus Nurture, Plants, Community, Self Discovery

Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Animals, Depression & Suicide, Diversity, Immigration & Refugeeism, Parenting, Poverty, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Bean Trees (first published in 1988) is the first novel by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist, and poet who holds degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology, and her work often addresses biodiversity, social justice, communities, and people’s interactions with their environment. The Bean Trees is a work of realistic adult fiction that follows Taylor Greer as she leaves her rural upbringing in Kentucky, drives across the country to Tucson, Arizona, and... Read The Bean Trees Summary

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Midlife, Environment, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Dramatic Literature, Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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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 Castle of Otranto

by Horace Walpole

Publication year 1764

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Fear, Revenge, Masculinity, Future, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature, British Literature, European History, Politics & Government, Medieval, Age of Enlightenment, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Fantasy

The Castle of Otranto, first published in 1764 by English author Horace Walpole (1717-1797), is considered the first supernatural work of Gothic fiction, influencing many well-known 19th century writers such as Clara Reeve, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson.The five-chapter long novella revolves around the mysterious supernatural events at the titular castle, whose owner goes to villainous lengths to maintain control of it. Walpole introduces Gothic elements that drive the... Read The Castle of Otranto Summary

The Chaperone

by Laura Moriarty

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Romance

The Chaperone is a work of historical fiction written by American author Laura Moriarty and published in 2012. The novel portrays the Jazz Age of the 1920s in America through a feminine lens. It was inspired by historical people and events, primarily the 1920s silent-film actress Louise Brooks. Moriarty lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and the book is also partially set in Kansas. The Chaperone was adapted into a PBS Masterpiece feature film in 2018. Other... Read The Chaperone Summary

The Conscious Lovers

by Richard Steele

Publication year 1722

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Social Class, Conflict, Guilt, Love, Femininity, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, Restoration

The Conscious Lovers is a sentimental comedy play by 18th-century playwright Richard Steele. The play was first performed at Drury Lane in 1722, and it was published the same year with a different Epilogue. The Conscious Lovers, which is based loosely on Andria, or The Woman of Andros, a comedy by ancient Roman playwright Terence, is an explicitly moral comedy, following characters that are rewarded for their uprightness: Bevil Jr. wants to marry Indiana, a woman... Read The Conscious Lovers Summary

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

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Publication year 1922

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, American Literature, Science Fiction, World History

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a short story by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) addressing themes of time, aging, social class, and destiny. Fitzgerald is among the most celebrated American authors of the 20th century. His novels The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night, though commercial disappointments in his lifetime, are now considered classics.Remembered today primarily as a novelist, Fitzgerald was known as a short story writer for magazines by contemporary... Read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Summary

The Darkest Child

by Delores Phillips

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Southern Literature, Race & Racism, African American Literature, World History

The Darkest Child (2004) is a coming-of-age historical fiction novel by Delores Phillips. The teenage protagonist and first-person narrator, Tangy Mae Quinn faces racism and segregation in the Jim Crow South, as well as domestic abuse, poverty, and nonconsensual sex work. Despite these challenges, Tangy finds eventual escape when she leaves her abusive mother, Rozelle, and her past behind her to pursue her own goals, which are rooted in education. The novel explores The Role... Read The Darkest Child Summary

The Dreamer

by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Illustr. Peter Sis

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Literature, Justice, Childhood & Youth, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Children`s Literature, World History

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The Fifth Child

by Doris Lessing

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Beauty

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Fifth Child is a novella by British writer Doris Lessing, recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature. First published in the UK in 1988, the work blends domestic realism and gothic horror in an unsettling portrait of Harriet and David Lovatt, a couple with old-fashioned values whose lives are upended by the birth of their fifth child, Ben. Aggressive, unusually strong, and non-communicative, Ben does not conform to the Lovatts’ expectations of a... Read The Fifth Child Summary

The Fourteenth Goldfish

by Jennifer L. Holm

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Death, Science & Technology, Fame, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Aging, The Past

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Humor

In 2014’s The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer L Holm, an aging scientist turns himself into a teenager who must re-enter middle school alongside his granddaughter while they plot to get him back into his lab to finish his brilliant work. A humorous science-fiction novel for middle-grade readers, The Fourteenth Goldfish is the first in a two-book series.   New York Times Bestselling author Holm has written nearly 60 books for young readers, including the May Amelia... Read The Fourteenth Goldfish Summary