Family

Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.

Trumpet

by Jackie Kay

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Grief, Race, Love, Family, Music, Sexual Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Music, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

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Tuck Everlasting

by Natalie Babbitt

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Friendship, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, American Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Romance

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt follows the journey of a young girl’s decision to live forever or remain mortal. The book received many honors and awards, including the Janusz Korczak Medal and the 1976 Christopher Award as best book for young people, among others, and it was named an ALA Notable Book. Tuck Everlasting was adapted twice into a full-length feature film (1981 and 2002), and it appeared on Broadway as a stage musical in... Read Tuck Everlasting Summary

Tumble

by Celia C. Perez

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Gender Identity, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Latin American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Tunes for Bears to Dance To

by Robert Cormier

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Good & Evil, Grief, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World War II, Realistic Fiction

Tunes for Bears to Dance To by pioneering young adult writer Robert Cormier (1925-2000) is a young adult novella that explores themes of The Inadequacy of Language, The Everyday Nature of Evil, and The Inescapability of the Past. First published in 1992, the story follows 11-year-old Henry, who, while grappling with the recent loss of his brother, becomes entangled in a sinister plot devised by Mr. Hairston, the manipulative manager of the grocery store where... Read Tunes for Bears to Dance To Summary

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

Turtles All the Way Down

by John Green

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship

Tags Mental Illness, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Turtles All the Way Down (2017) is a young adult novel by John Green, author of the successful novel The Fault in Our Stars. The story is narrated in the first person by Aza Holmes, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, which greatly impact her daily life and her ability to maintain relationships. The story has been heralded as an accurate and personal depiction of OCD by the author, who has openly written... Read Turtles All the Way Down Summary

Twilight

by Stephenie Meyer

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Community, Love, Sexual Identity

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, is a young adult adventure-romance about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. Her struggle to build a relationship in a world filled with suspicion and danger helped make the book a number-one New York Times bestseller. The novel launched the Twilight book series including New Moon (2006), Breaking Dawn (2008), and Midnight Sun (2020), which has sold more than 100 million copies and received multiple young reader... Read Twilight 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

Twisted

by Emily McIntire

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Love, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Beauty, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, New Adult, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

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Twisted Hate

by Ana Huang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Beauty, Self Discovery, Friendship, Family, Appearance & Reality, Hate & Anger

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Health

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Two Boys Kissing

by David Levithan

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, The Past, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Depression & Suicide, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

David Levithan’s 2013 young adult novel Two Boys Kissing is narrated from the perspective of the gay men who died during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. This chorus, resembling that of ancient Greek theater, observes the novel’s present-day characters—several gay teenage boys in neighboring American small towns—as they explore love, relationship, and identity. The central narrative follows two boys, Harry and Craig, who attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest continuous kiss by kissing... Read Two Boys Kissing Summary

Two Kinds

by Amy Tan

Publication year 1989

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Family

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan is a short story from the collection The Joy Luck Club, which was originally published in 1989. The full short story collection was adapted for film as the eponymous Joy Luck Club in 1993. Amy Tan and Ronald Bass adapted the screenplay. The series portrays first and second-generation Chinese immigrants living out the “American dream” in current day Chinatown, San Francisco. Through a series of 16 linked stories, four women... Read Two Kinds Summary

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure

by Dorothy Allison

Publication year 1995

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Family, Gender Identity, Femininity, Masculinity, Race, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Women`s Studies, Love & Sexuality, Biography

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary

Two Roads

by Joseph Bruchac

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Race, Friendship, Self Discovery, Justice, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture, World History

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Two Wolves

by Tristan Bancks

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Family, Self Discovery, Justice, Good & Evil

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

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