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.

Zane and the Hurricane

by Rodman Philbrick

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Twelve-year old Zane Dupree and his beloved mutt Bandit are trapped in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in Rodman Philbrick’s realistic middle grade novel, Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina (2014). Rescued by an elderly musician and a young girl, Zane witnesses both the best and worst of humanity as the group travels by canoe in search of safety. During his harrowing adventure, Zane learns about the importance of family and how it... Read Zane and the Hurricane Summary

Zia

by Scott O'Dell

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Animals, Environment, Family, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction

... Read Zia Summary

Zlata's Diary

by Zlata Filipović

Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Hope, Family

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

Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo is an eyewitness account of the Bosnian War as told through diary entries written by Zlata Filipović. Writing between her 11th and 13th birthdays, the diary traces the daily experiences of childhood during the Siege of Sarajevo, from 1991 to 1993. Though unflinching in her descriptions of The Absurdity of War, Loss Due to War, and the emotional toll of Coming of Age During War, Filipović also... Read Zlata's Diary Summary