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.
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, History: World
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Identity: Disability
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Asian Literature, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure
Stardust is a historical fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel was originally published in 1999, though an illustrated comic book miniseries preceded the prose text in 1997, along with a full-length illustrated edition in 1998. It won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1999 and was nominated for the Locus Award. Stardust was adapted into a film in 2007 and a radio production in 2016. The novel uses traditional folkloric... Read Stardust Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Free verse, Bullying, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Class
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gothic Literature, Romance, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure
Lissa Price’s Starters is a young adult science fiction novel set in the near future after the Spore Wars, during which biological weapons were used against the United States and wiped out much of the unvaccinated middle-aged population. As a result, many teens were left without families, and the elderly feared for their place in society. Starters without grandparents were barred from essentially every type of work. This led to teens being rounded up to... Read Starters Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Music, Romance, Humor
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Food
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, History: World
Set during the Great Depression in the segregated South, Stella by Starlight is a historical middle grade novel by award-winning author Sharon M. Draper. As the Ku Klux Klan exerts increasing influence over the residents of rural Bumblebee, North Carolina, 11-year-old Stella Mills must confront racism while navigating the challenges of school, family life, and friendship. First published in 2015, the novel won the Charlotte Huck Award, an honor for children’s fiction granted by the... Read Stella by Starlight Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration, Self Discovery
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Latin American Literature
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Music, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Philosophy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, American Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Psychology, Health / Medicine
Still Alice, by Lisa Genova, tells the story of a Harvard cognitive psychology professor, Alice Howland, and her descent into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. When the novel opens, Alice is unaware of her disease; although she recognizes that she has become a touch more forgetful lately, she chalks this up to getting older and keeping a busy academic schedule. However, her lapses soon become worse, and a series of tests confirm that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s... Read Still Alice Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World
Publication year 1993
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Storming Heaven, written by American novelist Denise Giardina, is a 1987 novel based on historical events that took place in West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the 1800s, the railroads came in and purchased several family farms, and then sold the land to the coal companies. The coal companies forced the families to move off their land. If they chose to stay, their only option was to live in coal company-owned... Read Storming Heaven Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Fate, Relationships: Teams
Tags Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Natural Disaster
In Roland Smith’s 2011 adventure novel, Storm Runners, three middle-grade students struggle to survive and find shelter during a hurricane after their school bus crashes. While a team of rescuers drives toward the disaster in search of the missing kids, the three students use all their skills and brainpower simply to stay alive.Award-winning author Smith spent decades working as a zookeeper and world-traveling animal rescuer. He has turned his experiences into award-winning novels and non-fiction... Read Storm Runners Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Action / Adventure, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction