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.

Spilled Milk

by K.L Randis

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Justice, Family, Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Crime & Law, Trauma & Abuse, Psychology, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Biography

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Squirm

by Carl Hiaasen

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Fathers, Family, Justice

Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Animals

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Stand Tall

by Joan Bauer

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Disability

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Coming of Age, Love, Family, 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

Starfish

by Lisa Fipps

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Family, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Beauty, Mothers, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Free Verse, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

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Stargazing

by Jen Wang

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Self Discovery, Hope, Family, Community, Fear

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Starling House

by Alix E. Harrow

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Revenge, Memory, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gothic Literature, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

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Starters

by Lissa Price

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Siblings, Death, Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Community, Memory, Science & Technology, Future, The Past, Guilt, Family, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Fear, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Beauty, Truth & Lies, Good & Evil, Conflict

Tags Science 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

Stella by Starlight

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History

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

Stella Maris

by Cormac McCarthy

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Music, Space, Loneliness, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Philosophy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy

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Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Health

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

Stone Blind

by Natalie Haynes

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Family, Masculinity, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Power & Greed, Justice, Good & Evil, Equality, Shame & Pride

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, World History

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Stone Cold

by Robert Swindells

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

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