Seven Against Thebes is a tragedy composed by Aeschylus and performed for the first time at the City Dionysia festival in 467 BCE. It was the final play of a connected trilogy based on the myths of Oedipus and his family, but the first two plays—Laius and Oedipus—are now lost, as is the satyr play Sphinx that would have been performed following the trilogy. This set of plays won first prize the year it was... Read Seven Against Thebes Summary

Seven Days in June by American novelist Tia Williams was published in 2021. It was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and a New York Times Bestseller. The novel follows two Black writers, Eva Mercy and Shane Hall, who reunite 15 years after a passionate and destructive week in June that connected them forever. Please note that the text includes potentially triggering scenarios including assault, suicide, self-harm, and substance use.Plot SummaryEva Mercy is a successful... Read Seven Days in June Summary

“Seventeen Syllables,” originally published in 1949 by the Partisan Review, is Hisaye Yamamoto’s most anthologized short story. Yamamoto was one of the first Japanese American authors to achieve critical and commercial success after World War II due to her celebrated short stories about life in Southern California and the experiences of Japanese Americans. Her stories were eventually published together in 1988, in a collection titled Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories released by Kitchen Table Press... Read Seventeen Syllables Summary

Published in 2018, Severance is the debut novel by author Ling Ma. An immigrant family saga wrapped in a darkly humorous apocalypse narrative, Severance tells the story of Candace Chen, a passionless young office worker. In the aftermath of an apocalypse caused by Shen Fever, a disease which turns its victims into nostalgia-driven zombies, Candace must find meaning outside of the work routine which has defined her adult life. Along the way, aspects of capitalism... Read Severance Summary

Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary

Shades of Gray is a work of middle grade historical fiction set in the South during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. It was written by Carolyn Reeder and published in 1989. The book won numerous awards, including the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Jefferson Cup Award from the Virginia Library Association. Reeder has written numerous books for adults centered on the Shenandoah Valley, where this novel’s protagonist, Will, hails... Read Shades of Gray Summary

Shadowshaper is an urban fantasy young adult novel written by Daniel José Older and originally published in 2015. The first book in the Shadowshaper Cypher series, Shadowshaper follows an Afro-Boricua teenager named Sierra who discovers she has a magical and spiritual family heritage. The book was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2015 and was shortlisted for the 2015 Kirkus Prize. This study guide refers the 2015 paperback Scholastic Inc. edition.   Plot SummaryAt... Read Shadowshaper Summary

Shanghai Girls (May 2009) is a New York Times bestselling historical novel by Lisa See. It is the first of a two-book series that concludes with Dreams of Joy (2011). The author’s paternal great-grandfather emigrated from China, and many of See’s books examine the Chinese immigrant experience in America. Other titles that cover similar subject matter are Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), Peony in Love (2007), China Dolls (2014), The Tea Girl of... Read Shanghai Girls Summary

Published in 2020, Sharks in the Time of Saviors tells the story of a Hawaiian family whose youngest son, Nainoa, has special healing powers. Malia and Augie Flores look to their favorite son to deliver the family from poverty, but his mysterious healing gift is imperfect, and he becomes increasingly burdened by his failures, the high expectations of him, and the pressure he puts on himself to save everyone.Written by Kawai Strong Washburn, who was... Read Sharks In The Time Of Saviors Summary

Written by Lisa Wingate in 2024, Shelterwood is a work of historical fiction that also includes elements of mystery and features dual timelines; the first takes place in 1909 and the other in 1990. The protagonist of the 1909 timeline is Olive Augusta Radley, an 11-year-old girl who runs away from home to save herself and her adopted sister Nessa from abuse and exploitation. The protagonist of the 1990 timeline is Valerie Boren-Odell, a ranger... Read Shelterwood Summary

She’s Come Undone is a realistic fiction novel written by Wally Lamb and originally published in 1992. Lamb demonstrates his penchant for creating detailed psychological character portraits in his debut novel, which is a coming-of-age story about a woman named Dolores Price. As the novel traces Dolores’s life from childhood through middle age in the mid-20th century, Lamb examines imbalanced power dynamics within relationships, intergenerational trauma and healing, the loss of innocence, and body image... Read She's Come Undone Summary

Shield of Sparrows (2025) is a new adult romantasy that draws inspiration from epic fantasies and fantasy romances such as The Witcher, Fourth Wing, To Kill a Shadow, and The Bridge Kingdom. The novel follows Princess Odessa of Quentis, who marries the prince of Turah to satisfy a peace agreement between the kingdoms that is called The Shield of Sparrows. While Odessa develops a romance with the infamous Guardian warrior—who eventually reveals himself to be... Read Shield of Sparrows Summary

Written in 1996 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh Season is a middle grade novel that continues the story begun with the Newbery Medal–winning Shiloh. The second installment in a quartet, Shiloh Season follows young Marty Preston as he faces new challenges in protecting Shiloh, the beagle he rescued from the abuses of the dog’s former owner, Judd Travers. After Judd is suspected of becoming intoxicated and fighting a man, he crashes his car near Marty’s... Read Shiloh Season Summary

Paolo Bacigalupi’s young adult dystopian novel Ship Breaker (2010) was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and the recipient of both the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book and the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult fiction. The story takes place in a postapocalyptic future in the United States, somewhere west of old New Orleans. The human race is facing economic and environmental devastation due to climate change... Read Ship Breaker Summary

Shooting Kabul is a middle-grade novel published in 2010 by American author N. H. Senzai. In July 2001, 11-year-old Fadi Nurzai and his family flee Afghanistan, where the Taliban are taking power, to live in San Francisco. While boarding the truck in Kabul that will take them across the Pakistani border, Fadi loses his six-year-old sister, Mariam, in the melee, and she is left behind. The novel focuses on Fadi’s struggle with his conscience over losing... Read Shooting Kabul Summary

Naomi Shihab Nye published “Shoulders” in her seventh collection of poetry, Red Suitcase (1994). “Shoulders” discusses the importance of caring for one another as seen through the image of a father carrying his young son across a busy street. Nye uses this intimate family portrait to examine humanity at large, centering love as the most essential tool in raising the next generation (see: Poem Analysis).Nye asserts that poetry does not exist in a vacuum. Her... Read Shoulders Summary

Shouting at the Rain is a 2019 contemporary middle-grade novel by American author Lynda Mullaly Hunt. The novel follows a seventh grader named Delsie McHill, who struggles to come to terms with her mother’s abandonment while making a new friend in Ronan Gale, a newcomer to Cape Cod with a troubled past. It explores themes of The Importance of Friendship and Family, The Complexity of Human Emotions and Character, and The Importance of Changing Perspective.Other... Read Shouting at the Rain Summary

Show Me a Sign (2020) is the second novel by author Ann Clare LeZotte. Her other books include T4 (2008) and Set Me Free (2021). After its debut, Show Me a Sign made multiple Best Books of 2020 lists, including NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal, along with winning numerous regional awards. The novel tells the story of a girl who is deaf in 1805 Massachusetts. Because LeZotte is deaf, she describes the experience of... Read Show Me a Sign Summary

Published in 2024, Betsy Lerner’s Shred Sisters is a work of contemporary literary fiction that explores the ways in which mental illness impacts the Shred family, as well as the individual trajectory of each of the titular sisters’ lives. Older sister Olivia (usually known as Ollie) is beautiful, talented, and reckless, while younger sister Amy follows the rules and keeps to herself. As Amy narrates her story, she grapples not only with understanding her sister’s... Read Shred Sisters Summary

Signal Fires (2022) is a contemporary literary novel by Dani Shapiro. It is a metaphysical exploration of time, space, and family. In Signal Fires, the characters learn they are interconnected in profound ways. The novel shifts between different perspectives, making every character a protagonist. It is divided into 11 parts that are set in seven different time periods, from 1970 to 2020. Shapiro’s use of multiple perspectives gives the reader an intimate look into how... Read Signal Fires Summary