Fathers

Italian novelist Umberto Eco wrote, "I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us." This study guide collection gathers texts that explore what it means to be a father and what profound lessons their presence—or absence—teaches us.

The School Story

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Grief, Perseverance, Mothers, Truth & Lies, Fathers, Childhood & Youth

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death

Andrew Clements’s The School Story is a 2001 middle grade fiction novel about two sixth-grade girls who set out to get a book published. The School Story is Andrew Clements’s fourth full-length novel. Prior to writing novels, Clements worked extensively on picture books, and his familiarity with the publishing industry allowed him to create a realistic yet fantastical story about two children trying to navigate it. The School Story explores themes of loss, honesty, and... Read The School Story Summary

The Searcher

by Tana French

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Justice, Trust & Doubt, Gender Identity, Fathers

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Western, Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature

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The Serpent King

by Jeff Zentner

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fathers

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

The Serpent King is a young adult novel by American musician and novelist Jeff Zentner, originally published in the U.S. in 2016. This coming-of-age story about three youths growing up in a small town of Forrestville, Tennessee, explores individual, family, and social identity, along with love, loss, and religion. The novel won an American Library Association William C. Morris Award for Young Adult Literature, an International Literacy Association Young Adult Book Award, and it was... Read The Serpent King Summary

These Summer Storms

by Sarah MacLean

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

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The Shining

by Stephen King

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Fathers, Marriage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction

IntroductionThe Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It tells the story of Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance during an isolated winter in which Jack becomes the caretaker of Colorado’s Overlook Hotel. It deals with themes of parenthood, isolation, addiction, and the bonds of family.The Shining was Stephen King’s third novel and his first hardback bestseller. It was adapted into a 1980 film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson... Read The Shining Summary

The Sisters

by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Transl. Rachel Willson-Broyles

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Race, Aging, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Truth & Lies, Grief

Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Scandinavian Literature

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The Skeleton Tree

by Iain Lawrence

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Masculinity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Objects & Materials, Fathers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Fate, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

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The Son

by Philipp Meyer

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Grandparents, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, War, Fate, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, US History, World History

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The Song Poet

by Kao Kalia Yang

Publication year 2016

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fathers, Family

Tags Arts & Culture, World History, Biography

Kao Kalia Yang’s The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father was published in 2016; this guide refers to the Kindle edition of the text. The book won the Minnesota Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Chautauqua Prize. The Song Poet presents the story of Kalia’s father, Bee Yang, as an artist and a song poet.Song poetry is a traditional form of Hmong art. The Hmong... Read The Song Poet Summary

The Son of Neptune

by Rick Riordan

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Teamwork, Friendship, Fate, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Memory, Guilt, Objects & Materials, Good & Evil, Fathers, Perseverance

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

The Son of Neptune is the second novel in Rick Riordan’s The Heroes of Olympus series. Released in 2011, this novel continues the story begun in The Lost Hero, following Percy Jackson as he stumbles into the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, after losing his memory and eight months of his life. At the camp, Percy meets Hazel, daughter of Pluto, and Frank, son of Mars. Together, Percy, Hazel, and Frank are charged with a... Read The Son of Neptune Summary

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E. Smith

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Coming of Age, Fathers, Marriage, Self Discovery, Fate

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Jennifer E. Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (2012) is one of nine books that she has written for young adults to date. In an interview with Buzz Magazine, Smith said, “I’m kind of obsessed with moments in time that act as hinges, days where there’s a really clear split between before and after—where yesterday, your life was one way, and tomorrow it will be entirely different” (“Author Interview: Jennifer E. Smith.”... Read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Summary

The Stories Julian Tells

by Ann Cameron

Publication year 1981

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Perseverance, Joy, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Relationships, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Humor

... Read The Stories Julian Tells Summary