Friendship

The solace and comfort of true friendship — and the pain of its loss — can rival any romantic or familial relationship. In this collection, we present texts that examine the unique qualities and costs of deep friendships.

Different Seasons

by Stephen King

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fear, Hope, Justice, Death

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychological Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Introduction Different Seasons (1982) by Stephen King is a collection of four novellas that are tied together by a connection to the four seasons. Three of the four stories (“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, “Apt Pupil”, and “The Body”) have been made into films, and the fourth (“The Breathing Method”) is under consideration for adaptation.This guide refers to the 1983 Signet edition.Content Warning: This book contains references to death by suicide, sexual assault, racism... Read Different Seasons Summary

Dinners With Ruth

by Nina Totenberg

Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Equality, Politics & Government

Tags Leadership, Crime & Law, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, World History, Politics & Government, Biography

... Read Dinners With Ruth Summary

Direbound

by Sable Sorensen

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Love, Memory, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Fantasy

... Read Direbound Summary

Dog Man

by Dav Pilkey

Publication year 2016

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Friendship, Childhood & Youth

Tags Humor, Fantasy, Animals, Children`s Literature

... Read Dog Man Summary

Doll Bones

by Holly Black

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family, Nostalgia, Childhood & Youth

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Religion & Spirituality

Doll Bones (2013) is a middle grade novel written by Holly Black and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. It blends gothic, horror, and fantasy elements. The novel follows three friends, Zach, Poppy, and Alice, as their make-believe games take a turn for the supernatural, sending them on an eerie quest to return a haunted doll to a gravesite before it wreaks havoc on their lives. The novel explores the challenges of growing up and the strain... Read Doll Bones Summary

Don Quixote

by Miguel de Cervantes

Publication year 1605

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Friendship

Tags Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Social Class, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Renaissance, Religion & Spirituality, Satirical Literature

Don Quixote is a novel in two parts by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes published between 1605 and 1615. The novel portrays the life of a middle-aged Spanish man who decides to become a knight, just like the characters in the works of fiction he loves. Considered to be a foundational work of Western literature and one of the first modern novels, Don Quixote is one of the most translated books of all time. It... Read Don Quixote Summary

Dork Diaries

by Rachel Renée Russell

Publication year 2009

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell (Simon & Schuster, 2009) is a young adult graphic novel told in diary entries about a 14-year-old girl’s journey through her first month at a new school. The book was both a New York Times and USA Today best seller. It also won the Children’s Choice Book of the Year Award for the fifth/sixth grade division (2010) and was nominated for Book of the... Read Dork Diaries Summary

Do You Remember?

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Death, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Do You Remember? Summary

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loneliness, Environment, Friendship

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

Dragon Rider is the first installment in a middle grade fantasy trilogy by popular German children’s author Cornelia Funke. Funke is best known for her Inkheart fantasy series, which inspired the 2009 Inkheart film. Dragon Rider, first published in Germany in 1997, was published in the US by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic in 2004, with a translation by Anthea Bell.Dragon Rider follows the quest of a silver dragon named Firedrake, a household fairy—or... Read Dragon Rider Summary

Dragonslayer

by Tui T. Sutherland

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Gender Identity, Language, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Siblings, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Animals

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Dreamland

by Sarah Dessen

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Loneliness, Apathy, Love, Memory, Hope, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Siblings, Friendship, Fathers, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Beauty, Art, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

In Dreamland, a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen, a teenage girl named Caitlin O’Koren reacts to the disappearance of her sister by breaking away from the path that was set out for her. The novel is broken into three parts that focus on the core of the conflicts in each section. Part I, “Cass,” traces the O’Koren family after Cass, the eldest of two daughters, runs away instead of attending Yale. Part II, entitled... Read Dreamland Summary

Dress Coded

by Carrie Firestone

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Equality, Family, Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Dress Coded Summary

Drive

by Kate Stewart

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Midlife, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Art, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, New Adult, Music

... Read Drive Summary