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.

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

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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

Ducks

by Kate Beaton

Publication year 2022

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Social Class, Gender Identity, Loneliness, Economics, Environment, Femininity, Masculinity, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Biography

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Eat a Bowl of Tea

by Louis Chu

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Community, Immigration, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

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Eat Your Ice Cream

by Ezekiel J. Emanuel

Publication year 2026

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Aging, Friendship, Science & Technology

Tags Health, Self-Improvement

Ezekiel J. Emanuel’s Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life (2026) is a work of nonfiction in the health and wellness genre that challenges modern society’s fixation on longevity. Emanuel, a physician and public-health expert, argues that the contemporary “wellness industrial complex” bombards people with confusing, expensive, and often unproven advice (5), turning the pursuit of health into what he characterizes as a joyless, anxiety-inducing task. He proposes a... Read Eat Your Ice Cream Summary

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love

by Marianne Cronin

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Aging, Friendship

Tags Contemporary Literature

Eddie Winston is 90 years old and volunteers at the Heart Trust Charity Shop in Birmingham, England, sorting through donated belongings alongside Marjie, his boss and friend. When a council worker delivers the possessions of William McGlew, a man who died alone, Eddie discovers five unstamped, sun-yellowed envelopes addressed to a woman named Elsie Woods. He tucks them into his jacket pocket, what he calls the "Eddie Pile," his habit of pocketing items too precious... Read Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love Summary

Eggs

by Jerry Spinelli

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Fear, Grief, Memory, The Past, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Coming of Age

... Read Eggs Summary