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.

Exile

by Shannon Messenger

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Race, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Music, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Conflict, Animals, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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Extra Credit

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Childhood & Youth, Equality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Extra Credit is a 2009 young adult novel by American author Andrew Clements. This book follows two sixth-grade students from different countries and cultures whose lives intersect through a pen pal exchange. Abby Carson, an athletic girl from Illinois, needs to complete an extra credit project to ensure she passes the sixth grade. She begins to exchange letters with Sadeed Bayat, an academic overachiever from Bahar-Lan, Afghanistan. As the two share personal memories, pictures, and... Read Extra Credit Summary

Faker

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Friendship, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Children`s Literature

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Fake Skating

by Lynn Painter

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Coming of Age, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Sports, Contemporary Literature

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Fallen Angels

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Mental Health, Friendship

Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Vietnam War, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, World History

Prolific children’s author Walter Dean Myers published his novel Fallen Angels in 1988. The young adult novel tells the story of a 17-year-old African American teenager from Harlem named Richie Perry who enlists in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. The novel follows Perry as he faces the realities of war with his fellow soldiers and transitions into adulthood on the battlefield. The novel contemplates racial and socio-economic issues in the US, the... Read Fallen Angels Summary

Far North

by Will Hobbs

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Fear, Death, Childhood & Youth, Perseverance, Grief, Food

Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature

Set in Canada, American author Will Hobbs’s young-adult novel Far North (1996) follows Gabe Rogers, who lives with his grandparents in Austin, Texas. When Gabe tells his father that he wants to live with him in Canada, his father tells him he may on two conditions. First, Gabe must travel up north to experience the severe cold of the Northwest Territories for one year. Second, he must attend boarding school. While flying through Canada with... Read Far North Summary

Fefu and Her Friends

by María Irene Fornés

Publication year 1990

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Friendship, Gender Identity

Tags Drama, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Disability, LGBTQ+, Modernism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Fefu and her Friends is a play by Cuban American playwright Maria Irene Fornés. It premiered in 1977 at the Relativity Media Lab, a small venue on New York’s Lower East Side. Set in 1935 New England, the play concerns a group of women who knew one another in college and gather for a reunion as adults. Within six months, Fefu was produced off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre, earning Fornés her second Obie Award... Read Fefu and Her Friends Summary

Fellowship Point

by Alice Elliott Dark

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Death, Aging, Love, Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Community, Beauty, Animals, Plants, Place, Literature, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Depression & Suicide, Health, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Social Justice, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Finally

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Joy, Regret, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Self Discovery, Fate

Tags Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Humor, Contemporary Literature

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Finding Junie Kim

by Ellen Oh

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Coming of Age, The Past, Food, Family, Friendship, Grandparents, Immigration, War, Justice

Tags Children`s Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Korean War

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Finding Margaret Fuller

by Allison Pataki

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Midlife, Future, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Equality, Fate, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, US History, Gender & Feminism, World History

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Fire and Ice

by Erin Hunter

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

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

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Firefly Lane

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Appearance & Reality, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance

Firefly Lane is a 2008 young adult novel by the New York Times best-selling American author Kristin Hannah. She has written more than 20 novels including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Women. Firefly Lane begins in 1974 and tells the story of two women whose 30-year friendship becomes the stabilizing force in their lives.Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss rape, drug addiction, and alcohol addiction.Plot SummaryFirefly Lane tells the story... Read Firefly Lane Summary

Firegirl

by Tony Abbott

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

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

Seventh grade loner Tom Bender’s life is changed by his friendship with Jessica, a severely disfigured burn survivor in Tony Abbott’s moving contemporary middle grade novel, Firegirl (2006). Shy and empathetic, Tom gradually overcomes his fear of Jessica and gets to know his new classmate, causing a rift between Tom and his friend, Jeff. While Jeff spreads malicious talk about Jessica, Tom sees past Jessica’s exterior to the person inside. Abbott sensitively explores themes of... Read Firegirl Summary

Fish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Disability

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

Fish in a Tree is a 2015 middle-grade novel by American author Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Shouting at the Rain, One for the Murphys). It follows the story of a middle-school girl named Ally, who is artistically and mathematically talented but unable to read due to her dyslexia. Throughout Ally’s school career, she uses humor, misbehavior, and feigned sickness to distract from her learning difficulty, doing everything in her power to avoid writing and reading tasks... Read Fish in a Tree Summary