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.
Publication year 1943
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship
Tags Children's Literature, Classic Fiction, French Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry drew heavily on his own experiences when writing his 1943 novella, The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince). Like the story's first-person narrator, Saint-Exupéry was a pilot, and the inspiration for the book's central events came from his own 1935 crash-landing in the Sahara Desert. As the story begins, the narrator is still a young child showing off his drawings of boa constrictors eating elephants to the adults around him. The adults react... Read The Little Prince Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Class
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Survival Fiction, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Class, Love / Sexuality
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Bullying, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, WWII / World War II, Military / War, French Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Humor
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Four women become trapped in their own web of deceit in Ruth Ware’s psychological thriller, The Lying Game (2017). A text from their old school friend, Kate, sends Thea, Fatima, and Isa to the coastal village of Salten where the body of Kate’s father, Ambrose, surfaces on the beach. The problem: The four girls hid the body 17 years ago and told no one. Now, their lies are catching up to them. Ware deftly moves... Read The Lying Game Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature
Publication year 1850
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, French Literature, History: World
Among the most widely read and translated of all French authors, Alexandre Dumas lived and worked in the 19th century. A playwright, journalist, and travel writer, Dumas is likely best known for his historical fiction, much of which was initially published in serialized form. Along with The Count of Monte Cristo, his most enduring works are the three books that make up his D’Artagnan Romances: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de... Read The Man In The Iron Mask Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Humor
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Disability
The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood is a young adult novel about a teenage girl, Delrita, who lives with her Uncle Punky, who has Down syndrome. Wood based the novel on her personal experience growing up with her brother, Richard, who had Down syndrome. The Man Who Loved Clowns was published in 1992 and won the Mark Twain Award in 1995. Wood published a sequel, Turtle on a Fence Post, in 1997.This... Read The Man Who Loved Clowns Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Community
Tags Allegory / Fable / Parable, African American Literature, Race / Racism, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Published in 1998, The Men of Brewster Place is a companion to Gloria Naylor’s acclaimed 1982 novel, The Women of Brewster Place. Written as a series of vignettes, the novel tells the intertwining stories of seven Black men living in Brewster Place, a degrading apartment block in an unnamed American city. Each must fight to define his identity as a man while existing within the confines of a racist, sexist society. With themes of pain... Read The Men of Brewster Place Summary
Publication year 1883
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Classic Fiction, Poverty, Social Justice, Class, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Renaissance, Children's Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is a much-beloved adventure novel by Howard Pyle (1853-1911), published in 1883. Pyle, an American illustrator and children’s author, wove together several of the early ballads about the famed medieval outlaw Robin Hood and his companions, the Merry Men, in an episodic and entertaining plot aimed at young readers of the late nineteenth century. Written in a pseudo-archaic English actually modeled on Elizabethan-era English, the book reflects a colorful... Read The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1959
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender
Tags Play: Drama, Play: Historical, Disability, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Biography
William Gibson’s drama The Miracle Worker chronicles the relationship between the real-life Helen Keller, a young girl from Alabama who was blind and deaf, and her teacher, the Irish, headstrong Annie Sullivan from Boston. The play follows a three-act structure and was adapted from Gibson’s 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay. The staged production premiered in New York City at the Playhouse Theatre in 1959. The show received five Tony Award nominations in 1960 and won four... Read The Miracle Worker Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction