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.

Chances Are . . .

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Music, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Chances Are . . . Summary

Charlotte's Web

by E. B. White

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Aging, Community, Safety & Danger, Friendship, Fate, Coming of Age, Animals, Childhood & Youth, Love, Grief, Fear, Loneliness, Gratitude

Tags Classic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Animals, Education, Education, Fantasy

Charlotte’s Web was written by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams, and first published in 1952. It is considered a quintessential American children’s fiction novel and has been adapted into two films (1973, 2006) and a stage musical. Over the years, Charlotte’s Web has been awarded the Newbery Honor Award for children’s books, the George C. Stone Center for Children’s Books Recognition of Merit Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Massachusetts Children’s... Read Charlotte's Web Summary

Christine

by Stephen King

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Nostalgia, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Christine Summary

Circus Mirandus

by Cassie Beasley

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Coming of Age, Death, Grandparents

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley is a middle-grade fantasy/magical realism novel about a young boy named Micah Tuttle who is struggling to come to terms with the impending death of his grandfather, Ephraim. Micah learns from Ephraim that Circus Mirandus, a fantastical traveling circus that Micah thought was a fictional story, is actually real. As Ephraim nears death, Micah and his friend Jenny go to Circus Mirandus to find the Lightbender, who owes Ephraim a... Read Circus Mirandus Summary

City of Glass

by Cassandra Clare

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Truth & Lies, Friendship, Daughters & Sons, Siblings

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Romance, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (Walker Books, 2009) is the third installment of the young adult urban fantasy Mortal Instruments series and chronicles an epic Shadowhunter battle against an old foe’s return. City of Glass was a finalist for the Teen Choice Book of the Year and for the 2009 Goodreads Choice Awards. Clare was born in Iran to American parents. She spent several years traveling before she settled in the United States, where... Read City of Glass Summary

City Spies

by James Ponti

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Joy, Loneliness, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Justice, Art, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Teamwork, Family, Climate, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Self Discovery, Community, Wins & Losses, Friendship, Place, Order & Chaos

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

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Class Act

by Jerry Craft

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Education, Race, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Diversity, Education, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Clementine

by Sara Pennypacker

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine is a short chapter book for elementary-aged readers. Marla Frazee’s black and white illustrations bring the text to life. Clementine and the subsequent books in the series have won numerous awards; notably, Clementine is a New York Times bestseller and the winner of the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. Little, Brown and Company published Clementine in 2006. This study guide refers to the 2008 first trade paperback edition of the book.Plot SummaryClementine... Read Clementine Summary

Click

by Kayla Miller

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Coming of Age, Friendship, Art, Self Discovery

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

... Read Click Summary

Code Name Verity

by Elizabeth Wein

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure

Code Name Verity (2012), by Elizabeth Wein, operates on several levels: as a historical novel detailing the World War II exploits of two British women—a spy and a pilot—behind enemy lines in occupied France; as a thriller, with a twisting plot; and as a coming-of-age story for two women, who are still teenagers when they meet and become friends during the course of their war work.Plot SummaryThe first part of the novel takes place in... Read Code Name Verity Summary

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

by Haruki Murakami

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Memory, Appearance & Reality, Music, The Past, Coming of Age, Mental Health

Tags Coming of Age, Japanese Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Magical Realism

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a 2014 novel by renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. The novel tells the story of a man who attempts to overcome past emotional suffering to make his present life more rewarding. Through Tsukuru’s point of view, we see the ripple effects of rejection and the necessity of sometimes confronting the past to make sense of who we are in the present. After a group of friends... Read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Summary

Confessions of a Shopaholic

by Sophie Kinsella

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Midlife, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Politics & Government, Beauty, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Humor

Published in 2000, Confessions of a Shopaholic was the breakout success of British novelist Sophie Kinsella (the pen name of Madeleine Wickham), a former financial journalist from London. Before adopting the Kinsella pseudonym, Wickham published several traditional novels, but she gained international recognition through the Shopaholic series, along with later stand-alone works such as Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess.The novel follows Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist whose compulsive spending habits clash comically... Read Confessions of a Shopaholic Summary

Conversations with Friends

by Sally Rooney

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Politics & Government, Friendship

Tags Romance, LGBTQ+, Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Conversations with Friends is Irish writer Sally Rooney’s debut novel, published in 2017. Rooney wrote the novel when she was 25 and followed it up quickly with Normal People in 2018 and Beautiful World, Where Are You in 2021. All three works have garnered award nominations, and the first two have been adapted into television series. Conversations with Friends tells the story of Frances and Bobbi— college students, best friends, and former girlfriends—and Nick and... Read Conversations with Friends Summary

Copenhagen

by Michael Frayn

Publication year 1998

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Historical Drama, Education, Education, Science & Nature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy

Written by Michael Frayn, Copenhagen is a two-act play based on a real-life meeting between physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg in 1941. Although based on real events, the play is nonlinear, as its three characters (Bohr, Heisenberg, and Bohr’s wife Margrethe) reunite after death to relive and better understand that fateful meeting. First performed in 1998, the play has won numerous awards, including a Tony Award for Best Play. The play was also adapted... Read Copenhagen Summary

Cosmic

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Future, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor, Fantasy

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Cost of Living

by Martyna Majok

Publication year 2016

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loneliness, Disability

Tags Drama, Relationships, Disability, Dramatic Literature, Poverty, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Cost of Living, a play by Martyna Majok, premiered in 2016 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. It transferred to an off-Broadway theatre in 2017, produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, and is slated to debut on Broadway in fall, 2022. The play was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and also won a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. The title of the play refers not only to the monetary costs of... Read Cost of Living Summary

Counterfeit

by Kirstin Chen

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Race, Justice, Appearance & Reality

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Survival Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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