Juvenile Literature
The books in this collection navigate themes and ideas appropriate for younger readers. Whether you're looking for contemporary hits like Front Desk by Kelly Yang or beloved classics like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, you can explore this collection to find a title that will excite the young readers in your life.
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Fear, Race, Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Immigration & Refugeeism, Diversity, Race & Racism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture
Publication year 1888
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Revenge, Coming of Age, Death, Family, War, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Medieval
Publication year 1997
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Disability, Education, Coming of Age, Language
Tags World History, Disability, Children`s Literature, Biography
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Loneliness, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Music, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Art, Animals, Appearance & Reality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Music, Disability
Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Disability, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind, based on her own experiences parenting a child with a disability, is a New York Times best-selling novel told from the first-person perspective of 10-year-old Melody Brooks. Melody is a fifth-grade girl who, due to cerebral palsy, is unable to communicate verbally and uses a wheelchair. The challenges and prejudice that Melody encounters provide a more intimate and personal view of the lives of people with disabilities. Atheneum Books... Read Out of My Mind Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Death, Social Class, Place, Climate, Coming of Age, Safety & Danger, Disability, Siblings, Community, Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Daughters & Sons, Economics, Music, Guilt, Mothers, Art, Loneliness, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Fathers, Grief, Food, Education
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Agriculture, US History, Great Depression, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction
Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust is a historical middle-grade novel in verse first published in 1997. Through 110 first-person free verse poems, the narrative tells the story of two years in the life of Billie Jo Kelby, young daughter of a struggling farming family in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the mid-1930s. After a tragic accident results in the death of Billie Jo’s mother and baby brother, she and her father must find a way... Read Out of the Dust Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Animals, Perseverance
Tags Relationships, Children`s Literature, Science & Nature, Animals, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Disability, Race, Childhood & Youth
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Life-Inspired Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History
Paperboy by American author Vince Vawter explores themes of The Acceleration of the Civil Rights Movement, The Treatment of People With Speech Disorders, and Independence in Childhood through its singular voice. Published in 2013, Paperboy was a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 2014. Vawter, who worked for more than 40 years in the newspaper business, wrote Paperboy as a lightly fictionalized version of his own childhood, which contributes to the text’s authenticity. This guide references... Read Paperboy Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Environment, Perseverance, Grief, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger
Tags Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Coming of Age
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure
Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis follows 13-year-old Parvana as she makes her way across war-torn Afghanistan in search of her mother and siblings. Published in 2002, this novel is a sequel to the international bestseller The Breadwinner, which was adapted as a 2017 animated film, and is the second in a series of four called The Breadwinner series. Although Parvana’s Journey is a work of fiction, Ellis bases the setting of the novel on the... Read Parvana's Journey Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Race, Coming of Age, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Immigration, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Children`s Literature, Magical Realism, Indian Literature, Fantasy
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Race, Teamwork, Grief
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, Fantasy
Pax is a heartwarming Children’s book by Sara Pennypacker showcasing the friendship between a young boy named Peter and his Fox, Pax. Pax is illustrated by Jon Klassen and was on the National Book Award Longlist. Sara Pennypacker has published 19 books, including Pax (2016), Summer of the Gypsy Moths, as well as the bestselling Clementine and Stuart series.Plot SummaryIn Pax, war brews at an unknown time in an unknown place, and Peter’s father forces... Read Pax Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Loneliness, Grief, Animals
Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Animals
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fathers, Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure
Released in 2007, Roland Smith’s YA novel Peak is the story of Peak Marcello, a teenager and mountain climbing prodigy. The novel is the first of four books in the Peak Marcello Adventure series, followed by The Edge (2015), Ascent (2018), and Descent (2020). The story follows Peak as he reconnects with his estranged father, Josh, who takes him on a climbing expedition to Mt. Everest. Peak is set against the backdrop of the political... Read Peak Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Justice, Good & Evil
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, African Literature, Black Lives Matter, Children`s Literature, Magical Realism
Akwaeke Emezi’s Pet, published in 2019, is a Speculative Fiction/Fantasy novel intended for Young Adult readers. Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, Pet was also a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The novel received the Stonewall Book Award, which recognizes achievement in LGBTQIA+ literature. Emezi, a non-binary Nigerian Igbo and Tamil writer who uses they/them pronouns, is also the author of two novels... Read Pet Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Power & Greed, Community
Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Humor, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Poverty, American Literature
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Disability, Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Disability, Trauma & Abuse, Animals, American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is a middle grade novel by Jonathan Auxier originally published in 2011. The novel encompasses a variety of genres: fantasy, the heroic quest, and even some Dickensian orphan flourishes, for good measure. It was a BookPage Magazine Best Book of the year, an ABA New Voices selection (2011), and a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award for science fiction and fantasy.This study guide references the edition published by Amulet... Read Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes Summary
Publication year 1911
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Childhood & Youth
Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Fantasy
Author James Matthew Barrie adapted his 1904 play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up to novel in 1911 with the hit Wendy and Peter, known today simply as the timeless classic Peter Pan. The mischievous character Peter Pan first appeared in Barrie's 1902 novel The Little White Bird and later in the 1906 novel Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Barrie's works explore themes of coming-of-age, the importance of imagination, the clash of... Read Peter Pan Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Disability, Hope, Perseverance, Love, Loneliness
Tags Historical Fiction, Disability, Mental Illness, Health, Religion & Spirituality, Bullying, Post-War Era, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, World History
Petey is middle grade novel written by Ben Mikaelsen and published in 1998. Mikaelsen is the author of 10 novels for young adults and the winner of several awards for his work. Petey is dedicated to and based on the life of Clyde Cothern, a Montana man with cerebral palsy who was misdiagnosed as intellectually disabled and confined to Montana State Hospital in the 1920s. Mikaelsen and Cothern shared a close personal friendship, and while... Read Petey Summary