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 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Family, Social Class, Gender Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, Agriculture, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery

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

Stuart Little (1945) is E. B. White’s first children’s book—the collected stories of Stuart, a mouse-boy born into a human family. White was a journalist and humorist who wrote for the United Press, the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The New Yorker, and Harper’s Magazine. He received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Prize in 1970 for contributions to children’s literature for the much beloved Charlotte’s Web, and in 1973, The Trumpet of the Swan won the Sequoyah... Read Stuart Little Summary

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction

Stuck in Neutral is a young adult (YA) fiction novel about Shawn McDaniel, a fourteen-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. To the outside world, Shawn is in a kind of vegetative state: his condition makes it so that he has no control over any of his motor function, from moving his lips to evacuating his bowels. Shawn cannot communicate with the outside world, and so people—including his family members—believe him to have the brain function and... Read Stuck In Neutral Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Equality, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Diversity, Race & Racism, US History, Reconstruction Era, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Colonialism, Power & Greed

Tags World History, History: African , Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Science & Nature, Food

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science is a non-fiction history book written for young adults that was first published in 2010. It is primarily about how the cultivation of sugar has impacted societies across the world socially, economically, and culturally. The book is written by historian Marc Aronson and novelist Marina Budhos. It was a finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the YALSA Excellence... Read Sugar Changed the World Summary

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, US History, Sports, Action & Adventure

In Mike Lupica’s Summer Ball, published in 2007, 13-year-old Danny Walker heads to an elite basketball summer camp called Right Way. Here, he will match his nationally-recognized skills against some of the best young basketball players in the country. The New York Times-bestselling novelpicks up where Lupica’s previous novel, Travel Team, leaves off: Walker, cut from his local Middletown basketball travel team because he’s too short, leads his new team to the seventh-grade national championship... Read Summer Ball Summary

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

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

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Coming of Age, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Summer of My German Soldier (1973) is a young adult novel by American author Bette Greene. The book is heavily based on Greene’s own childhood in Arkansas and Tennessee during World War II and her experiences growing up Jewish in the conservative Christian South. A made-for-TV film adaptation starring Kristy McNichol was released in 1978. The sequel to the novel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, was published in 1978. Summer of My German Soldier... Read Summer of My German Soldier Summary

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure

A loose adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s Summer of the Mariposas (2012) follows five Mexican American sisters on an epic journey from Texas to Mexico. Drawing deeply from Mexican folklore, the book’s genre blends magical realism and fantasy. The book was a 2013 Andre Norton Award Nominee, won the Westchester Fiction Award, and made the list of 2012 School Library Journal Best Books. Guadalupe Garcia McCall was born in Piedras Negras in Coahuila... Read Summer of the Mariposas Summary

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Coming of Age, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls is a middle grade historical novel first published in 1976. Set in rural Oklahoma’s Ozark Mountains in the late 1800s, the story follows 14-year-old Jay Berry Lee as he tries to capture a group of monkeys that escaped from their circus train. The monkeys, and especially the chimpanzee who leads them, prove themselves wily adversaries for Jay Berry, who desperately wants the reward money that will accompany their... Read Summer of the Monkeys Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Guilt

Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War

Tags Military & War, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Sunrise Over Fallujah is a Young Adult novel by award-winning author Walter Dean Myers. The novel details the experiences of an eighteen-year-old man from Harlem, Robin “Birdy” Perry, who enlists in the U.S. Army and is stationed in Iraq during the early stages of the Iraq War in 2003. The narrative delves into Birdy’s reasoning behind joining, his experiences while serving, and his post-deployment views on his initial reasons for joining and his previous speculations... Read Sunrise Over Fallujah Summary

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Coming of Age, Family

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

Superfudge is a children’s novel written by Judy Blume first published in 1980. Blume is an author of children’s novels that have won several awards. Superfudge won the Children’s Choice Award in 1981 and the Early Readers Award in 1991. It was adapted into a television series which ran from 1995-1997. Superfudge is the third book in the Fudge series. This guide utilizes the 1988 publication of this novel.Plot SummaryAt the beginning of the novel... Read Superfudge Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Self Discovery, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal

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

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age, Fathers, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Order & Chaos

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

Surviving the Applewhites is a children’s novel written by American author Stephanie S. Tolan and was first published in 2002.The narrative follows Jake Semple, a troubled teenager forced to move in with the unconventional and eccentric Applewhite family following an incident at school. Jake struggles to fit in at first but gradually sheds his past transgressions and undergoes a transformative journey toward self-discovery and redemption. The novel touches on Personal Growth and Transformation, Individuality Versus... Read Surviving the Applewhites Summary

Publication year 1935

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Indian Literature, Asian Literature, Children`s Literature, Asian Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Swami and Friends, set in British-colonial India in the year 1930, begins with an introduction to Swaminathan and his four principal friends: Somu, Sankar, Mani, and the Pea. Swaminathan appreciates his friends’ dramatically different personalities, and these differences only strengthen their powerful bond. The arrival of Rajam, who is the son of Malgudi’s new police superintendent, changes everything. Initially, Swaminathan and Mani despise Rajam, but the three boys become best friends after confronting him. Likewise... Read Swami and Friends Summary