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.

That Was Then, This Is Now

by S. E. Hinton

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

That Was Then, This Is Now is a 1971 young adult novel by S. E. Hinton. Set in the same world as Hinton’s earlier novel, The Outsiders, this novel follows a young man’s bleak coming-of-age experience within the broader context of the social upheaval of the 1960s. The novel won a Massachusetts Children’s Book Award in 1978 and was one of four works cited when Hinton won the Margaret Edwards Award in 1988. In 1985... Read That Was Then, This Is Now Summary

The 21 Balloons

by William Pene du Bois

Publication year 1947

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Science & Technology, Economics

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Finance, World History, Natural Disaster, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Technology, Post-War Era, Children`s Literature, Education, Education

... Read The 21 Balloons Summary

The Acorn People

by Ron Jones

Publication year 1976

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Children`s Literature, Disability

... Read The Acorn People Summary

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1884

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Equality, Coming of Age

Tags Action & Adventure, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in 1884 as a companion to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written in 1876, and is regarded as an American classic. While the story of Tom Sawyer is lighthearted and adventurous in the style of juvenile fiction of its day, Huck Finn’s adventure is darker and more satirical. Huckleberry Finn often finds himself in physical danger, yet the greatest danger he faces are threats to... Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Summary

The Adventures of Pinocchio

by Carlo Collodi

Publication year 1883

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies, Fathers

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Italian Literature, Children`s Literature, World History

Set in the Tuscan region of Italy in the 1800s, by Carlo Collodi’s classic children's fantasy novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) follows the misadventures of a living wooden puppet and his poor puppeteer father. The story was initially published as a serial in a weekly children's magazine; due to reader demand, it was later turned into a book. The Adventures of Pinocchio, translated into more than 260 languages, is considered one of the most... Read The Adventures of Pinocchio Summary

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1876

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Childhood & Youth

Tags Action & Adventure, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain written for both youth and adult readers. It is a story about Tom Sawyer, a boy from the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. Tom lives a life of constant adventure, drama, self-aggrandizement, and self-inflicted woes as he comes of age. The novel is equal parts comical and poignant, dark and light, and is one of Twain’s many odes to the pleasures and... Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Summary

The Alchemyst

by Michael Scott

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Action & Adventure, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Children`s Literature

Irish author Michael Scott’s The Alchemyst, published in 2007, is the first installment in his six-part series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. This guide refers to the 2007 Kindle edition. The following books are The Magician (2008), The Sorceress (2009), The Necromancer (2010), The Warlock (2011), and The Enchantress (2012). The Alchemyst was included in Time Magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time in 2015 and earned multiple awards internationally, including... Read The Alchemyst Summary

The Bad Beginning

by Lemony Snicket

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Justice, Teamwork, Good & Evil

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

Published in 1999, The Bad Beginning, a darkly humorous adventure novel for middle-grade readers, chronicles the misadventures of three orphaned children whose distant cousin adopts them as part of a plan to steal their huge inheritance. As the first of 13 books in the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events, the novel is written by Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket, who’s also a character in the story. The books have sold 60... Read The Bad Beginning Summary

The Batboy

by Mike Lupica

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Wins & Losses

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

... Read The Batboy Summary

The Battle of the Labyrinth

by Rick Riordan

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Environment, Teamwork

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Animals, Arts & Culture, Climate Change, European History, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

The Battle of the Labyrinth is a fantasy-adventure novel inspired Greek mythology and written in 2008 by Rick Riordan. It is the fourth in the Percy Jackson series.The novel begins with Percy Jackson is at his freshman orientation at Good High School. Rachel Elizabeth Dare helps him fight two empousai, spectres who were disguised as cheerleaders. Percy flees to Camp Half-Blood, but Rachel remains. Percy is reunited with Annabeth, and they learn Grover is in... Read The Battle of the Labyrinth Summary