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.

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Realistic Fiction, World History

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The Bully

by Paul Langan

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Place, Fathers, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Urban Development, Dramatic Literature

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The Butterfly Lion

by Michael Morpurgo

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Friendship, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

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

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The Cage

by Ruth Minsky Sender

Publication year 1986

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Mothers

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Education, Education, Jewish Literature, World War II, Military & War, Biography

The Cage is the 1986 memoir of Ruth Minsky Sender, nee Riva Minska, detailing her family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust. Born in Lodz, Poland, Riva inhabits a close-knit community that integrates both Jews and non-Jews through shared traditions and intergenerational spaces. When Hitler’s Nazis invade Poland, thirteen-year-old Riva watches this peace crumble, as non-Jewish friends accept her family’s persecution and as Jews themselves adopt positions of power that hurt others in the community.After Riva’s... Read The Cage Summary

The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

Publication year 1903

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Community, Power & Greed

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

Originally serialized in 1903, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an adventure story about Buck, a dog from the Santa Clara Valley who finds himself living the life of a sled dog in the Arctic wilderness. Through Buck’s adventure, the novel addresses what it takes to survive in the natural world, contemplates the connection between life and death, and demonstrates the power of respect and love. The Call of the Wild was immediately... Read The Call of the Wild Summary

The Candymakers

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Revenge, Fathers, Family, Friendship

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Food, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Wendy Mass’s novel The Candymakers is a work of middle-grade fiction that follows four children competing in a national candy making competition. As the children learn more about each other and the Life is Sweet candy factory, they give up their personal ambitions for the common good: to save the factory from a businessman who desires to steal the factory’s secret chocolate ingredient. Brown Books for Young Readers published the novel in 2010.Plot SummaryThe Candymakers... Read The Candymakers Summary

The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Grief & Death, Mental Illness, Parenting, Natural Disaster, Science & Nature, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature

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The Castle in the Attic

by Elizabeth Winthrop

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Love, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Family, Friendship, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Good & Evil, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

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The Cay

by Theodore Taylor

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Coming of Age, Perseverance

Tags Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

The Cay is a 1969 middle grade novel by American author Theodore Taylor. The story follows an 11-year-old boy named Phillip who must survive on a small Caribbean island with an older Black man named Timothy. The novel is a survival story, but it is also about unlearning racism; Taylor dedicated the book to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Cay received several literary awards, including the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award in 1970, which... Read The Cay Summary

The Chocolate Touch

by Patrick Skene Catling

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Childhood & Youth, Conflict, Friendship, Family, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Humor, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Bullying, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

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The Christmas Pig

by J. K. Rowling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Childhood & Youth, Objects & Materials, Family, Siblings, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Children`s Literature

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The Circuit

by Francisco Jiménez

Publication year 1997

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Immigration, Perseverance, Education, Childhood & Youth

Tags Historical Fiction, Poverty, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture

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The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Community

Tags Science Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The City of Ember (2003) is the first novel in Jeanne DuPrau’s highly-esteemed middle grade science fiction series of the same name. Readers meet the 12-year-old protagonists Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, newly assigned members of the city of Ember’s working class. In their new jobs as messenger and Pipeworks laborer, Lina and Doon begin to grasp the disturbing truth about their doomed city—and discover the chance to leave it for good. The novel examines... Read The City of Ember Summary

The Clay Marble

by Minfong Ho

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Perseverance, Hope

Tags Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History

... Read The Clay Marble Summary