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 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure, Humor

Rodman Philbrick’s The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (2009) is a historical fiction novel for middle-grade readers. It won the Newbery Honor award for its story about a young boy’s travels across Civil War America in search of his lost brother. The 2011 e-book edition is the basis for this study guide. Plot SummaryHomer Figg, 12 years old in 1863, lives on a farm in Maine with his older brother, Harold. They’re in... Read The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg Summary

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007) by Trenton Lee Stewart is a New York Times best-selling children’s novel, the first in a mystery series that includes two sequels and a prequel. The book was included on reading lists published by notable several organizations, including the Association for Library Service to Children, Books for Youth, and the Texas Library Association.Plot SummaryFour children, Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire, respond to a newspaper advertisement for... Read The Mysterious Benedict Society Summary

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Revenge, Art, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, World History

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Good & Evil, Friendship

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

The Name of This Book Is Secret (2007) is the first book in the middle grade fantasy series The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch, the pen name of writer Raphael Simon. The book is told by an intrusive narrator, the author, Pseudonymous Bosch. The narrator frequently breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly and interrupts the story to warn the reader of the dangerous nature of the story he is telling, sometimes considering... Read The Name of This Book Is Secret Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags World History, Children`s Literature, World War II, Military & War, Action & Adventure

The Nazi Hunters, by Neal Bascomb, published in 2013, is the story of the manhunt and capture of Adolf Eichmann, the "World's Most Notorious Nazi" in Argentina, 1961. The story centers on the agents of the Mossad and Shin Bet—Israeli intelligence and investigatory agencies—painstakingly detailing their plans, and execution, along with the capture’s aftermath. In addition to these, the recollections of Auschwitz survivor and witness Zeev Sapir feature prominently. Looming over the entire narrative is... Read The Nazi Hunters Summary

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Self Discovery, Coming of Age

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

The Neverending Story (originally titled Die unendliche Geschichte) is a 1979 Young Adult fantasy novel by German author Michael Ende. The book describes the adventures of a boy named Bastian who initially reads about and then physically enters the world of Fantastica, which is threatened by a sinister, amorphous of destruction called “the Nothing.” Like Ende’s other novels, Momo (1973) and The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion (1989), the novel is a... Read The Neverending Story Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Indian Literature

The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani’s 2018 work of historical fiction for middle-grade and young adult readers, consists of 60 diary entries spanning approximately four months. In it, the author chronicles the events of India’s post-World War II independence from Britain and subsequent partition through the voice of a 12-year-old Indian girl, Nisha. The fictional family in the novel is loosely based on the childhood experiences of Hiranandani’s father, whose family, like Nisha’s, made the journey... Read The Night Diary Summary

Publication year 1888

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Art, Power & Greed

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Fantasy, Romance, Irish Literature, Children`s Literature, World History, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction

“The Nightingale and the Rose” is a children’s story by Irish writer Oscar Wilde, included in his 1888 fairy tale collection, The Happy Prince and Other Tales. Like many of the other stories in the collection, “The Nightingale and the Rose” is a fable examining the nature of love and self-sacrifice. “The Nightingale and the Rose” conforms to the simplistic story structure of traditional fairy tales while subverting many of the genre’s norms.This guide refers... Read The Nightingale and the Rose Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Tags US History, American Revolution, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Biography

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery, written by Steven Sheinkin and published in 2010, is a biography for young readers about one of America's notable war heroes who was also her most famous traitor—Benedict Arnold. How this startling reversal came about is traced in the book, which is rigorously researched yet presented in the manner of an adventure novel. Sheinkin confronts the moral ambiguities that lie at the heart... Read The Notorious Benedict Arnold Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Family, Education, Immigration, Guilt

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

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer is a 2010 middle-grade novel written by John Grisham, and it is the first installment in the Theodore Boone series. Grisham is an experienced layer and writer of over 30 novels, with most of his writing in the legal thriller genre. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer is Grisham’s first foray into writing for a younger audience, which the author called a challenge in shifting the way he thought about his writing approach... Read Theodore Boone Summary