The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams, or Joseph Andrews, was written by Henry Fielding and published in 1742 as a “comic epic poem in prose” (14). The novel, one of the first in the English language, encompasses many principles of the Augustan Age in which it was written. In this era literature, particularly satire, was viewed as a means of instruction, and observation was considered the... Read Joseph Andrews Summary

First published in 1749, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling is considered one of the best and most influential early novels in English literature. Henry Fielding was a respected dramatist, essayist, and satirist, and as a public official, he helped to establish London’s first professional police force.A comic novel that blends romance, realism, picaresque, and social commentary—while passing itself off as a true history of a life as well as a reflection of human... Read The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Summary

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Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first appeared in book form in 1979, after Adams originally conceived it as a radio play. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy explores and satirizes many facets of modern life, such as the legitimacy of authority, the absurdity of bureaucracy, and the search for the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything. The book follows the galactic exploits of Arthur Dent, the last... Read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Summary

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The House of God is a novel written by American author and doctor Samuel Bergman under the pseudonym Samuel Shem and originally published in 1978. The book is heavily based on Bergman’s own experiences as a medical intern in the early 1970s, and the fictional hospital “the House of God” is a thinly veiled fictional version of the Beth Israel teaching hospital associated with Harvard Medical School. The novel is a satire in the vein... Read The House of God Summary

The Humans is a contemporary novel by Matt Haig. First published in 2013, the book follows an alien visitor, inhabiting a dead human’s body, who explores what it means to be human, and the true meaning of life. The book received multiple award nominations, and critics praise it for its unusual blend of science fiction, humour, and domestic life. Haig is the internationally bestselling, award-winning author of adult and children’s books. He’s best known for... Read The Humans Summary

The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy, is Oscar Wilde’s final play. It premiered at St. James’ Theatre in London on February 14, 1895 and skewered the contemporary habits and attitudes of the British aristocracy. The opening was hugely successful, but Wilde’s ongoing conflict with the Marquess of Queensberry, his lover’s powerful father, led the play to close prematurely after Wilde was charged with “gross indecency” for having sex with men. Despite this setback, The... Read The Importance of Being Earnest Summary

In 1867, the San Francisco Alta Californian assigned its 31-year-old reporter Mark Twain to cover a steamboat pleasure trip to the Mediterranean. Twain’s account of the trip was published in 1869 as The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim’s Progress. The book would become the most popular and bestselling work of Twain’s career, acclaimed by both critics and readers. Twain’s travelogue chronicles a voyage through Europe and the Holy Land attended by a group of... Read The Innocents Abroad Summary

Mark Twain’s short story “The Invalid’s Story,” published in his 1882 collection The Stolen White Elephant, Etc., is a tall tale involving a mix-up between a coffin and a box full of guns. Traveling on a train with what he believes to be the coffin, the first-person narrator mistakes the odor of pungent cheese for that of the decaying corpse. Disparaged by critics for its crudeness at its time of publication, the story deals with... Read The Invalid's Story Summary

The Juvie Three (2008) is a young adult novel by Gordon Korman. It is a unique coming-of-age story about personal transformation and found family, and a commentary on the stigmas that often burden those held back by their pasts. Korman challenges these societal perceptions and shows that we all have the power to change. This study guide references the 2008 paperback edition from Hyperion Books.Plot SummaryGraham Fosse, known as “Gecko,” drives a stolen getaway car... Read The Juvie Three Summary

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The Landry News is a young adult novel by Andrew Clements, published in 1998. It centers on a school newspaper and the lives it touches, the lessons it teaches, and the power it gives people to stand up for their beliefs. The book received the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 2002 and has been translated into five languages. American author Andrew Clements (1949-2019) penned many books for young readers, including his most famous work, Frindle... Read The Landry News Summary

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The Last Kids on Earth—a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award, which is determined by the popular vote of grade school students throughout Texas—is a post-apocalypse graphic novel for young readers, filled with illustrations, humor, friendship, and zombie survival. The story is written by Max Brallier and drawn by Douglas Holgate, and was originally published in 2015, but has since gone on to become a seven-book series; this is the... Read The Last Kids on Earth Summary

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