Safety & Danger

This collection, spanning books like Nadine Gordimer's Jump and Other Stories and Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, gathers fiction and nonfiction examining how our human craving for safety is compromised, questioned, and challenged by an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world.

Clown in a Cornfield

by Adam Cesare

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Revenge, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, LGBTQ+

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Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

by Jack Finney

Publication year 1956

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Family, Death, Fear

Tags Horror & Suspense, Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” a short story by American author Jack Finney, was first published in Collier’s magazine in October 1956. The story subsequently was published in literature anthologies, including the one referenced in this study guide: the Heritage edition of Adventures in Appreciation, published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1980.As a novelist and short story writer, Finney is noted for his artistry in creating suspense and heightening tension until the plot resolves... Read Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket Summary

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Family, Gratitude, Loneliness, Perseverance, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Relationships, Food, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a 2002 middle-grade horror novel that follows the titular character through a strange world of wonder and fear. Coraline must use her wit, her bravery, and the help of her allies to survive and escape the strange world. As the story unfolds, it examines What It Means to Be Brave, The Drawbacks of Always Getting What You Want, and The Importance of Having Allies. Coraline is a New York Times bestseller... Read Coraline Summary

Cosmic

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Future, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor, Fantasy

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Count Me In

by Varsha Bajaj

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Shame & Pride, Race, Childhood & Youth, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Art, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

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Crank

by Ellen Hopkins

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Mental Health, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction

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Crave

by Tracy Wolff

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Crossed

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, War, Art, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature, Social Justice

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Cryptonomicon

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, World War II

Cryptonomicon (1999) is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson. Describing events in two different time periods—World War II and an unspecified period in the 1990s—the novel tells the interconnected stories of a large cast of characters. One timeline follows Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, a mathematician and naval captain who is assigned to a 1942 secret, anti-Nazi cryptographic mission, and the other follows his grandson, Randy, a crypto-hacker uncovering a decades-old conspiracy in the present day... Read Cryptonomicon Summary

Cue for Treason

by Geoffrey Trease

Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Social Class, Safety & Danger

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

Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease is a children’s historical novel published in 1940. Set in Elizabethan England at the end of the 16th century, it follows the adventures of Peter, forced to run away from his Cumberland home. Peter becomes a boy-actor, traveling to London with another runaway, Kit. They uncover a conspiracy against the Queen that takes them on a series of escapades up and down the country.Trease wrote over 100 books and... Read Cue for Treason Summary

Cujo

by Stephen King

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Safety & Danger, Fate, Daughters & Sons, Perseverance, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Animals

Cujo, a horror-thriller novel first published in 1981, is the 10th novel by the American “King of Horror,” Stephen King. It was inspired by a trip the author took to a mechanic in rural Maine whose St. Bernard nearly attacked King. Cujo received several accolades upon its release and won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1982. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1983.The citations in this study... Read Cujo Summary

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire

Publication year 1962

Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Language, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Marriage, Siblings, Colonialism, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Children`s Literature

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Day

by Michael Cunningham

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags LGBTQ+, Coming of Age

... Read Day Summary

Deadly Animals

by Marie Tierney

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

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Dead Mountain

by Donnie Eichar

Publication year 2013

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Memory, Language, Death, The Past, Climate, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Nation, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Russian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography, European History, Crime & Law, Action & Adventure, Travel Literature

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