School Book List Titles

Browse a Collection of texts frequently assigned in literature classrooms, including well-studied classics and contemporary literature. Representitive of the breadth of the literary tradition, the School Book List Titles Collection features texts for readers of all age levels, from children's literature to plays and novels centered on adult themes.

11 Birthdays

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Childhood & Youth

Tags Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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1984

by George Orwell

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings

Tags Science Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 (also written as Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel) was originally published in 1949 and is regarded as a literary classic. Orwell was known for social and political criticism in his writing. He supported democratic socialism and opposed totalitarianism—political stances that come through in the themes of his most well-known works.Edition note: This novel is available in the public domain in many countries, and this summary is based on the electronically published... Read 1984 Summary

96 Miles

by J. L. Esplin

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Survival Fiction, Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Absalom, Absalom

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Race, Nation, War, Justice

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, American Civil War, Southern Literature, American Literature, World History

William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) is one of the many texts in Faulkner’s oeuvre that is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Faulkner is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, a designation earned due to his innovative and stylistic modernist techniques, which he uses to investigate the history and identity of the American South. Faulkner, who grew up in Mississippi and spent the majority of his life there, was deeply... Read Absalom, Absalom Summary

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1843

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Social Class, Birth

Tags Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Special Occasions, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction

Originally published in 1843, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol defined and popularized quintessential Christmas tropes while condemning Victorian England’s harsh social division between the rich and poor. The Poor Laws (referenced by Scrooge in Stave 1) were England’s response to pervasive poverty; the workhouses associated with these laws subjected the desperate and destitute to demeaning conditions, and people who could not pay debts were sent to debtors’ prison—a circumstance that Dickens deals with in detail... Read A Christmas Carol Summary

Across Five Aprils

by Irene Hunt

Publication year 1964

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Coming of Age, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, American Civil War, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Across Five Aprils (1964) is a young adult (YA) historical novel written by the American children’s book author Irene Hunt. A coming-of-age story, the novel follows young Jethro Creighton through four years of his life from the beginning to the end of the American Civil War. Irene Hunt based the novel largely on the experiences of her own grandfather who, like Jethro, was only nine years old when the Civil War began.The book was Hunt’s... Read Across Five Aprils Summary

A Dog Called Homeless

by Sarah Lean

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Disability, Childhood & Youth, Death, Friendship, Community, Art, Good & Evil, Justice, Gender Identity, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Animals, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature

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A Gathering of Days

by Joan W. Blos

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Joy, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-1832 is the best-known book by children’s author and educator Joan W. Blos. The novel is presented as the fictional journal of Catherine Hall, a young girl living in New Hampshire before the Civil War. Through Catherine’s journal entries, the novel portrays the daily life, challenges, and changes in a young girl’s world over two years, including personal loss, the complexities of friendship, and an encounter... Read A Gathering of Days Summary

A Handful of Dust

by Evelyn Waugh

Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Grief, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Family, Marriage, Social Class

Tags Satirical Literature, Classic Fiction, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Humor

A Handful of Dust is a satirical novel by Evelyn Waugh, published in 1934. The novel satirizes the lives of the English gentry and middle class in the interwar period. Waugh’s highly regarded satire is based on his own experience of divorce and unhappiness, as well as his understanding of the English class system. The novel has been dramatized for radio, theater, and screen. This guide uses the 2018 Penguin English Library edition.Content Warning: The... Read A Handful of Dust Summary

A Handful of Stars

by Cynthia Lord

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Immigration, Art, Beauty

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Animals, Arts & Culture

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A Hero Of Our Time

by Mikhail Lermontov

Publication year 1838

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Safety & Danger, Social Class, Apathy, Loneliness

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Russian Literature, Education, Education, World History

A Hero of Our Time is a classic work of Russian literature written by Mikhail Lermontov and published in 1840. It exemplifies the “superfluous man” trope common in later Russian literature, in which a person of great talent and genius is unable to express these talents healthily due to personal and societal circumstances of some kind. The novel, a work of historical fiction, was highly influential for its critique of tsarist Russian society and for... Read A Hero Of Our Time Summary

Ahimsa

by Supriya Kelkar

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Colonialism, Education, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Social Class, Education, World History, Asian History, European History, Incarceration, Politics & Government, Children`s Literature, Indian Literature, Arts & Culture

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