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.

Mary Barton

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Publication year 1848

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Family, Social Class, Equality

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, Romance, Social Class, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester is the 1848 debut novel of Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. It tells of the Victorian working class in Manchester, England, from 1839 to 1842, focusing on the story of the eponymous young female heroine. Through the experiences of two families—the Bartons and the Wilsons—it explores contemporary political and domestic issues during a time of increased industrialization and class tensions. As with much of Gaskell’s work, Mary Barton is narrated by... Read Mary Barton Summary

Masterminds

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Education, Technology, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Midaq Alley

by Naguib Mahfouz

Publication year 1947

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Place, War, Social Class, Love

Tags African Literature, Heinemann African Writers, Historical Fiction, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Midaq Alley (1947) is a historical realist novel by Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, the 1988 Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. In this work, Mahfouz addresses the changes taking place in Egyptian society of the 1940s. The book tells the story of a group of neighbors living in Midaq Alley, a bustling market street, in the poor quarter of Cairo’s historic city center. The story is set at the end of World War II, during Britain’s... Read Midaq Alley Summary

Middlemarch

by George Eliot

Publication year 1871

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Community, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, British Literature, World History, Romance, Victorian Era

Middlemarch or Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life is a Victorian realist novel by George Eliot (the penname of Mary Ann Evans). Published over the course of 1871-72, the novel depicts the trials and tribulations of life in the small English town of Middlemarch. The novel has been hailed as one of the greatest works of English literature and has been adapted for radio, television, theater, and opera. Other works by Eliot include The Lifted... Read Middlemarch Summary

Midnight at the Electric

by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Memory, Climate, Family, Self Discovery, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Midnight at the Electric, published in 2017, is a speculative fiction novel written by Jodi Lynn Anderson and is the recipient of multiple awards and nominations. Anderson is an American children’s author who has worked as an editor for HarperCollins and a writing instructor at the University of North Carolina. Midnight at the Electric follows three protagonists across three different timelines. One of these, Adri Ortiz, lives in 2065 and has been accepted into a... Read Midnight at the Electric Summary

Midnight Magic

by Avi

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Coming of Age, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Children`s Literature, Medieval

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Midnight's Children

by Salman Rushdie

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Family

Tags Magical Realism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Poverty, Social Class, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Midnight’s Children is a 1981 magical realism novel by British American novelist Salman Rushdie. The story follows Saleem, a child born at the moment of India’s independence who possesses strange powers. The novel won many awards, including the Booker of Bookers Prize, which was awarded to the best all-time winner of the Booker Prize on the award’s 40th anniversary. Midnight’s Children has been adapted for theater, radio, and film. This guide uses the 2006 Vintage... Read Midnight's Children Summary

Miss Julie

by August Strindberg

Publication year 1888

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, Naturalism, Scandinavian Literature, Social Class, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Miss Julie is a naturalistic play produced in 1888 by the Swedish playwright and novelist August Strindberg. The play follows the acute romantic entanglement of the three characters: Miss Julie, a young aristocratic woman; Jean, her father’s well-read and well-traveled valet; and Kristine, the cook. Through the psychological battle of wills between Julie and the ruthless Jean, the play explores themes of Class Conflict and Social Hierarchy, Gender Roles and Power Dynamics, and The Complexity... Read Miss Julie Summary

Mockingbird

by Kathryn Erskine

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Coming of Age, Disability

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Mental Illness, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Moll Flanders

by Daniel Defoe

Publication year 1722

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Good & Evil, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity

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

Published in 1722, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe tells the life story of a woman who carves her own path through late 17th-century England and North America. Like Defoe’s first novel, Robinson Crusoe, this work also tells the tale of a singular individual who overcomes adversity—in her case, extreme poverty—to become considerably wealthy. Moll Flanders is a wife, a thief, a sex worker, and an impresario. She is... Read Moll Flanders Summary

Mother Courage and Her Children

by Bertolt Brecht

Publication year 1939

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Mothers, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, German Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) is a play by German author Bertolt Brecht (1898-1980). It tells the story of Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a peddler who travels across Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It is a drama that questions the justification of warfare, revealing the hypocrisy of a war fought on religious grounds. As the war unfolds, Mother Courage struggles to keep her business afloat and her three children safe. The play... Read Mother Courage and Her Children Summary

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by Robert C. O'Brien

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Science & Technology, Grief, Aging, Death, Place, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Animals, Family, The Past, Future, Education, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Technology, Grief & Death, Agriculture, Parenting, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Sociology

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a children’s science fiction novel written in 1971 by Robert C. O’Brien. It tells the story of a field mouse whose son becomes ill as moving day approaches, so she enlists the help of a group of highly intelligent experimental rats for help. Robert C. O’Brien was inspired to write the Rats of NIMH after a visit to the National Institute of Mental Health’s experimental rat compound... Read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Summary