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.

My Antonia

by Willa Cather

Publication year 1918

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Coming of Age, Immigration

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

IntroductionMy Ántonia, first published in 1918, is the third novel in what reviewers sometimes refer to as “The Prairie Trilogy” or “The Great Plains Trilogy” by celebrated American author Willa Cather (1873-1947). The other two books, O Pioneers! (1913) and The Song of the Lark (1915) also feature strong female characters from immigrant families in a Great Plains setting but are otherwise unrelated. My Ántonia is considered one of Cather’s most outstanding novels for its... Read My Antonia Summary

My Father's Dragon

by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance

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

In Ruth Stiles Gannett’s classic children’s adventure, My Father’s Dragon (1948), nine-year-old Elmer Elevator runs away to rescue a baby dragon held captive by the animals of Wild Island. Elmer must navigate a dense jungle and outwit fearsome adversaries, including tigers, a rhinoceros, and a lion in his expedition and, hopefully, realize his own dream of flying. As Elmer follows his quest, Gannett explores themes of courage, cleverness, and social sensitivity. My Father’s Dragon received... Read My Father's Dragon Summary

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes

by Edith Hamilton

Publication year 1942

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Literature, Justice, Art

Tags Mythology, Classical Period, Education, Education, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Originally published in 1942, Mythology is primarily a compendium of Greek and Roman myths, with a brief final section on Norse mythology, written by American educator and classicist Edith Hamilton. Hamilton engages with the myths as both a storyteller and a literary critic. She organizes and retells the myths narrated in ancient sources, and she assesses those ancient sources as works of literature. Her approach is grounded in the assumptions that Greek and Roman civilizations... Read Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Summary

Nana

by Émile Zola, Transl. Gerhard Krüger

Publication year 1880

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Social Class, Nation, Fame, Beauty, Power & Greed, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Realism, Realistic Fiction, Naturalism, Social Class, European History, French Literature

... Read Nana Summary

Nathan the Wise

by Gotthold Lessing

Publication year 1779

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Drama, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Elizabethan Era, Dramatic Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read Nathan the Wise Summary

Nature

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Publication year 1836

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Beauty, Literature

Tags Philosophy, Science & Nature, American Literature, Transcendentalism, Education, Education, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read Nature Summary

Nausea

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Mental Health, Self Discovery

Tags Existentialism, Philosophy, French Literature, Classic Fiction, World History, Philosophy

Nausea is a philosophical novel by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Originally published in 1938, the novel was first translated to English in 1949. Nausea takes place in the fictional French city of Bouville (“Mud Town”) and follows the day-to-day life of the reclusive historian Antoine Roquentin. Antoine lives completely alone, without friends or family, as he researches and writes a book on an 18th-century French aristocrat, the Marquis de Rollebon. Antoine’s daily interactions with... Read Nausea Summary

New from Here

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read New from Here Summary

News from Nowhere

by William Morris

Publication year 1890

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Future, Politics & Government, Beauty

Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Victorian Period, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Victorian Era

News From Nowhere by William Morris (1834-1896) is a work of speculative science fiction and socialist utopian imagination. The narrator, William Guest, is mysteriously transported from 1890 to the 21st century. As he travels through a version of London that is both familiar and strange, he records his impressions of the socialist society that has come to replace the industrialized, capitalist one of his own time. Through conversations with a number of 21st-century Londoners, Guest... Read News from Nowhere Summary

Nicholas Nickleby

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1839

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Power & Greed

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

Nicholas Nickleby is Victorian writer Charles Dickens’s third novel. Published through serialization in 1838, it first appeared in its novel form in 1839. The novel has been adapted for the stage and for the screen several times, the first theatrical version appearing in 1838, before the novel was even finished. Dickens wrote Nicholas Nickleby with the intention of exposing the abuses of for-profit boarding schools in England. In focusing on the titular hero, Nicholas, Dickens’s... Read Nicholas Nickleby Summary

Night Flying Woman

by Ignatia Broker

Publication year 1983

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality, Community, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Shame & Pride, Hope

Tags Women`s Studies, Education, Education, US History, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Anthropology, Anthropology, World History, Arts & Culture

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No Exit

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Publication year 1944

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Community, Good & Evil, Apathy, Guilt

Tags Existentialism, Drama, French Literature, Philosophy, Symbolic Narrative, Relationships, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

No Exit (1944) is a play by French philosopher, writer, and critic Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre was drafted into the French army during World War II and spent nearly a year as a German prisoner of war. He then wrote and debuted No Exit in Paris while the city was still under German occupation and control. No Exit is comprised of one act which takes place in a single room in the afterlife, which the characters... Read No Exit Summary

No Longer at Ease

by Chinua Achebe

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community

Tags Heinemann African Writers, African Literature, Historical Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, African American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

No Longer At Ease (1960) is a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. The story takes place in the years prior to Nigeria’s independence from the British Empire and focuses on Obi Okonkwo. Obi is a young Nigerian man who returns home after studying English in Britain and finds a job in the civil service. He finds himself situated within the conflict between African and Western culture, raising questions about his identity and worldview. No... Read No Longer at Ease Summary

North and South

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Publication year 1854

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Social Class, Love

Tags Victorian Period, Industrial Revolution, Historical Fiction, Romance, Social Class, World History, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell debuted in Charles Dickens’s magazine Household Words, appearing in 20 weekly installments between September 1854 and January 1855. The novel was later published in two volumes. Dickens heavily edited the novel and changed the title from Margaret Hale to North and South. In the novel, Gaskell draws on her personal experience of being married to a Unitarian minister, a role that brought her into contact with all levels of... Read North and South Summary