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.

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

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

Publication year 1817

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Social Class, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Gothic Literature, Coming of Age, British Literature, World History

Northanger Abbey is an early novel by Jane Austen. Though it wasn't published until after her death in 1817, Austen wrote the novel in 1803, intending it as a satire of the gothic novels that were popular during this period. Northanger Abbey follows the life and loves of its unlikely heroine, seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, a naïve young woman away from her family for the first time and trying to navigate the world and the heart—with... Read Northanger Abbey Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Animals, Place

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags British Literature, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is a 1904 modernist novel by Polish British author Joseph Conrad. Originally published as a two-volume serial in T.P.’s Weekly, Nostromo is the story of an Italian dockworker who becomes swept up in the political turmoil of a fictional Latin American country in the late 19th Century. An example of modernist literature, Nostromo has been heralded as one of Conrad’s greatest works and has been adapted for film, television... Read Nostromo Summary

Publication year 1864

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Memory, Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Psychological Fiction, Russian Literature, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy

Notes from Underground (sometimes translated as Notes from the Underground) is an 1864 novella by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky was a novelist, journalist, and short story author. His novels are deeply rooted in philosophy and politics and explore the experiences and repercussions of his 19th-century Russian sociopolitical context. Dostoevsky is also the author of Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov. His writing influenced many other writers and philosophers, including existentialists... Read Notes from Underground Summary

Publication year 401

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Regret, Aging, Death, Future, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Community, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classical Period, Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece

Oedipus at Colonus is an ancient Athenian tragedy composed by Sophocles in (it is widely believed) the last year of his life, approximately 406 BC. His grandson, who was named Sophocles after him, first produced the play in 401 BC at the Festival of Dionysus, also known as the Great Dionysia. Along with Oedipus Rex and Antigone, it is one of three surviving tragedies by Sophocles, known as the Theban plays, that retell episodes from... Read Oedipus at Colonus Summary

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Politics & Government, Nation

Tags Russian Literature, Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, World History

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, first published in 1962 in the USSR, is a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It follows the protagonist, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, during a typical day in the forced labor camp where he is imprisoned. The novel explores the human cost of Stalinism in Soviet Russia. Shukhov and the other prisoners waver between unity and division as they attempt to survive in the labor camp, which is situated far... Read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Language, Hope, Future, The Past, Community, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags LGBTQ+, Politics & Government, Immigration & Refugeeism

Publication year 1859

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Politics & Government, Nation

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, Arts & Culture, European History, British Literature, Victorian Period, Business & Economics, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

On Liberty is a philosophical essay on ethics, society, and politics published in 1859 by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill. His work on the subject matter extended back several years, through an illustrious career as a politician and philosopher. Mill’s ideas center on the concept of utilitarianism, which emphasizes efficiency and collective well-being. The book remains in print in the 21st century.SummaryOn Liberty is divided into five chapters: an introduction; “On the liberty of... Read On Liberty Summary