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.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

by Patricia MacLachlan

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

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

American children’s writer Patricia MacLachlan published her first novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall, in 1985. The novel won the Newberry Medal in 1986, the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the Golden Kite Award. MacLachlan loosely based the story off a woman her mother knew who moved from Maine to the prairie to become a wife and mother. Using this premise, the novel explores themes of The Beauty of New Beginnings, A Child’s Desire... Read Sarah, Plain and Tall Summary

Savvy

by Ingrid Law

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Self Discovery, Friendship, Siblings

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature

Savvy, by Ingrid Law, is a fantasy-adventure novel for middle-grade readers about a girl from a psychic family who discovers her mental superpower and tries to master it quickly to use it to save her comatose father. First published in 2008, Savvy was a New York Times bestseller; it won a Newbery Honor and has appeared on more than 30 best book lists. The novel has two sequels, Scumble and Switch. Law’s books have been... Read Savvy Summary

Schindler's List

by Thomas Keneally

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Race, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Life-Inspired Fiction, Race & Racism, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Incarceration, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction, Biography

Schindler’s List (originally titled Schindler’s Ark) is a 1982 historical novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who used his position as a German industrialist to save more than 1,200 people’s lives during the war. In protecting as many people as he could from the genocidal Nazi regime, Schindler risked being sent to a concentration camp himself. Keneally wrote the novel with the... Read Schindler's List Summary

Secret Coders

by Gene Luen Yang

Publication year 2015

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Perseverance, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction

... Read Secret Coders Summary

Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1811

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride, Perseverance, Conflict, Social Class, Economics, Gender Identity

Tags Romance, Romanticism, British Literature, Relationships, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Sense and Sensibility (1811) was the first published novel of English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817). She published it anonymously, identifying herself only as "a lady." It tells the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who find love after their father dies and they are plunged into a more modest lifestyle. Sense and Sensibility’s continual presence in the cultural imagination is evident in its numerous film and TV adaptations, including the award-winning 1995 version... Read Sense and Sensibility Summary

Seven Against Thebes

by Aeschylus

Publication year 467

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Fate, Family, Siblings, Justice, Hate & Anger

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Tragedy, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Seven Against Thebes is a tragedy composed by Aeschylus and performed for the first time at the City Dionysia festival in 467 BCE. It was the final play of a connected trilogy based on the myths of Oedipus and his family, but the first two plays—Laius and Oedipus—are now lost, as is the satyr play Sphinx that would have been performed following the trilogy. This set of plays won first prize the year it was... Read Seven Against Thebes Summary

Sheep

by Valerie Hobbs

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Memory, Coming of Age, Animals, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read Sheep Summary

Siddhartha

by Hermann Hesse

Publication year 1922

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Asian History, Philosophy

Siddhartha, written by Hermann Hesse and first published in German in 1922, is a work of philosophical fiction. The book is based closely on the teachings of the spiritual leader Gautama Buddha who lived in present day Nepal or Northern India in the 4th or 5th century BCE. The book tells the story of the physical and spiritual journey of a fictional Brahmin’s son Siddhartha, in his quest for self-discovery and the meaning of existence... Read Siddhartha Summary

Silas Marner

by George Eliot

Publication year 1861

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality, Family

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

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by Mary Ann Evans, published under the pseudonym George Eliot. The realist novel portrays the life of a weaver in 1800s England against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution. The novel has been adapted into films, radio plays, theatrical productions, and television shows.This guide refers to the 2021 Alma Classics edition. Content Warning: This guide discusses addiction and depression, which feature in Silas Marner.Plot SummarySilas... Read Silas Marner Summary