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 1956

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Social Class

Tags Philosophy, Absurdism, French Literature, Post-War Era, World History, Classical Period, Philosophy

The Fall (French: La Chute) is a 1956 novel by French author and philosopher Albert Camus, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature the following year. It is the last novel Camus published before his death in 1960. Camus’s work deals with absurdism, the philosophical stance that life has no higher meaning. The Fall is told in first-person perspective by the protagonist Jean-Baptiste Clamence as he tells his life story over a series of five... Read The Fall Summary

Publication year 1887

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Marriage, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Tragedy, Gender & Feminism, European History, Mental Illness, Relationships, Scandinavian Literature, Naturalism, World History

Publication year 1787

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government

Tags Politics & Government, US History, American Revolution, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 essays, most of which were published as serialized articles between October 1787 and April 1788, by the American statesmen Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Released under the pseudonym Publius, a common name in ancient Rome derived from the word for “the people” or “of the people,” The Federalist Papers were written to persuade the voters of New York state to ratify the US Constitution. The... Read The Federalist Papers Summary

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Power & Greed, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

In 1954, writer and scholar of English literature J. R. R. Tolkien published The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of three volumes in his novel The Lord of the Rings. Considered a founding text of high fantasy, The Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as a modern classic. The saga’s roots in epic poetry, philology, and mythology have influenced both academia and popular culture, inspiring scholarship, Tolkien societies, and film adaptations, including Ralph... Read The Fellowship of the Ring Summary

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Aging, Fate, Friendship, Forgiveness, Memory, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Hate & Anger, Love, War, Grief, Marriage, Fathers, Nostalgia, Hope, Mothers

Tags Inspirational, Magical Realism, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by best-selling writer Mitch Albom. Published in 2003, it sold more than 10 million copies and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2004, the story was adapted into a made-for-television movie starring Jon Voight. In 2018, Albom penned a follow-up called The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. The novel follows the story of Eddie, a man who believes his life was... Read The Five People You Meet In Heaven Summary

Publication year 1956

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Appearance & Reality

Tags Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Grief & Death, Military & War, Magical Realism, Postmodernism, US History, American Literature, World History

Published in 1956, The Floating Opera is a literary novel by John Barth. Barth’s first novel, The Floating Opera focuses on Todd Andrews as he makes plans to commit suicide in the late 1930s, utilizing first-person nonlinear storytelling and humor to meditate on life and death. Following its publication, the novel was nominated for the National Book Award. Barth has published numerous novels since, becoming a seminal figure in postmodern American literature. Plot SummaryTodd Andrews narrates... Read The Floating Opera Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Death, Science & Technology, Fame, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Aging, The Past

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Humor

In 2014’s The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer L Holm, an aging scientist turns himself into a teenager who must re-enter middle school alongside his granddaughter while they plot to get him back into his lab to finish his brilliant work. A humorous science-fiction novel for middle-grade readers, The Fourteenth Goldfish is the first in a two-book series.   New York Times Bestselling author Holm has written nearly 60 books for young readers, including the May Amelia... Read The Fourteenth Goldfish Summary

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Literature, Order & Chaos

Tags Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Humor

Frogs is an ancient Athenian comic play by Aristophanes (446-386 B.C.E.). It was first performed in 405 B.C.E. for the Lenaia, an annual sacred festival held in January in honor of the god Dionysus. According to ancient sources, Frogs (which won first prize) was held in such high regard that it was honored with a second production, an unusual event since comedies and tragedies were produced for competition at sacred festivals and rarely staged again... Read The Frogs Summary

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, American Literature, French Literature, World History

The Garden of Eden is a novel by American author Ernest Hemingway, who is regarded as one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Hemingway had worked on the novel for 15 years at the time of his death in 1961. It was published posthumously in 1986. Though controversial, the novel has been heralded as an important example of Hemingway’s work and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2008... Read The Garden of Eden Summary

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Japanese Literature, Action & Adventure

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (1999), by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, is the first novel in the Samurai Detective young adult series, currently comprised of seven books. The novel follows Seikei, the son of a merchant who aspires to be a samurai, as he helps the judge investigate the theft of a ruby from a samurai lord. It explores the themes of Personal Ambition Versus Societal Expectations, The Deceptiveness of Appearances, and The Importance... Read The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn Summary

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Midlife, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, US History, World History

The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. The novel explores the intricacies of marriage and affairs in the early 19th century through the affair of Amerigo and Charlotte, who were once in love but too poor to marry. Amerigo instead marries Maggie, and Charlotte marries Maggie’s father, a wealthy American museum curator. While Amerigo is at first happy with his new wife, the time she spends with her father creates an opportunity... Read The Golden Bowl Summary

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Nostalgia, Literature

Tags Gender & Feminism, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Postmodernism, British Literature, Depression & Suicide, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Relationships, Cold War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Women`s Studies, World History

Considered the most influential of Doris Lessing’s many novels, The Golden Notebook explores the development of a young writer. Anna Wulf has published one novel, Frontiers of War, to great acclaim, but she now finds herself uncomfortable with what she sees as its sentimentality and romanticization of war. Thus, she remains mired in a kind of writer’s block. She still writes in her notebooks, but she cannot bring herself to return to writing novels—especially in... Read The Golden Notebook Summary

Publication year 1836

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Guilt, Community, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies

Tags Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, Russian Literature

The Government Inspector is a satirical stage play by Russian-Ukrainian author Nikolai Gogol, originally published in 1836 and later revised in 1842. Also known as The Inspector General, the play is a comedy of errors based on a supposed anecdote relayed to Gogol by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. In a small unnamed Russian town, a young dissolute government clerk, Khlestakov, is mistaken for an awaited government inspector. Khlestakov uses the situation to his advantage... Read The Government Inspector Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Social Class, Community, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Health, British Literature, Children`s Literature, Grief & Death, World History

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (2013) is a middle grade historical fiction novel by American author Deborah Hopkinson. Hopkinson is a prolific writer of books for young readers and has published over 70 books, including biographies, picture books, middle grade historical fiction, and long-form nonfiction. The Great Trouble explores themes of class disparity and scientific inquiry and is set against the background of the 1854... Read The Great Trouble Summary