Publication year 2016
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Immigration
Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Latin American Literature
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.
The Distance Between Us: Young Readers Edition
The Eclogues
The Enormous Egg
The Executioner's Song
The Expatriates
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
The Eyes and the Impossible
The Facebook Sonnet
The Fall
The Father
The Federalist Papers
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fish
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
The Floating Opera
The Fourteenth Goldfish
The Frogs
The Garden of Eden
The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn
The Gift
Publication year 2016
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Immigration
Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Latin American Literature
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Politics & Government, Literature, Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Ancient Greece, Italian Literature, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Coming of Age, Science & Technology
Tags Fantasy, Animals, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1979
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Death, Community, Good & Evil, Justice
Tags American Literature, Journalism, Crime & Law
The Executioner’s Song (1979) is a work of literary true crime by American author Norman Mailer. The book portrays the last nine months of the life of Gary Gilmore, who kills two men after being released from prison. Using interviews, court records, and witness accounts, Mailer pieces together the story of Gilmour’s trial and execution, exploring The Death Penalty as Public Spectacle, The Influence of Love and Hate in Human Lives, and Individual Will Versus... Read The Executioner's Song Summary
Publication year 1981
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Place, Globalization, Immigration
Tags Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature
Publication year 1771
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Gender Identity, Family, Marriage
Tags Classic Fiction, Humor, Satirical Literature, Travel Literature, British Literature, Georgian Era, Education, Education, World History
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Beauty, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science & Nature, Action & Adventure
Publication year 2011
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Community
Tags Technology
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 1946
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Animals
Tags Narrative Poem
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 1986
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Memory
Tags Narrative Poem