Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
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 List of Things That Will Not Change
The London Eye Mystery
The Losers Club
The Lost Steps
The Lost Year
The Lottery Rose
The Magic Fish
The Magic Misfits
The Man of Mode
The Marble Faun
The Master and Margarita
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Midwife's Apprentice
The Million Dollar Shot
The Mill on the Floss
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
The Miser
The Moonstone
The Mosquito Coast
The Mysterious Island
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Disability, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth
Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, British Literature, Disability, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The London Eye Mystery (2007), by Siobhan Dowd, is a novel for young readers about a boy named Ted who teams up with his sister to figure out how their cousin disappeared while riding a giant Ferris wheel.The novel was nominated for a Carnegie Medal, was listed as a 2008 Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice title, and a School Library Journal Best Book of 2008. It was also shortlisted for many English awards, including the Red... Read The London Eye Mystery Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Literature, Friendship, Language, Shame & Pride, Conflict
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Race, The Past, Marriage, Colonialism, Art, Literature, Music, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Magical Realism, Symbolic Narrative, Latin American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
The Lost Steps, first published in 1953 by Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, is a parody of the lost world novels that were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World (1912). The novel follows an unnamed New York City composer on a quest for Indigenous musical instruments in South America. Carpentier, known for his roles as a... Read The Lost Steps Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, The Past, War, Truth & Lies
Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Publication year 1976
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Plants
Tags Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Irene Hunt’s 1976 middle grade novel The Lottery Rose focuses on a young boy named Georgie who hides the evidence of his abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, Steve. After Georgie wins a rosebush at his local grocery store, he becomes attached to the shrub and passionately cares for it. Georgie’s life changes when the court system places him in an all-boys Catholic school, where he meets adults who... Read The Lottery Rose Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Love, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope, Sexual Identity
Tags LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Asian Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Art, Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature
Publication year 1676
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Love, Femininity, Masculinity, Marriage
Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, Restoration
The Man of Mode (1676) is a Restoration comedy of manners set in fashionable 1670s London. In the play, the libertine rake Dorimant juggles a series of romantic intrigues while trying to maintain his reputation as the city’s premier wit and seducer. He toys with the devotion of Mrs. Loveit and secretly keeps the young Belinda as a secondary conquest, but his appetite for novelty is disrupted when he meets Harriet, an heiress whose sharp... Read The Man of Mode Summary
Publication year 1860
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Good & Evil, The Past
Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Italian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1967
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Good & Evil
Tags Satirical Literature, Fantasy, Russian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov. The novel was written over the course of 12 years but due to the content being deemed controversial by the Soviet Union it was not published until 1966, which was more than two decades after Bulgakov’s death. The novel uses themes, ideas, and imagery from Christianity and the supernatural as well as dark comedy to subtly critique the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin... Read The Master and Margarita Summary
Publication year 1886
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Fate, Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Social Class
Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era, Industrial Revolution, Realism
The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character (1886) is a novel by Thomas Hardy. Taking place in a fictional town in rural England sometime in the 1840s, the story follows young hay trusser Michael Henchard as he traverses English social life and struggles to improve his standing. One of the foremost authors of the Victorian period, Hardy is known for his psychologically and morally complex portrayals of rural English... Read The Mayor of Casterbridge Summary
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Perseverance, Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Medieval
The Midwife’s Apprentice was written by Karen Cushman and published in 1991 by Houghton Mifflin. A young adult historical fiction novel set in medieval England, the story follows a young unhoused girl with no ambitions or sense of belonging as she experiences kindness and learns to have confidence in herself and find her place in the world through midwifery. The book won the John Newbery Medal in 1996, an honor also given to Cushman’s 1995... Read The Midwife's Apprentice Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Coming of Age, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Justice, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses
Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Humor
Publication year 1860
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Community, Family, Femininity
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Science & Technology, Friendship, Loneliness, Disability, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Animals, Family, Appearance & Reality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1668
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Love, Social Class
Tags Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, French Literature
The Miser, by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (better known by his stage name, Molière) was written in 1668 and was first performed at the theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris on September 9th, 1668. The five-act play, which takes much of its inspiration from Plautus’ Latin comedy Aulularia (or The Pot of Gold), is a comedy centered on a penny-pinching old miser, Harpagon, who schemes to make more money by arranging marriages for himself and his two... Read The Miser Summary
Publication year 1868
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Colonialism, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era
The Moonstone is a Victorian mystery novel by the English writer Wilkie Collins. It was originally published in serial installments between January and August 1868. The Moonstone is sometimes considered one of the first detective novels in English, with its suspenseful and dramatic plot building on the success Collins had achieved with an earlier mystery novel, The Woman in White (1860). Throughout The Moonstone, Collins explores the themes of Public Reputation Versus Inner Nature, The... Read The Moonstone Summary
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Colonialism, Truth & Lies
Tags Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Travel Literature, Classic Fiction
The Mosquito Coast, published in 1981 by Paul Theroux, is an adventure story narrated by 13-year-old Charlie Fox, the son of a brilliant inventor who uproots his family to establish a self-sustaining settlement in the jungles of Honduras. Writing in the tradition of novels like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Lord of the Flies, Theroux cited the Jonestown Massacre and the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith as influences in... Read The Mosquito Coast Summary
Publication year 1875
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Animals, Place
Tags Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, French Literature