Publication year 60
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Sexual Identity
Tags Satirical Literature, Classic Fiction, Love & Sexuality
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 Satyricon
The Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The School for Scandal
The School Story
The Science of Breakable Things
The Screaming Staircase
The Sea in Winter
The Second Sex
The Secret
The Secret Agent
The Secret Garden
The Secret School
The Selection
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
The Sheltering Sky
The Sign of the Beaver
The Skeleton Tree
The Skin I'm In
The Someday Birds
Publication year 60
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Sexual Identity
Tags Satirical Literature, Classic Fiction, Love & Sexuality
Publication year 1960
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Siblings, Death, Plants, Environment, Coming of Age
Tags Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction
First published in The Atlantic in 1960, James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” won the magazine’s “Atlantic First” award. Frequently included in literature anthologies, Hurst’s tragic short story explores themes of pride, shame, and death within the context of coming of age.This guide refers to the 1960 version that appeared in The Atlantic as well as the brief biographical information included in that original publication.Content Warning: The source text uses outdated, offensive terms to describe people... Read The Scarlet Ibis Summary
Publication year 1905
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Marriage, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Fear, Conflict
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Romance, Social Class, Mystery & Crime Fiction, French Literature, World History
Published in 1905, The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emma Orczy, is a historical romance adventure novel about a wealthy English baronet with a secret life as a hero who rescues the innocent from the French Reign of Terror. Told mainly from the viewpoint of his wife, the book—based on the successful London play of the same name—birthed a series of Scarlet Pimpernel novels, movies, and TV productions. It ushered in the secret-identity genre of adventure... Read The Scarlet Pimpernel Summary
Publication year 1777
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies
Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire
The School for Scandal is a comedy of manners written by Richard Sheridan. The play was initially performed at the Drury Lane Theater in 1777. Though the play premiered well into the 18th century, it is often included in collections of Restoration comedies (1660-1710), as it shares many common elements with the comedies of manners from that period and the period immediately following it. Like many comedies of manners, The School for Scandal relies on... Read The School for Scandal Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Grief, Perseverance, Mothers, Truth & Lies, Fathers, Childhood & Youth
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death
Andrew Clements’s The School Story is a 2001 middle grade fiction novel about two sixth-grade girls who set out to get a book published. The School Story is Andrew Clements’s fourth full-length novel. Prior to writing novels, Clements worked extensively on picture books, and his familiarity with the publishing industry allowed him to create a realistic yet fantastical story about two children trying to navigate it. The School Story explores themes of loss, honesty, and... Read The School Story Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Mental Health, Love, Mothers, Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Depression & Suicide, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Community, Teamwork, Death
Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Family, Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Environment, Place, Friendship, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Justice
Tags Realistic Fiction
Publication year 1949
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Equality, Femininity, Sexual Identity
Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Existentialism, Philosophy, Sociology
Publication year 1964
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Literature, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Love, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Future
Publication year 1907
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Politics & Government, Power & Greed
Tags Horror & Suspense, World History, Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Satirical Literature, British Literature
The Secret Agent is a novel by British Polish writer Joseph Conrad, first published in 1907. Set in London in 1886, it portrays Adolf Verloc as the titular secret agent who works for a powerful but unnamed country, likely Russia. The novel has been adapted for film and television under various titles. This guide uses the 2008 Oxford World Classic’s edition of The Secret Agent. Content warning: This text discusses suicide, abuse, and ableism.Plot SummaryAdolf... Read The Secret Agent Summary
Publication year 1910
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Self Discovery, Environment
Tags Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Grief & Death, World History, Fantasy
The Secret Garden is a middle-grade novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was first published as a serialized novel in The American Magazine between November 1910 and August 1911, and in 1911, it was republished in book form. Burnett had already written two extremely successful novels: Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886) and A Little Princess (1905). Over her lifetime, she wrote 36 books and plays and numerous short stories and was one of the most... Read The Secret Garden Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Education, Perseverance, Community, Truth & Lies, Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Love, Power & Greed
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
The Selection is the first book in the titular romance trilogy by American author Kiera Cass. First published in 2012, The Selection was pitched as a dystopian interpretation of the hit television show The Bachelor, and as Publisher’s Weekly stated in their review, the Selection is “[a] cross between ‘The Hunger Games’ (minus the blood sport) and ‘The Bachelor’ (minus the blood sport).” In a future set in the land of Illéa (formerly the United... Read The Selection Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Childhood & Youth, Community, Literature
Tags Historical Fiction
Publication year 1949
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Marriage, Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Post-War Era, Trauma & Abuse, Psychological Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, American Literature, Travel Literature, Classic Fiction
An American writer and composer who lived in Morocco for most of his life, Paul Bowles was a peripheral member of the post-World War II counter-cultural group of writers known as the Beat generation. The Sheltering Sky (1949), his first novel, is his best-known work, although he wrote other novels, numerous short stories, and works of nonfiction, most notably travel narratives. He also translated several works by Moroccan writers. The Sheltering Sky was adapted into... Read The Sheltering Sky Summary
Publication year 1983
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Masculinity, Self Discovery, Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction
Published in 1983, The Sign of the Beaver is a historical adventure novel for middle grade readers written by Elizabeth George Speare. Based on a true story that took place in 1760s Colonial America, the book follows the adventures of a young English boy who, while living alone in the Maine wilderness, befriends a local Penobscot boy who teaches him how to survive. The experience changes his views of himself, his family and fellow colonists... Read The Sign of the Beaver Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Masculinity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Objects & Materials, Fathers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Fate, Safety & Danger
Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Self Discovery, Shame & Pride, Grief, Family, Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Disability, Childhood & Youth, Environment
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction