Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: War, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Life as We Knew It is the harrowing tale of a family trying to survive in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world. A young adult novel, the story is told from the point-of-view of sixteen-year-old Miranda and takes the form of her journal entries. Miranda finds her world thrown into complete chaos when an asteroid hits the moon and shifts it out of orbit, moving it closer to Earth. Though the event is expected, scientific calculations about... Read Life As We Knew It Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment
Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, WWII / World War II, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Natural World: Animals
Tags Action / Adventure, Fantasy, Philosophy, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a Canadian philosophical novel and Booker Prize winner published in 2001. Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963 to French-Canadian parents but spent his childhood in various countries including Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. Martel’s father was a diplomat who completed his PhD dissertation on Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno at the University of Salamanca. Yann Martel studied philosophy at Trent University in Canada before becoming a... Read Life of Pi Summary
Publication year 1883
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Teams
Tags Action / Adventure, History: U.S., American Civil War, American Literature, History: World, Travel Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction, Biography
Life on the Mississippi is a powerful narrative concerning the past, present, and future of the Mississippi River, including its towns, peoples, and ways of life. The narrative is written by Mark Twain, whose real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Twain explains in the narrative how he “stole” this nickname from an old steamboat captain who was also a writer. Mark Twain is a nautical term and a pilot’s phrase that means “two fathoms.” Two... Read Life on the Mississippi Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Military / War, WWI / World War I, Children's Literature, History: World
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Natural World: Place, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Gender
Tags Western, Historical Fiction, American Literature, History: World, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 novel by American author Larry McMurtry. Chronologically, it is the third book in the Lonesome Dove series, although it was published before its two prequels, Dead Man’s Walk (1995) and Comanche Moon (1997). One of the most celebrated novels in the Western genre, Lonesome Dove tells the story of former Texas Rangers Augustus (Gus) McRae and Woodrow Call (Call) as they take a herd of cattle on an ill-fated drive... Read Lonesome Dove Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Military / War, History: Middle Eastern, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Action / Adventure, History: World, Biography
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (2007) is a military-themed memoir by former Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrell, with the help of ghostwriter Patrick Robinson. Based on a 2005 mission in Afghanistan, the book examines the intricacies of warfare. The narrative explores themes such as valor, self-sacrifice, and the multifaceted nature of combat. The book became a New York Times bestseller and subsequently inspired a 2013... Read Lone Survivor Summary
Publication year 1900
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism
Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Action / Adventure, Historical Fiction, Modernism, History: World
Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim is an iconic story about the height—and folly—of the British imperial enterprise. Published as a serialized novel between October 1899 and November 1900, it details the adventures of a sailor turned trade agent who seeks his fortune and reputation on the outskirts of empire. After an incident with the Patna, one of the ships on which he sails, Jim flees to avoid the stain on his reputation. Eventually, he arrives in... Read Lord Jim Summary
Publication year 1954
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags British Literature, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Education, Education, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction
Lord of the Flies (1954) is a classic novel by Nobel prize–winning British author William Golding. Golding was knighted in 1988 and was a fellow in the Royal Society of Literature. In 2008, The Times named him third on their list “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945.”The title of Golding’s young-adult fiction novel is a reference to Beelzebub, a prince of hell.During a wartime evacuation, an airplane crashes on a remote island. The only... Read Lord of the Flies Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Teams
Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Action / Adventure, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, American Literature, Romance
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Action / Adventure
Written by American author Christina Henry, Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook is a 2017 dark fantasy retelling of J. M. Barrie’s original play, Peter Pan. Henry has written several dark retellings of fairy tales to date, including Alice, which is based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; The Girl in Red, which adapts the story of Little Red Riding Hood; and The Mermaid, which based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The... Read Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Society: Immigration, Relationships: Family
Tags Action / Adventure, Immigration / Refugee, Latin American Literature, History: U.S., Modern Classic Fiction, Travel Literature
Lost Children Archive is the first English-language novel by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli. Published in 2019, Lost Children Archive was awarded the 2020 Rathbones Folio Prize and was shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2019 Booker Prize. The novel illustrates the intersections and overlaps between a troubled family’s cross-country journey and the treacherous journeys of “lost” children migrating from Mexico to the United States.Lost Children Archive is also an archive in... Read Lost Children Archive Summary
Publication year 1933
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Historical Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Travel Literature
Lost Horizon by James Hilton is a utopian novel that introduces the fictional setting of Shangri-La, which would feature in several later utopian works of fiction by other writers. Originally published in 1933, the book was adapted for the screen in 1937 and 1973, as well as for television in 1997. The novel won the Hawthornden Prize, a cash prize awarded for imaginative fiction, and it became an international bestseller under Pocket Books, sometimes credited... Read Lost Horizon Summary
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Indigenous, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Action / Adventure, Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Lost in the Barrens is a 1956 middle grade novel based loosely on the lived experiences of author Farley Mowat. Mowat’s experiences in the remote wilderness of northern Canada inspired an adult version of the saga, People of the Deer (1952), and the children’s adaptation. He is known for blending survival narratives with intricate details about the Canadian northern wilderness. Mowat is best known for Never Cry Wolf (1963), which Disney adapted for film in... Read Lost In The Barrens Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Children's Literature, History: World, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Action / Adventure
Written by Tod Olson and published in 2016, Lost in the Pacific, 1942 is a fictionalized account of the true story of soldiers lost at sea during World War II. The text begins with a Prologue describing a plane crash that strands the soldiers in the Pacific Ocean. The B-17 transport plane’s pilot, Captain Bill Cherry, plans to land at Canton Island to refuel. However, due to a faulty navigational antenna and a problem with... Read Lost in the Pacific 1942 Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, History: U.S., Social Justice, American Literature, African American Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Published in 2005, Angie Sage’s Magyk is a middle grade fantasy novel and the first book in the Septimus Heap series. The story follows the adventures of the Heap family, particularly focusing on the seventh son, Septimus Heap. The narrative unfolds with the mysterious disappearance of Septimus on the day of his birth, leading to a magical journey filled with enchanted forests, dark wizards, and hidden secrets. The Heap family navigates a world brimming with... Read Magyk Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family
Tags Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Arts / Culture, Grief / Death, Education, Relationships, American Literature, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism, Action / Adventure