Whether marked by protective tenderness or tense rivalry, sibling bonds are like none other. This thematic collection offers insights into the unique dynamics of brothers and sisters.
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Language, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Half Brother (2010) is a young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. In the novel, Oppel combines and fictionalizes several experiments in which chimpanzees learned sign language to communicate. The story follows the Tomlin family as they adopt a baby chimpanzee to see if it can learn and use language. Through this experiment and its effect on the characters, the text explores the themes of family, belonging, animal rights, communication, individuality, and growing up. The novel... Read Half Brother Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Birth, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family
Tags Relationships, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Classical Period, Romance
Homecoming (1981) is Cynthia Voigt’s first book in the Tillerman Cycle series, a seven-book young adult series. The novel earned praise and recognition as a National Book Award finalist; other books in the series won a Newberry medal and a Newberry honor. Following four young, abandoned siblings navigating large stretches of New England and the Northeastern United States, the novel explores themes about home, family, and resilience. This guide refers to the 1981 edition, which... Read Homecoming Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Grief / Death, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Grief / Death, Gothic Literature
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Siblings, Identity: Race, Society: Immigration, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is Julia Alvarez’s debut novel and was influenced by her experiences as a young girl living in the Dominican Republic. While the novel’s Garcia girls were born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York, Alvarez was born in New York and immigrated to the Dominican Republic. Like other Alvarez novels, this book explores the tensions and difficulties that immigrants experience throughout their lives. It also provides... Read How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Southern Gothic
Publication year 1948
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, History: World
I Capture the Castle is a young adult novel published in 1948 by Dodie Smith. It follows the fictional journal of aspiring author Cassandra Mortmain as she writes about her family’s rise from poverty to wealth through their association with the Cotton brothers. The novel discusses themes of authorship, history, and the multiplicity of feminine identities. I Capture the Castle was adapted for film in 2003 by director Tim Fywell. This summary uses the St... Read I Capture the Castle Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Crime / Legal, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Biography
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen is narrative nonfiction true crime book published in 2019. It documents the story of Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek, sisters who survived living with their mother, Shelly Knotek, who would ultimately be responsible for the infamous Raymond torture killings in Washington State. Olsen specializes in writing crime-related narratives about people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances... Read If You Tell Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery
Tags Mental Illness, Psychological Fiction
Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much Is True centers on the illness of Thomas Birdsey, a middle-aged man who has had schizophrenia for the previous 20 years. Narrated by Thomas’s twin brother, Dominick, the novel opens with Thomas having left the group home where he lives and him cutting off his hand with a knife he took from his stepfather’s weapon collection. Thomas performs this action after reading a Bible verse that commands the reader... Read I Know This Much Is True Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Romance, Holidays & Occasions, Humor
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Magical Realism, Children's Literature, Humor, Arts / Culture, Fantasy
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Midlife, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Action / Adventure, Immigration / Refugee, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Beauty
Tags African American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor