"We look at the world once, in childhood," writes poet Louise Glück. "The rest is memory." As adults, our childhood may lie in the past, but its influence never leaves us. This collection gathers texts that depict and examine the innocence and insights of childhood and youth.
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: War
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1933
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Society: Community
Tags Classic Fiction, Children's Literature, Historical Fiction, Agriculture, Animals, History: U.S., Parenting, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Food
Tags Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature
Set in Canada, American author Will Hobbs’s young-adult novel Far North (1996) follows Gabe Rogers, who lives with his grandparents in Austin, Texas. When Gabe tells his father that he wants to live with him in Canada, his father tells him he may on two conditions. First, Gabe must travel up north to experience the severe cold of the Northwest Territories for one year. Second, he must attend boarding school. While flying through Canada with... Read Far North Summary
Publication year 1987
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism
Publication year 1945
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Aging
Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature
Publication year 2019
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Inspirational, Parenting, Religion / Spirituality, Biography
Publication year 1965
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy
Tags Grief / Death, Free verse
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Edwardian Era, British Literature
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Children's Literature
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family
Tags Romance, Humor, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Flipped is a contemporary young adult novel by Wendelin Van Draanen. The main characters, Juli Baker and Bryce Loski, are neighbors in Mayfield, a fictional American town. Now in eighth grade, the two protagonists reveal the story of their relationship in a dual narrative of alternating first-person chapters that recount how Juli “flips” for Bryce at a young age but later decides she is not interested…right around the time Bryce finally “flips” for Juli. The... Read Flipped Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Children's Literature, Education, Education
Flying Solo (1998) by Ralph Fletcher takes place over one day in a sixth-grade classroom at Paulson Elementary School. The novel’s plot centers around a class having no teacher for the day when the substitute never shows up. With no adult supervision, emotions run high between the students, especially since it is the six-month anniversary of a classmate’s death.Booklist describes Flying Solo as “sad, poignant, and funny,” while School Library Journal praises the work as... Read Flying Solo Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Fantasy, Humor, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature
Publication year 2010
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature
Publication year 2023
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Bullying
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor
Publication year 2018
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Society: Education, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Education, Education
Frindle is a 1996 middle grade novel by children’s author Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick. The story follows a fifth-grade boy named Nick Allen who—both for fun and to exasperate his strict language arts teacher—creates a new word for pen: “frindle.” Nick’s new word captures more attention than he expected, and soon the entire country is engaged in a discussion about how people ought to use vocabulary. The novel explores themes about differing adult... Read Frindle Summary
Publication year 1967
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Classic Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a 1967 children’s novel by E. L. Konigsburg. With elements of mystery and adventure, the novel follows two children who run away from home to hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they are drawn into a mystery involving a newly acquired sculpture, even as they learn about themselves and the world around them. Praised for its humor and characters, the novel won... Read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Summary