Coming-of-age journeys, academically known as Bildungsromane, focus on the stories of young people embarking on the path to adulthood. These are stories of self-actualization, questions of identity, discoveries of shortcomings and strengths, and lessons learned. This collection of study guides covers classics to contemporary novels, from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger to As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds.
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1938
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Classic Fiction, Animals, Agriculture, Grief / Death, Children's Literature, History: World
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings published The Yearling in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Maxwell Perkins, who also worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, edited the novel. The Yearling traces one year in the life of Jody Baxter, chronicling his family’s hardships as they endure floods, plague, and death—and Jody’s tender relationship with an orphaned fawn. The novel became a bestseller in 1938 and has since been translated into 29 languages. In... Read The Yearling Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature
Walter Dean Myers first published his middle grade novel, The Young Landlords, in 1979. Like most of the 100 books Myers penned before his death in 2014, the story centers on Black youth. The Young Landlords is particularly personal to Myers, however, because he writes about the neighborhood in Harlem, New York, where he grew up, describing the sort of activities and individuals he encountered as a youth. The main character, 15-year-old Paul Williams, pays... Read The Young Landlords Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags Biography, Arts / Culture
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Family
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Published in 2002, Things Not Seen, a science-fiction novel written by Andrew Clements for middle-grade students, tells of a boy who becomes invisible and strikes up a friendship with a girl who is blind. They and their parents search for a way to prevent the public from learning about his condition and tearing the family apart. The work is the first in a three-book series.Clements, winner of more than two dozen awards, was the author... Read Things Not Seen Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Military / War, History: World, Arts / Culture
Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 2004. A historical fiction novel for young adult readers, Thin Wood Walls explores the experience of incarceration through the eyes of an 11-year-old Japanese American boy during World War II. The novel depicts themes of hope, family, resilience, and xenophobia, or bigotry against individuals from other countries. Thin Wood Walls is a Washington Reads Selection and a Mark Twain Award nominee. It... Read Thin Wood Walls Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World
Publication year 1996
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Play: Drama
This Is Our Youth is a theatrical play of the realistic fiction genre, written by Kenneth Lonergan. It originally premiered in 1996 off-Broadway. It takes place in the US in 1982, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and centers around the lives of privileged youth who lack direction and fear The Disillusionment of Adulthood. Lonergan was inspired by his own experiences of listlessness and feeling lost in his youth in the early 1980s, as well as The... Read This Is Our Youth Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: World
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Immigration
Publication year 2014
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
This One Summer is a Canadian young adult graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin, Jillian Tamaki. Mariko Tamaki has written several graphic novels, and has worked for both Marvel and DC Comics. This One Summer was originally published in 2014 by Groundwood Books, and follows the summer experiences of two young girls approaching adolescence and watching their parents cope with the various pressures of adulthood. The novel has been the... Read This One Summer Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, LGBTQ
Publication year 1920
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Self Discovery
Tags Classic Fiction, Jazz Age, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Roaring Twenties, Class, American Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance
This Side of Paradise (1920) is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was Fitzgerald’s first novel and became an instant hit, launching Fitzgerald into literary fame for its social commentary on a younger generation fueled by indulgence and materialism. This Side of Paradise is also a historical depiction of the Jazz Age, like Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, The Great Gatsby.This Side of Paradise follows Amory Blaine’s coming of age during prep school and four... Read This Side of Paradise Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Military / War, History: World, French Literature, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Great Depression, History: World, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery
Tags Graphic Novel/Book, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Magical Realism, Children's Literature
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Food, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence