Coming-of-Age Journeys

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Black Swan Green (2006) is a semiautobiographical novel by David Mitchell. Set in Worcestershire, England, beginning in January 1982, the book follows 12-year-old protagonist Jason Taylor. The book functions as a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story, that covers a crucial period of Jason’s adolescence; each of the 13 chapters represents one month in a year of his life. The novel takes its name from Jason’s small village, but the name is ironic, since the nearby... Read Black Swan Green Summary

Blankets is a 2003 autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, who created both the text and the illustrations. It tells the story of Craig’s coming-of-age and first love in the context of his strict religious upbringing, and later, a departure from his childhood faith. Time magazine ranked Blankets first on its Best Comics list for 2003 and eighth on its list of Best Comics of the Decade. In 2004 it won Harvey awards for Best... Read Blankets Summary

Blended is a 2018 novel by veteran young adult fiction writer and lifelong educator Sharon M. Draper. In it, she invokes elements of magical realism and explores the impact of both racism and divorce on adolescents through the vehicle of a precocious and talented 11-year-old, Isabella Badia Thornton, who narrates the novel. Izzy struggles with her sense of identity; her father is Black, her mother white. That struggle deepens as she experiences first the impact... Read Blended Summary

Bless Me, Ultima is a novel by American author Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020). Published in 1972 by independent Chicanx publishing house TQS Publications, it is one of the first literary accounts of Chicanx culture to attain widespread acclaim in the United States. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account based on Ayana’s experience of coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico. Anaya explores themes of the Multiplicity within Chicanx Identity, Catholicism, Innocence Versus the Power... Read Bless Me, Ultima Summary

Bodega Dreams tells the story of Chino, a young man in Spanish Harlem who crosses paths with the legendary Willie Bodega, who is equal parts gangster, activist and dreamer. As Chino is drawn further into Bodega’s world, he becomes increasingly connected with el barrio’s shady underbelly and begins to contemplate the future of the neighborhood.Book I introduces us to Chino (Julio), Sapo (Enrique) and Blanca (Nancy) as junior high students. Chino understands that to have... Read Bodega Dreams Summary

Bone Gap is a young adult novel by Laura Ruby. It features magical realism, meaning that the setting is realistic with fantastical elements. There are also mystery and crime elements. The novel is set in rural Bone Gap, Illinois, and is told from the third-person omniscient perspective. The narrator is all-seeing, knowing everything about the characters and events.The story follows Finn, an 18-year-old man. He is the only witness to the abduction of a beautiful... Read Bone Gap Summary

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Born a Crime is a comedic autobiographical work chronicling Trevor Noah’s childhood growing up in South Africa during and after apartheid. Published in 2016, it became a New York Times bestseller, and it is currently being adapted into a film. Born a Crime doesn’t follow a linear timeline; rather, the narrative jumps in time, offering anecdotes from Noah’s past. Before each chapter begins, there is a prologue that’s related to the content of the upcoming... Read Born a Crime Summary

Gordan Korman’s 2006 young adult coming-of-age novel Born to Rock follows teenager Leo Caraway as he sets out to get to know his biological father—the frontman of a legendary punk rock band—hoping to fund his college tuition while navigating the foreign world of punk rock and gets to know his roots. The novel, which was written for and dedicated to Korman’s son, also named Leo, explores themes of genetics, identity, self-expression, and lying.Korman is a... Read Born to Rock Summary

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Boy of the Painted Cave is a 1996 middle-grade historical fiction novel by Justin Denzel set 18,000 years ago in prehistoric France. The novel is told in the limited third-person point of view and follows Tao, a 14-year-old boy with a disability, who longs to be a cave painter for his clan. Tao has difficulty walking with his right foot, and he compensates for this by using a spear as a crutch. The crutch allows... Read Boy of the Painted Cave Summary

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Brian’s Hunt (2003) by Gary Paulsen is the fifth and final book in the middle grade coming-of-age survival series, Brian’s Saga. It is preceded by Hatchet, The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. In Brian’s Hunt, Brian returns to the woods two years after his first wilderness survival experience. Paulsen, an experienced outdoorsman, highlights Brian’s preference for a simple life in nature over the hustle of the civilized world. The novel is praised for its... Read Brian's Hunt Summary

Brian’s Winter (1996), a young adult novel by Gary Paulsen, is the third book in the Hatchet series of survival stories. Brian’s Winter chronologically follows Hatchet, acting as an alternate ending to Hatchet in which Brian is not rescued, and must continue to survive in the woods through the winter. Paulsen uses his own firsthand knowledge of winter survival skills to create a vivid and realistic portrayal of winter in the Canadian woods.Other works by... Read Brian's Winter Summary