Teams & Gangs

Anyone who has played a team sport knows the rush that comes from feeling like an integral piece of a well-oiled machine. Yet exhilaration and cooperation are only one aspect of team dynamics. This collection explores all facets of the team relationship, both positive and negative.

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Grief / Death, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Self Help


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Teams

Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Arts / Culture, Modern Classic Fiction

The Great Greene Heist is a middle grade novel by Varian Johnson that follows Jackson Greene, a middle school boy and nearly reformed prankster, who tries to win his crush through hijinks. The novel was named Publisher’s Best Summer Book of 2014, ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Book in 2015, and received a Kirkus Star Review. Johnson published the sequel To Catch a Cheat in 2016. Johnson is also the author of The Parker Inheritance, which... Read The Great Greene Heist Summary


Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction

The Great Train Robbery (1975) by Michael Crichton is a fictionalized account of the Great Gold Robbery of 1855. It details the actions of criminal mastermind Edward Pierce and his co-conspirators as they plan and execute the heist of £12,000 of gold from a train in London. This historical thriller analyzes Victorian beliefs about crime in the context of a rapidly changing society overwhelmed by industrialization. Historically, Pierce’s successful heist shocked a nation that believed... Read The Great Train Robbery Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Teams, Society: Economics, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Self Help, Biography


Publication year 1937

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Military / War, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a classic high fantasy adventure novel first published in 1937. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, philologist, and professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, as well as a close friend of fellow writer C. S. Lewis. The Hobbit is the first published work recounting tales from Middle Earth, Tolkien’s fantasy world with fictional races of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and more. After fighting in World War I, Tolkien worked... Read The Hobbit Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology

The Ideal Team Player is a 2016 book by leadership development expert Patrick Lencioni. The book provides an extension of the work Lencioni performed for his 2011 book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni employs a two-part structure for the book, as it begins with a third-person fictional narrative before shifting to a first-person, instructional point of view. In both sections, Lencioni examines the significance of being able to identify three essential characteristics of... Read The Ideal Team Player Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Self Discovery, Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Self Help, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Technology, Science / Nature, Self Help


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Teams

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Humor


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure, Magical Realism

First published in 2005, Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark is a fantasy-adventure for middle-grade readers by Ridley Pearson. Young Finn Whitman and his fellow Disney Hosts each night turn into holograms who visit the Magic Kingdom, where they must defeat a cadre of evil Disney characters trying to break out of the park and take over the world. Winner of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award, the book is the first of more than a... Read The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Teams, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Journalism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

The Landry News is a young adult novel by Andrew Clements, published in 1998. It centers on a school newspaper and the lives it touches, the lessons it teaches, and the power it gives people to stand up for their beliefs. The book received the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 2002 and has been translated into five languages. American author Andrew Clements (1949-2019) penned many books for young readers, including his most famous work, Frindle... Read The Landry News Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Language, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mystery / Crime Fiction

The Lies of Locke Lamora, written by Scott Lynch and published in 2006, is the first entry in the Gentleman Bastards series. These novels mix caper stories and fantasy stories and include adventure, violence, dark humor, and intimate friendships. The Lies of Locke Lamora is an international best seller and was nominated for multiple awards. The other entries in the series are Red Seas Under Red Skies, The Republic of Thieves, and The Thorn of... Read The Lies of Locke Lamora Summary