The books in this collection navigate themes and ideas appropriate for younger readers. Whether you're looking for contemporary hits like Front Desk by Kelly Yang or beloved classics like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, you can explore this collection to find a title that will excite the young readers in your life.
Publication year 2021
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Animals, Health / Medicine, Education, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, History: World, WWII / World War II, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure
Allies is a novel by American author Alan Gratz that was originally published in 2019. It belongs to the genre of young adult historical fiction and is set during World War II. Gratz is the author of 17 novels for children/young adults as of 2021 and has won awards from Random House Books and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. His novel Refugee won the National Jewish Book Award and the Young Hoosier... Read Allies Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, Sports, History: World, Parenting
All the Broken Pieces is a novel in verse by Ann E. Burg, first published in 2009 and geared toward middle grade readers. The novel won the Jefferson Cup Award for children’s historical fiction and was named an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, as well as a Booklist Editors’ Choice and YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. Burg was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. With a sparse... Read All the Broken Pieces Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Poverty, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, Bullying, American Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
All The Lovely Bad Ones is a 2008 middle-grade fiction book written by Mary Downing Hahn, a prolific children’s author who has authored several award-winning novels. The book’s title is taken from the poem “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley, which the author inscribed to all children—including “all the lovely bad ones.” All The Lovely Bad Ones won an Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for Children and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.All The Lovely... Read All The Lovely Bad Ones Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Action / Adventure, Sports, History: Asian, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality, Children's Literature, History: World
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Action / Adventure, Survival Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Children's Literature, History: African , Education, Education, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
The middle-grade novel A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park follows the life of one of the Lost Boys from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Based on a true story, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published the bestselling novel in 2010, and Park later wrote a companion picture book, Nya’s Long Walk. The story follows Salva Dut, based on a family friend of Park’s, who is chased from his village and family... Read A Long Walk to Water Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Grandparents, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Great Depression, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Humor
Written by Richard Peck in 1998 and told as a series of related short stories, A Long Way From Chicago is a novel about two siblings and their adventures with their grandmother over the span of six summers from 1929 to 1935. The work was a Newbery Honor book in 1999, and its sequel, A Year Down Yonder, won the Newbery Medal for children’s literature in 2001. Richard Peck (1934-2018) was the award-winning American novelist... Read A Long Way from Chicago Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Education, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Class, Social Justice, History: Asian, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Twelve-year-old Amal’s dreams of becoming a teacher are shattered when she disrespects the powerful landlord of her Pakistani village and is forced into a life of servitude in the New York Times bestselling Amal Unbound (2018). Author Aisha Saeed is a Pakistani-American teacher, writer, and attorney as well as a founder of the We Need Diverse Books organization. In Amal Unbound, Saeed calls attention to contemporary global inequities, exploring themes of social injustice, education, and... Read Amal Unbound Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Realistic Fiction, Health / Medicine, Disability, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
A Mango-Shaped Space is a 2003 middle-grade novel by American author Wendy Mass. It tells the story of Mia Winchell, a 13-year-old girl living in Illinois in the early 2000s. Mia has a secret. She associates all letters and numbers with distinct colors, and when she hears sounds, she sees bursts of color across her field of vision. It turns out that Mia has synesthesia, an uncommon but harmless neurological condition where an individual’s senses... Read A Mango-Shaped Space Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2011
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender
Tags Biography, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, History: World
Publication year 2006
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Immigration
Tags Allegory / Fable / Parable, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Bullying, Race / Racism, History: Asian, Immigration / Refugee, Chinese Literature, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel published in 2006 by the American author and illustrator Gene Luen Yang, who also wrote the graphic novel Boxers (2013) and the graphic memoir Dragon Hopes (2020). Through three interweaving stories that span from the 16th century to the present, American Born Chinese explores issues of Chinese American identity, anti-Asian racism, and assimilation. American Born Chinese is the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book... Read American Born Chinese Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Music, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, History: Middle Eastern, Bullying, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture, Religion / Spirituality
Eleven-year-old Pakistani-American Amina Khokar lives in Milwaukee with her mother, father, and brother, Mustafa. At school, a Korean girl named Soojin Kim is her best friend. Amina is distressed when Soojin befriends Emily, a girl who has historically joined in on racially-motivated taunts against Soojin and Amina. The situation is complicated when Amina, Emily, and Soojin—along with the class oddball, Bradley—are assigned to the same group for an Oregon Trail project in their social studies... Read Amina's Voice Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Children's Literature, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Bullying, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Among the Impostors is the second book in the Shadow Children series, following Among the Hidden. The titles published after Among the Impostors are Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free. Haddix is also the author of several other books for young adults and has won several awards for her work. They include the Reading Association Children’s Book Award, ALA Best Books for... Read Among the Impostors Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Grief / Death, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Religion / Spirituality
A Monster Calls (2011) was written by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay, and the original idea for the novel is credited to the late Siobhan Dowd. Ness wrote the novel in Dowd’s memory after she passed away in 2007 from breast cancer. Set in present-day England, A Monster Calls is a young adult fantasy novel that explores topics of terminal illness, grief, death, anger, and the grieving process through the eyes of a child;... Read A Monster Calls Summary
Publication year 1950
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
Amos Fortune, Free Man (1950) is a middle-grade biographical novel based loosely on the life of Amos Fortune (c. 1710-1801). The title not only refers to the person at the center of the book but also his status as a “freeman,” the term typically used to describe people of African descent who were formerly enslaved but acquired their freedom. In 1951, Amos Fortune, Free Man won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children’s literature.The... Read Amos Fortune, Free Man Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Health / Medicine, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Race / Racism, American Revolution, Children's Literature, Science / Nature, History: World
Published in 2003, Jim Murphy’s An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 is a historical nonfiction book for young adults that provides a detailed look into Philadelphia’s yellow fever epidemic of 1793. As Murphy documents how yellow fever emerged and spread throughout the city, he demonstrates how society operated in what was then the nation’s capital and largest city in the late 1700s. He focuses on urban... Read An American Plague Summary
Publication year 1766
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Animals, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction