The solace and comfort of true friendship — and the pain of its loss — can rival any romantic or familial relationship. In this collection, we present texts that examine the unique qualities and costs of deep friendships.
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Community
Tags Allegory / Fable / Parable, African American Literature, Race / Racism, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Published in 1998, The Men of Brewster Place is a companion to Gloria Naylor’s acclaimed 1982 novel, The Women of Brewster Place. Written as a series of vignettes, the novel tells the intertwining stories of seven Black men living in Brewster Place, a degrading apartment block in an unnamed American city. Each must fight to define his identity as a man while existing within the confines of a racist, sexist society. With themes of pain... Read The Men of Brewster Place Summary
Publication year 1883
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Classic Fiction, Poverty, Social Justice, Class, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Renaissance, Children's Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is a much-beloved adventure novel by Howard Pyle (1853-1911), published in 1883. Pyle, an American illustrator and children’s author, wove together several of the early ballads about the famed medieval outlaw Robin Hood and his companions, the Merry Men, in an episodic and entertaining plot aimed at young readers of the late nineteenth century. Written in a pseudo-archaic English actually modeled on Elizabethan-era English, the book reflects a colorful... Read The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1959
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender
Tags Play: Drama, Play: Historical, Disability, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Biography
William Gibson’s drama The Miracle Worker chronicles the relationship between the real-life Helen Keller, a young girl from Alabama who was blind and deaf, and her teacher, the Irish, headstrong Annie Sullivan from Boston. The play follows a three-act structure and was adapted from Gibson’s 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay. The staged production premiered in New York City at the Playhouse Theatre in 1959. The show received five Tony Award nominations in 1960 and won four... Read The Miracle Worker Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Aging
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science / Nature, Animals
Publication year 1965
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship
Tags Fantasy, Animals, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Animals, Science / Nature, Disability, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Agriculture, Education, Health / Medicine, Grief / Death, Depression / Suicide, Mental Illness, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 1875
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place
Tags Classic Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, French Literature
Publication year -12024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Humor
The Name of This Book Is Secret (2007) is the first book in the middle grade fantasy series The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch, the pen name of writer Raphael Simon. The book is told by an intrusive narrator, the author, Pseudonymous Bosch. The narrator frequently breaks the fourth wall to address the reader directly and interrupts the story to warn the reader of the dangerous nature of the story he is telling, sometimes considering... Read The Name of This Book Is Secret Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Education, Incarceration, African American Literature, Race / Racism, History: World, Historical Fiction
Like his 2016 bestseller, The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys (2019) won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Whitehead is only the fourth writer in history to win two Pulitzers). The Nickel Boys describes life in a reform school from the point of view of young Black teenager. Whitehead based Nickel Academy on the real life Dozier School, a Florida facility that ran for over a century, until a university investigation publicized its racist... Read The Nickel Boys Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags History: World
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction