Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.
Publication year 2002
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Identity: Race
Tags Race / Racism
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships
Ruby Holler (2002) is a middle grade novel by Sharon Creech. It tells the story of twins, a brother and sister, who are orphaned and live at a children’s home. Their lives change unexpectedly when they are given the opportunity to travel with an elderly couple during their summer vacation.The author of 21 books, Creech was awarded the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons (1994) and received a Newbery honor for The Wanderer (2000). Ruby... Read Ruby Holler Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Diversity, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Rules was the first novel published by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a book for middle-grade readers that has remained popular and in print from the time of its initial publication. The Scholastic paperback version summarized here first appeared in 2018. For a debut novel, Rules was immediately accepted by young readers and by the literary community. The book won a prestigious Newberry Honor Book award and received the Schneider Family Book Award. It was named... Read Rules Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Aging
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Travel Literature, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor
Rules Of The Road is a contemporary young adult novel by established author Joan Bauer, first published in 1998. It is the first book in the Rules of the Road series. The second book, Best Foot Forward, was published in 2005. Joan Bauer’s own complicated childhood with an alcohol-addicted father inspired Rules of the Road, which was met with critical acclaim. It won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Golden Kite Award... Read Rules of the Road Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Parenting
... Read Run Summary
Publication year 1970
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Children's Literature, Animals, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2002
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags LGBTQ, Mental Illness, Humor, Psychology, Psychology, Biography
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs was first published in 2002 as a memoir. After several of the figures it features sued for defamation and dishonesty of its claims, however, it was recategorized as a book. It can also be classified as a bildungsroman since it follows the adolescent growth of its narrator and protagonist. Running with Scissors was adapted into a feature film in 2006.Other works by this author include Dry and A Wolf... Read Running With Scissors Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Animals, Action / Adventure, Fantasy
Publication year 1977
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Grief / Death, Education, Education, History: World, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction
Originally published in 1977, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a middle-grade historical fiction novel written by Eleanor Coerr based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl living in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. At age 12, Sadako is diagnosed with leukemia, often called “the atom bomb disease.” Inspired by a Japanese legend, Sadako sets out to fold 1,000 origami cranes, hoping she will be granted... Read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Music
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction
Published in 2009, Sag Harbor is the fourth novel by Colson Whitehead. Whitehead refers to this novel as “my autobiographical fourth novel,” as he used some of his childhood summer experiences at Sag Harbor, New York, to write this story. Sag Harbor was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Whitehead is also the author of The Underground Railroad, which won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as The Nickel Boys, The... Read Sag Harbor Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Romance, Religion / Spirituality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mythology, Humor, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration, Society: War
Tags Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Salt Houses is a 2017 novel by Palestinian-American author Hala Alyan. A multi-generational saga that begins in 1963 and concludes in 2014, the narrative traces the family’s experiences during key events of 20th- and 21st-century Palestinian history. The novel is polyvocal; multiple family members act as narrators. Although the novel provides an in-depth character study of the way that war, displacement, and diaspora impact each family member, it is also a portrait of the Palestinian... Read Salt Houses Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Music, Identity: Gender
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Race
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Inspirational, Biography
Same Kind of Different as Me (2006) is a memoir written by Denver Moore and Ron Hall, with the assistance of Lynn Vincent. Employing a first-person point of view that switches between Moore and Hall in its chapters, the book tells the radically-different life stories of the two men—Moore spent most of his adult years being homeless or in prison, while Hall was a high-end art dealer—and how they were brought together thanks to Hall’s... Read Same Kind Of Different As Me Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Environment
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Same Sun Here, co-written by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, details a year in the lives of two young people: an Indian immigrant living in New York City, and a small-town boy from Kentucky. Written as a series of letters between the two main characters, this middle grade novel is narrated by each author writing from the perspective of a separate character. Published in 2011, the book received the Nautilus Book Award, the E.B. White... Read Same Sun Here Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Survival Fiction, Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction