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 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Bullying, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone, is a young-adult novel published in 2015. Samantha McAllister, the book’s protagonist, is a junior in high school who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While Samantha appears like any average teenage girl, underneath the surface she is different from the majority of her peers: dark thoughts, incessant worries, and an obsession with the number three plagues nearly all of her waking moments. Through Samantha’s struggle to navigate... Read Every Last Word Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: The Past
Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity
Tags Humor, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Self Help, Biography
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Romance, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery
Tags Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Extra Credit is a 2009 young adult novel by American author Andrew Clements. This book follows two sixth-grade students from different countries and cultures whose lives intersect through a pen pal exchange. Abby Carson, an athletic girl from Illinois, needs to complete an extra credit project to ensure she passes the sixth grade. She begins to exchange letters with Sadeed Bayat, an academic overachiever from Bahar-Lan, Afghanistan. As the two share personal memories, pictures, and... Read Extra Credit Summary
Publication year 1988
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Military / War, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Vietnam War, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, History: World
Prolific children’s author Walter Dean Myers published his novel Fallen Angels in 1988. The young adult novel tells the story of a 17-year-old African American teenager from Harlem named Richie Perry who enlists in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. The novel follows Perry as he faces the realities of war with his fellow soldiers and transitions into adulthood on the battlefield. The novel contemplates racial and socio-economic issues in the US, the... Read Fallen Angels Summary
Publication year 1996
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Food
Tags Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature
Set in Canada, American author Will Hobbs’s young-adult novel Far North (1996) follows Gabe Rogers, who lives with his grandparents in Austin, Texas. When Gabe tells his father that he wants to live with him in Canada, his father tells him he may on two conditions. First, Gabe must travel up north to experience the severe cold of the Northwest Territories for one year. Second, he must attend boarding school. While flying through Canada with... Read Far North Summary
Publication year 1986
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Sports, Grief / Death, American Literature
Publication year 1990
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender
Tags Play: Drama, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Disability, LGBTQ, Modernism, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Fefu and her Friends is a play by Cuban American playwright Maria Irene Fornés. It premiered in 1977 at the Relativity Media Lab, a small venue on New York’s Lower East Side. Set in 1935 New England, the play concerns a group of women who knew one another in college and gather for a reunion as adults. Within six months, Fefu was produced off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre, earning Fornés her second Obie Award... Read Fefu and Her Friends Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Historical Fiction, Depression / Suicide, Health / Medicine, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Immigration
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Romance, Humor
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Grandparents, Society: Immigration, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Children's Literature, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Korean War
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, History: World
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Animals
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Firefly Lane is a 2008 young adult novel by the New York Times best-selling American author Kristin Hannah, who has written more than 20 novels. Firefly Lane begins in 1974 and tells the story of two women whose 30-year friendship becomes the stabilizing force in their lives. Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss rape, drug addiction, and alcohol addiction.Plot SummaryFirefly Lane tells the story of Kate and Tully, best friends since eighth... Read Firefly Lane Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Bullying, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Seventh grade loner Tom Bender’s life is changed by his friendship with Jessica, a severely disfigured burn survivor in Tony Abbott’s moving contemporary middle grade novel, Firegirl (2006). Shy and empathetic, Tom gradually overcomes his fear of Jessica and gets to know his new classmate, causing a rift between Tom and his friend, Jeff. While Jeff spreads malicious talk about Jessica, Tom sees past Jessica’s exterior to the person inside. Abbott sensitively explores themes of... Read Firegirl Summary