Coming-of-Age

Mexican WhiteBoy follows Danny, a half-Mexican teen grappling with his identity and belonging while navigating family dynamics and his passion for baseball during a summer spent with his father's family in Mexico.

Auden spends a summer in a beach town, exploring teenage life and forming a deep connection with Eli, a fellow insomniac, as they both seek personal growth and healing.

The Yearling is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a boy, Jody Baxter, and his bond with an orphaned fawn, exploring themes of love, loss, and survival in the Florida backwoods.

'A Long Way from Chicago' is a heartwarming, humorous tale of Joey and Mary Alice's summers with their feisty grandmother, set during the Great Depression.

The Red Kayak is a poignant tale about friendship, responsibility, and the moral complexities of truth, centered around a tragic accident that changes the lives of three boys forever.

Dear Edward is a poignant story about a twelve-year-old boy who is the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash and his journey to find meaning and hope amidst overwhelming loss.

The Pigman is a poignant young adult novel about friendship, loss, and the passage from adolescence to maturity.

In 'Backwoods Romeo' by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer, Walt Ridgeway discovers friendship and love while reconnecting with a local boy, Dooley Harlow, in his Appalachian hometown, exploring themes of coming-of-age and family secrets.

A Painted House by John Grisham explores a young boy's coming-of-age in 1950s rural Arkansas amidst cotton-picking season and family secrets.

In 'Paper Towns,' Quentin Jacobson embarks on a journey to find Margo Roth Spiegelman after she vanishes, leaving behind a series of clues.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is a compelling story of class conflict, friendship, and coming-of-age, focusing on the struggles between the Greasers and the Socs.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a poignant coming-of-age novel set in 1964 South Carolina, exploring themes of maternal love, loss, and the search for identity.

Dandelion Wine is a nostalgic coming-of-age novel by Ray Bradbury, capturing a magical summer in 1928 through the eyes of twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding, exploring themes of life, loss, and the beauty of existence.

Craig Thompson's "Blankets" is a moving graphic memoir that explores first love, heartbreak, and the struggles of adolescence against the backdrop of a strict Christian upbringing in the Midwest.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a poignant coming-of-age story about Junior, a young cartoonist from the Spokane Indian Reservation, who strives for a better life by transferring to an all-white high school, confronting issues of identity, poverty, and belonging along the way.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata is a poignant coming-of-age story that explores themes of hope, family, and resilience through the lens of Katie Takeshima, a Japanese-American girl navigating challenges in the Deep South.

I Am David by Anne Holm tells the gripping tale of a twelve-year-old boy's escape from a bleak prison camp in Eastern Europe and his journey to freedom in Denmark, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda follows sixteen-year-old Simon Spier, who faces blackmail over his sexual identity while navigating friendship, romance, and self-acceptance in high school.

In 'Season of Life,' Jeffrey Marx chronicles the inspiring journey of Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL star who teaches young men the true essence of masculinity through love, responsibility, and service, reshaping their understanding of success beyond the scoreboard.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, 'A Separate Peace' explores the complexities of adolescence, the loss of innocence, and the impact of a tragic event on two friends, Gene and Phineas.