What makes a Coming of Age story?
A coming-of-age story is genre of literature and film that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood ("coming of age"). Themes of maturation, acculturation, loss of innocence, wisdom or acumen, and worldliness are often present.
Anderson, Laurie Halse Fever 1793
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.
Avi Nothing but the Truth
A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.
Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which book paper burns. Fahrenheit 451 is a novel set in the (perhaps near) future when "firemen" burn books forbidden by a totalitarian "brave new world" regime. The hero, according to Mr. Bradbury, is "a book burner who suddenly discovers that books are flesh-and-blood ideas and cry out silently when put to the torch."
Card, Orson Scott Ender's Game
Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses and then training them in the arts of war. The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'. Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games.
Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage
During his service in the Civil War, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.
Hinton, S.E That Was then, This Is Now
Sixteen-year-old Mark and Bryon have been like brothers since childhood, but now, as their involvement with girls, gangs, and drugs increases, their relationship seems to gradually disintegrate.
Hinton, S.E The Outsiders
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
Lois Lowry’s The Giver is the quintessential dystopian novel, followed by its remarkable companions, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
Martel, Yann Life of Pi
Possessing encyclopedia-like intelligence, unusual zookeeper's son Pi Patel sets sail for America, but when the ship sinks, he escapes on a life boat and is lost at sea with a dwindling number of animals until only he and a hungry Bengal tiger remain.
Myers, Walter Dean Fallen Angels
This 1989 Coretta Scott King Award winner is the story of one young man's tour of duty in Vietnam as well as a testament to the thousands of young people who lived and died during the war.
Orwell, George 1984
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life--the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language--and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell.
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Rowling's novels follow three characters from childhood to maturity in great detail.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower:
Learn about passivity vs. passion in this book about Charlie, a high schooler on the fringes of life. This book takes an intimate look at what it's like to grow up in high school.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents:
The Garcia Girls are uprooted from the Dominican Republic to New York City. You'll see their plunge into America mainstream culture as they leave behind their old genteel lives.
Looking for Alaska by: John Green
Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (François Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.
An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherine's. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Though their friendship may be tested by the strain, like a true friendship, it will endure.
Halley's junior year of high school includes the death of her best friend Scarlett's boyfriend, the discovery that Scarlett is pregnant, and Halley's own first serious relationship.
How to Deal by Sarah Dessen
Rule #1: There are no rules
Just when you think you've got everything figured out for yourself, things get turned upside down. Families change. Lives end. New lives begin. And love sneaks up on you when you least expect it. The trick is finding that one person you can always count on, that one person who will throw out the rules and help you figure out how to deal with it all.
Here, from acclaimed author Sarah Dessen, are two books about girls who stick together and manage to get it right — the two books that served as inspiration for the film How to Deal, starring Mandy Moore. Read them, and you'll see where Halley and Scarlett's story began.
These are just a few "Coming-of-Age" Novels we have at YOUR Library!!!
Please come in today and see one of YOUR Librarians for help! We will be more than happy to introduce you to YOUR new favorite book!!
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