Books US schools assign, by theme
A different angle on the canon: what the books are about. Themes like friendship, coming-of-age, racism, and the Holocaust appear across grades and curricula — these pages collect them. Each theme page lists the books that explore it, with grade levels, Lexile ranges, and primary-source citations.
- family41 books on file
- friendship28 books on file
- identity25 books on file
- coming of age18 books on file
- resilience11 books on file
- survival9 books on file
- courage8 books on file
- imagination8 books on file
- loyalty8 books on file
- war8 books on file
- Holocaust7 books on file
- adventure7 books on file
- justice7 books on file
- bullying6 books on file
- grief6 books on file
- loss6 books on file
- memory6 books on file
- perseverance6 books on file
- poverty6 books on file
- race6 books on file
- American Dream5 books on file
- ambition5 books on file
- class5 books on file
- disability5 books on file
- gender5 books on file
- growing up5 books on file
- immigration5 books on file
- intelligence5 books on file
- mental health5 books on file
- mortality5 books on file
- mystery5 books on file
- nature5 books on file
- power5 books on file
- racism5 books on file
- colonialism4 books on file
- education4 books on file
- freedom4 books on file
- illusion and reality4 books on file
- independence4 books on file
- language and thought4 books on file
- love4 books on file
- marriage and class4 books on file
- social class4 books on file
- voice and silence4 books on file
- Chinese-American experience3 books on file
- Great Depression3 books on file
- activism3 books on file
- betrayal3 books on file
- code-switching3 books on file
- determination3 books on file
- disillusionment3 books on file
- empathy3 books on file
- everyday life3 books on file
- fate3 books on file
- father-son relationships3 books on file
- history3 books on file
- hope3 books on file
- individuality3 books on file
- madness3 books on file
- prejudice3 books on file
- racial injustice3 books on file
- refugees3 books on file
- reputation3 books on file
- responsibility3 books on file
- revolution3 books on file
- sacrifice3 books on file
- school3 books on file
- science and ethics3 books on file