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.
- family165 books on file
- friendship157 books on file
- identity100 books on file
- courage81 books on file
- humor54 books on file
- nature36 books on file
- adventure35 books on file
- perseverance35 books on file
- history34 books on file
- mystery34 books on file
- survival33 books on file
- grief27 books on file
- imagination27 books on file
- school27 books on file
- growing up26 books on file
- humorous stories21 books on file
- coming of age20 books on file
- resilience20 books on file
- schools20 books on file
- justice19 books on file
- race16 books on file
- immigration15 books on file
- war15 books on file
- animals14 books on file
- family life14 books on file
- love14 books on file
- magic14 books on file
- memory14 books on file
- power14 books on file
- kindness13 books on file
- loyalty13 books on file
- belonging12 books on file
- bullying12 books on file
- community12 books on file
- disability12 books on file
- science12 books on file
- biography11 books on file
- freedom11 books on file
- mystery and detective stories11 books on file
- fantasy9 books on file
- ghosts9 books on file
- Holocaust8 books on file
- brothers8 books on file
- dogs8 books on file
- individuality8 books on file
- loss8 books on file
- mental health8 books on file
- adventure and adventurers7 books on file
- art7 books on file
- brothers and sisters7 books on file
- class7 books on file
- diaries7 books on file
- fairy tales7 books on file
- hope7 books on file
- intelligence7 books on file
- mortality7 books on file
- poverty7 books on file
- racism7 books on file
- responsibility7 books on file
- sacrifice7 books on file
- science fiction7 books on file
- ambition6 books on file
- conduct of life6 books on file
- dragons6 books on file
- empathy6 books on file
- families6 books on file
- marriage and class6 books on file
- pets6 books on file
- American Dream5 books on file
- destiny5 books on file
- detective and mystery stories5 books on file
- education5 books on file
- fear5 books on file
- folklore5 books on file
- gender5 books on file
- ghost stories5 books on file
- good vs evil5 books on file
- independence5 books on file
- middle schools5 books on file
- murder5 books on file
- mythology5 books on file
- new york times reviewed5 books on file
- prejudice5 books on file
- religion5 books on file
- social class5 books on file
- aging4 books on file
- anxiety4 books on file
- basketball4 books on file
- behavior4 books on file
- boys, fiction4 books on file
- colonialism4 books on file
- death4 books on file
- determination4 books on file
- everyday life4 books on file
- forgiveness4 books on file
- graphic novels4 books on file
- healing4 books on file
- illusion and reality4 books on file
- kidnapping4 books on file
- language and thought4 books on file
- mother-daughter relationship4 books on file
- music4 books on file
- neighbors4 books on file
- orphans4 books on file
- refugees4 books on file
- siblings4 books on file
- voice and silence4 books on file
- world war, 1939-19454 books on file
- Chinese-American experience3 books on file
- Great Depression3 books on file
- activism3 books on file
- adventure and adventurers, fiction3 books on file
- babysitters3 books on file
- best friends3 books on file
- betrayal3 books on file
- birthdays3 books on file
- cats3 books on file
- change3 books on file
- childhood3 books on file
- choice3 books on file
- civil rights3 books on file
- code-switching3 books on file
- compassion3 books on file
- computers3 books on file
- conformity3 books on file
- creativity3 books on file
- deception3 books on file
- disillusionment3 books on file
- dogs, fiction3 books on file
- extraterrestrial beings3 books on file
- fantasy fiction3 books on file
- fate3 books on file
- father-son relationships3 books on file
- fatherhood3 books on file
- football3 books on file
- gratitude3 books on file
- heroism3 books on file
- human-animal relationships3 books on file
- identity and reputation3 books on file
- journey3 books on file
- madness3 books on file
- middle school3 books on file
- morality3 books on file
- mothers and daughters3 books on file
- neurodiversity3 books on file
- new york times bestseller3 books on file
- poetry3 books on file
- racial injustice3 books on file
- reputation3 books on file
- resistance3 books on file
- revenge3 books on file
- revolution3 books on file
- robbers and outlaws3 books on file
- school stories3 books on file
- science and ethics3 books on file
- spies3 books on file
- storytelling3 books on file
- teachers3 books on file
- words3 books on file