Set in Germany during World War II, this historical novel follows the coming of age story of Liesel Meminger. Surrounded by hatred and destruction, Liesel struggles to maintain the innocence of childhood. Her foster parents take in a Jewish man, Hans, and hide him from the authorities. Hans teaches Liesel to read, and she goes […]
This adventurous, young adult Sci-Fi novel about friendship, love, self-perspective and superpowers follows the almost ordinary life of Mikey how struggles to accept that he is ‘just’ an average kid in a small town. Mikey is unsure, whether his life is worth living because he has not done anything extraordinary or achieved something great in […]
Based on a true story, this novel explores paranoia, ideological obsession, the damaged American psyche and the Sovereign citizen movement – a militant group of people who regard US laws and law enforcement as illegitimate. Set in contemporary Northern California, the narration follows Adam, the son of Vietnam veteran Sten Stenson and his much older […]
This dystopian novel is one of the earliest works of science fiction and discovers time travel, the progress of technology and the decline of civilisation between equality and inequality. A Victorian scientist develops a device which enables him to travel to the far future. After arriving in a post-apocalyptic time, he is horrified, when he […]
J. R. R. Tolkien’s children’s fantasy adventure novel on greed, trust, fellowship and heroism follows the magical quest and personal growth of a hobbit: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends or worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy, […]
“A tale for young people of all ages” about self-reflection, the quality of mercy and social injustice. Tom is the youngest child of a poor family, living in London. One day, by coincidence, he meets Edward, the Prince of Wales. The two immediately notice their remarkable resemblance and are each fascinated by the life led […]
Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s debut novel on adoption, mistrust, solitude, lack of parental relationship and dysfunctional families, abuse, forgiveness, and passion for flowers. It follows the perspective of 18-year-old Victoria Jones, who has been handed from foster home to foster home all her childhood. When she turns eighteen, she becomes a flower arranger because flowers are the […]
Both a psychological thriller and an essential critique of contemporary capitalist society on consumerism, perfection, masculinity and rebellion. Fight Club’s narrator lives a regular life, working for an insurance company and collecting Ikea furniture in his free time. Suffering from insomnia, he visits support groups at night so he can experience other people’s suffering. When […]
This Romantic novel of manners follows the charming Elizabeth Bennet and her character development. It portrays the complicated love story of Elizabeth and the aloof Mr Darcy. Mr Bennet has five daughters but his estate can only be bequeathed to a male heir, hence at least one of his daughters has to marry well to […]
This holocaust novel explores loss, nationalism, anti-Semitism and the power of friendship across borders and fences. The readers follow nine-year-old Bruno, who lives with his parents and sister Gretel in Berlin in 1943. As Bruno’s father, who works as a commanding officer, gets promoted, his family moves to a new house in the middle of […]
A Gothic novel of moral depth about mental health, social pressure, belonging and a family dream that turns into a dark nightmare. The birth of Ben, the fifth and rather unusual child of Harriet and David, threatens and disrupts their ordinary and happy family life. Ben’s violent, aggressive and reckless behaviour, which is due to […]
Acclaimed fantasy author Tolkien composed these letters for his own children, spanning no fewer than two decades of Christmas celebrations. In each letter, either Father Christmas himself or one of his fantastic side-kicks tells the story of a new adventure from the North Pole.
A coming-of-age-novel about slavery and racism, hypocrisy in society and freedom set along the Mississippi River: a white outsider and an African American slave emancipate themselves in pursuit of the American Dream. Tying in with the prequel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, who once was a homeless boy, now leads a civilised life […]
A story about an unforeseen Arctic adventure. Girl is the name of a Labrador made of fibreglass, whose job it is to raise money for the Royal Guard Dogs. Then one day she is dognapped, renamed Stay and finds herself on board the ship Aurora Australis on a trip to Antarctica. How is a fibreglass […]
This Victorian Gothic novel is about moral decay and the evanescence of beauty and youth. Young Dorian Gray meets the charismatic Lord Henry Wotton at Basil Hallward’s studio by whom he is currently being painted. Basil sees Dorian as his new muse, infatuated by his beauty. Dorian is enthralled by the Lord’s hedonistic world view […]
This semi-autobiographical novel recounts a fascinating adventure about criminality, individual freedom and the willingness to help. Partly inspired by real-life events of its author Gregory Roberts the text offers an insight in a world of poverty, social stratification, crime and drug abuse. Jailed for multiple accounts of robbery, the narrator escapes from his Australian prison […]
A classic children’s novel about poverty and wealth, humility, kindness and greed. Charlie is an eleven-year-old boy who loves chocolate and lives with his parents and grandparents in a little hut close to a big city. They do not have a lot of money, but Charlie and his family live a happy life until Charlie’s […]
A dystopian movie drama about power, subversion and the lengths some people will go to protect their family: In Katniss’ world, survival is everything. She lives in a poor, rural district of a future version of the North-American continent re-shaped by a disaster. For the meagre support provided by the Capitol, all the districts have […]