This dystopian novel details the journey of a father and his son through the post-apocalyptic remains of the United States. Their sole goal being survival, the two travel across the barren terrain with nothing but a gun, two small backpacks and a shopping cart. On their journey, they encounter individuals who are immediately treated as […]

Based on a true story, this novel is set in a 1960s reform school in Florida. 16-year-old Elwood Curtis has always admired Dr. Martin Luther King and plans on enrolling in a local black college. However, an accident leads to Elwood being sent to the “Nickel Academy”, where he meets his fellow inmate Turner. At […]

This novel explores the history of sexual abuse in connection to the catholic church that was uncovered in Ireland. Odran Yates has dedicated his life to priesthood and the church. His devotion is challenged however, when revelations about child abuse emerge that destroy the church’s public image. And although he is at first reluctant to […]

“I love you,” I say to him, only it comes out “Hey.” – “So damn much,” he says back, only it comes out “Dude.” This novel uses vivid imagery and poetic language, embedded in a story full of love and loss. Jude and Noah were incredibly close growing up, they are twins after all. Both […]

This heart-warming picture book explores family relations, gender-nonconformity, identity construction, and understanding. Young Julian is out with his grandma called ‘Nana’ in town when he spots three women in spectacular mermaid costumes. Their colourful dresses let him daydream and rise his desire to dress as the most exotic mermaid ever seen. He gets home and […]

This award-winning children’s book is narrated from the perspective of a young Ojibwe girl, who speaks up to defend her people’s land from the black snake (representing oil pipelines). Threatening to pollute and destroy planet earth, the black snake must be stopped, before it eventually poisons the life-giving water. Will the voice of the young […]

This coming-of-age autobiography by award-winning author Maya Angelou features a memoir of racism, trauma, identity and hope. The title refers to the first line of the third stanza of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy” (1899), which reflected the perspective of a caged bird’s longing for freedom and its wish to escape its prison. As Dunbar’s […]

This inspiring picture book illustrates the real-life story of Jadav Payeng, who grew 1,300 acres of forest to protect the environment. “In India, on a large river island, among farms and families hard at work, there lived a boy who loved trees.” Jadav becomes alerted when he finds out that animals are dying around his […]

This empowering picture book calls the readers attention to environmental pollution and eco-activism. In the second volume of the series, Rocket, a young girl, who loves science and astronomy, visits her grandparents who live on a Caribbean island. When she stumbles upon a baby turtle, who is trapped in a plastic bag, she discovers that […]

This eco-critical picture book tells the story of climate activist Greta Thunberg for young readers. Once upon a time, the greedy giants, who built large cities and factories, threaten the forest’s biodiversity. They started to log down the trees, as they need more wood for their business. First, Greta is the only one, who stands […]

Here, four of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are rewritten for a younger audience: Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They are shorter and told from the perspective of the side characters Malvolio, Banquo, Caliban, and Peaseblossom. I, Shakespeare might be useful if you want to avoid reading the longer originals but […]

These two one-act plays by award-winning author Drew Hayden Taylor on belonging, identity, hope, tradition and modern life examine the past, present and the future of the Canadian First Nations from a teenage perspective. Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock follows teenage boy Rusty to the spiritual place of his ancestors. While sipping his beer at Dreamer’s Rock, he […]

This empowering play about power, masculinity and femininity explores roles and opportunities for woman in modern society. Set in London during the early 1980s, the play follows Marlene, an ambitious, career-driven businesswoman who made irreversible sacrifices for her success. Dishonesty, aggression and manipulation are her weapons against the oppressive patriarchy. She finally got the promotion […]

This award-winning play offers five perspectives on alienation, forced assimilation and removal, hope and the struggle to find one’s identity. It explores the stories of five Aboriginal children that were taken away from their parents by the Australian government. As part of the Stolen Generation, Sandy, Ruby, Jimmy, Anne, and Shirley have lived very different […]

This short, modern play explores the importance of language for communication, alienation, love and imperialism. Set in 1833 in a fictional village in county Donegal, the play follows several English and Irish characters, which meet but often do not understand each other. The story develops around a love triangle, the English Yolland and the Irish […]

This story is the kick-off novel to the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series set in 1950, England. Flavia is an 11-year-old with an odd knack for chemistry. Life at a country manor can be boring, but her older sisters teasing her gives Flavia the perfect opportunity to plot her revenge. This plan is derailed however, […]

This award-winning young adult fantasy novel about murder, coming of age, friendship and belonging follows baby-boy ‘Nobody’ who, after his family is murdered, is adopted by the supernatural inhabitants of a nearby graveyard. ‘Nobody’ also called ‘Bod’ grows up with ghosts, ghouls, vampires, witches and werewolves, who become family and friends to him. In and […]

This Gothic novel explores the themes of the supernatural, masculinity and femininity, class and revenge in a Romantic context. Mr Lockwood encounters the strange constellation of people at the remote farmhouse Wuthering Heights who are all quite inhospitable. He is haunted at night by a former inhabitant of his room. Later, his housekeeper tells him the intricate […]