The Canterbury Tales are a medieval collection of 24 different short stories written in verse and prose. Frame action is a storytelling contest between a couple of pilgrims on their way from London to Canterbury. The characters such as the Knight, the Nun, the Cook, the Pardoner and the Wife of Bath represent different estates […]
Ben has finally gathered the courage to come out to their parents as nonbinary. But what should be the people who love them most in the world, refuse to accept Ben’s identity. They’re quick to kick Ben out, leaving them lost and alone. They have no choice but to call their estranged sister Hannah and […]
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 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 […]
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 early 18th-century satire novel was supposed to parody the popular genre of travel literature. It juxtaposes physical and moral strength, the power of knowledge and differences of societies and state structures. English surgeon Lemuel Gulliver leaves England again and again for travels to far-off lands. The countries and societies he visits are fictional and, […]
This classic adventure novel focusing on the relationship between man and nature, religion and free will explores the limits of knowledge and sanity. The story is told from the perspective of Ishmael, a poor young fellow from New York, who takes up a job on a whaler boat. His captain, called Ahab, is obsessed with […]
In this award-winning biography about the fight for justice, Lee Lawrence tells a story sadly no less relevant today than 30 years ago. When Lee was 11 years old, he witnessed his mother being shot by a police officer, resulting in her paralysis. This event shaped the political climate at the time, acting as the […]
This award-winning, young adult drama novel featuring racism, injustice, violence, isolation and loneliness follows a 16-year old boy who awaits his murder trial. Steve Harmon is in prison, maybe for life. They say he murdered someone; tell him he’s a monster. Is he? Or was it a case of being in the wrong place at […]
This science fiction short story explores the power of and the utter dependence on technology as well as the importance of nature. At some point in the future humans have lost the ability to live on the earth’s surface, life is taking place underground using a global machine. Every individual has their separate section and […]