Amazing coming of age stories - classics, contemporary, memoir, and more!
My favorite book of all time and the epitome of coming of age stories. Read about Francie, a third generation immigrant and avid reader come of age at the turn of the century.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The first in a trilogy of unforgettable characters, small towns, sports, violence, and resilience.
Beartown
Loosely based off of the author's mother, Betty tells the story of a young girl growing up in Appalachia in the 1950's with a white mother and Cherokee father. This story is beautiful - but do check triggers!
Betty
Narrated by death, this tells the story of a young German girl who is sent to live with a foster family after her parents are sent to a concentration camp in WWII.
The Book Thief
Told through her journal, we see Vivienne a shy college student fall in love in the 1990's as family stress and war threaten to pull them apart.
Drinker of Ink
The first in a series of memoirs, Maya Angelou tells the reader about her childhood within a small southern town and San Francisco
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The story of a teenagers first year at boarding school and how his friends and peers shape his experience and life.
Looking for Alaska
The first in a quartet that follows to best friends growing up in Naples during the 1950's.
My Brilliant Friend
One of the most iconic coming of age stories. This follows orphan, Ponyboy his brothers and friends and how one violent night changes their lives.
The Outsiders
Told through the eyes of a child, Scout narrates the summer her father defends a black man unjustly accused of a crime.
