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An Abundance of Katherines by John Green writerColin, the main character, was a child prodigy and as he is growing into an adult afraid of not being a genius anymore. He has dated 19 girls in his life, all of them called Katherine. After the last breakup he and his best friend go on a road trip and Colin hope to finds enlightenment (his eureka moment)
genres young adult keywords breakup - cheating - friendship - letting-go content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length 256 pages source material related works Though there is no relation, five years later, in 2011, Japanese game developer Atlus released their formidable game Catherine. In which the main character is torn between two girls, one named Catherine and the other Katherine. As an exploration of human relationships and deep feelings it is also recommended, though be aware of what is commonly referred to as Japanese wierdness by narrowminded westerners. availability of fanfiction Less than 100 entries on FanFiction.net -
Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling writer
A seven book series of children’s/young adult novels. The first introduces 11-year-old Harry Potter, who is being raised by his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents in a car crash when Harry was an infant. Harry learns that he has magical abilities and that he is the only survivor of an attack by a powerful evil wizard, Voldemort, who is threatening to return to power and take over the wizarding world. Each book follows Harry through a different year (ages 11-17) at the magical boarding school, Hogwarts, where Harry faces challenges that arise through Voldemort’s various attempts to return to power. At the same time, Harry learns more about his past, the wizarding world, and deals with issues of friendship, fitting in, growing up, and even romance. The books move from whimsical children’s literature with a hint of threat to darker more young adult-themed with the fourth book. Harry’s character also develops as he ages and as the threats around him grow increasingly severe and dire. The final book retains dystopian, wartime themes but ends with hope.
genres fantasy children’s literature young adult dystopia keywords child abuse - major character death - racism - torture - british boarding school content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 223 pages to 766 pages source material related works The Harry Potter films availability of fanfiction More than 100,000 entries on Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net, fan specific archives notes Fanfiction is available for the entire series and not always based solely upon one of the Harry Potter books or movies. -
Harry Potter film series by Chris Columbus director, Steve Cloves screenplay, Afonso Cuarón director, Mike Newell director, David Yates director, Michael Goldenberg screenplayAn eight-movie series based on the seven-volume Harry Potter children’s/young adultnovels. The first introduces 11-year-old Harry Potter, who is being raised by his aunt and uncle after the death of his parents in a car crash when Harry was an infant. Harry learns that he has magical abilities and that he is the only survivor of an attack by a powerful evil wizard, Voldemort, who is threatening to return to power and take over the wizarding world. Each book follows Harry through a different year (ages 11-17) at the magical boarding school, Hogwarts, where Harry faces challenges that arise through Voldemort’s various attempts to return to power. At the same time, Harry learns more about his past, the wizarding world, and deals with issues of friendship, fitting in, growing up, and even romance. The movies move from whimsical and colorful explorations of the magical world from a child’s perspective to darker young-adult depictions of trying to survive in a society at war.
genres fantasy children’s literature young adult dystopia keywords child abuse - major character death - racism - torture - british boarding school content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 2 h 10 min - 2 h 54 min source material related works The Harry Potter books availability of fanfiction More than 100,000 entries on Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net, Wattpad, other fan archives notes Fanfiction is available for the entire series and not always based solely upon one of the Harry Potter books or movies. -
Hunger Games by Gary Ross director, Francis Lawrence director, Suzanne Collins writer
This is a young-adult dystopian series of 4 movies set in a post-apocalyptic future in the country of Panem, which is divided into 12 districts. While the Capital city of Panem is wealthy, technologically advanced and known for its citizen’s extravagant dress and lifestyles, the remaining 12 districts deal with varying degrees of poverty. The Capital maintains control of Panem through an annual event called the Hunger Games, in which two children (one boy and one girl) from each district are randomly selected as tributes to compete and fight to the death for public televised amusement. The trilogy follows the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12 who competes and wins the 74th Hunger Games along with her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark. Katniss finds herself an inadvertent figurehead and then later an active member of the growing rebellion that eventually overthrows the Capital’s control of Panem.
genres young adult dystopia keywords major character death - torture - war content warnings profanity: mild - violence: graphic - sex: no languages English length 137-146 minutes source material related works Hunger Games book series availability of fanfiction Between 50,000 and 100,000 entries on Archive for Our Own, FanFiction.net notes Fanfiction often merges characters and themes from all the books and movies. -
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins writer
This is a young-adult dystopian trilogy set in a post-apocalyptic future in the country of Panem, which is divided into 12 districts. While the Capital city of Panem is wealthy, technologically advanced and known for its citizen’s extravagant dress and lifestyles, the remaining 12 districts deal with varying degrees of poverty. The Capital maintains control of Panem through an annual event called the Hunger Games, in which two children (one boy and one girl) from each district are randomly selected as tributes to compete and fight to the death for public televised amusement. The trilogy follows the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12 who competes and wins the 74th Hunger Games along with her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark. Katniss finds herself an inadvertent figurehead and then later an active member of the growing rebellion that eventually overthrows the Capital’s control of Panem.
genres young adult dystopia keywords major character death - torture content warnings profanity: mild - violence: graphic - sex: no languages English length 374-391 pages source material related works The Hunger Games Film Series availability of fanfiction Between 50,000 and 100,000 entries on Archive for Our Own, FanFiction.net notes Fanfiction often merges characters and themes from all the books and movies. -
Looking for Alaska by John Green writer
Miles Halter leaves Florida to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama for his junior year. Miles is nicknamed Pudge by his new roommate, Chip "The Colonel" Martin who introduces Pudge to his friends Takumi Hikohito and Alaska Young. On his first night, Pudge is thrown into a lake by the "Weekday Warriors," rich schoolmates who blame the Colonel and his friends for the expulsion of their friend Paul and his girlfriend Marya. Alaska later admits that she is the rat who told the dean about Paul and Marya being together, to save herself from being punished. During a party, Alaska gets intoxicated and she kisses Pudge although she has a boyfriend, Jake. That same night, she receives a phone call and she goes into hysterics. She immediately wants to leave and Pudge and the Colonel help her by distracting the headmaster. Alaska drives away, crashes the car and dies instantly. The Colonel and Pudge are devastated and blame themselves, but learn that Alaska might have deliberately crashed to kill herself. When she was a little girl, her mother died and now Alaska feels guilty for not calling 911.
genres young adult keywords addiction - major character death - substance abuse - suicide - meaning of life - coming of age content warnings profanity: yes - violence: no - sex: graphic languages English length 262 pages source material related works Other books by John Green: Paper towns - The fault in our stars availability of fanfiction Between 100 and 1000 entries on Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net, Wattpad, other fan archives notes The film rights to the novel were acquired by Paramount Pictures in 2005, but the production has been shelved indefinitely. -
Maze Runner by Wes Ball director
In a dystopian future, Thomas a teenage boy awakes without memory in a walled off place. There other boys live and outside lies the maze. A monster infested and very dangerous place they need to overcome to regain their memory and understand what has happened.
genres young adult keywords dystopia content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 3 films, the first 113 minutes source material availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on Archive for Our Own notes The Maze Runner films are in that wierd spot, not so rare in Hollywood productions, where they want to be taken seriously, they want the audience to care for the teenage characters, but then every "teenager" is played by an actress or actor closer to 30 than to 15. -
Maze Runner by James Dashner writer
After a solar flare results in an extinction level catastrophe on earth the last of humanity tries to survive. Teenagers are put in a place called the Glade, a walled off settlement. On the other side of the walls lies a gigantic maze inhabited by monsters. Every month a new teenager is sent to the Glade, but that then stops. The first book follows Thomas and his attempt to escape the maze and the surrounding events.
genres young adult science fiction mystery keywords dystopia content warnings profanity: no - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 6 Books, the first is 375 pages long source material related works To me it appears almost like a child friendly version of the horror film "The Cube". availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on FanFiction.net notes Three main books, two prequel books and a side story are the full range of the Maze Runner novel series. -
Paper Towns by John Green writer
The main character Quentin Jacobson, nicknamed Q used to be friends with his neighbour Margo Roth Spiegelman. That changed when they went to high school. Margo started to hang out with the popular crowd, while Q remained with his best friends Ben and Radar. During the last weeks of high school Q and Margo get into contact again. She sneaks into his room and asks him to help her with her ‘revenge-plan’ against friends who have wronged her. Margo disappears after that night. Q remembers that she used to vanish a lot during their childhood, usually leaving some clues behind. This time Q discovers some marked passages in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. He asks his friends to help him. They find an abandoned warehouse where Margo has left some traces. Another clue is Margo’s obsession with paper towns. After a lot of research, Q finds the paper town of Agloe, New York, which might lead to Margo’s hiding place. Q goes on a roadtrip and eventually he finds her. However, Margo acts indifferent and does not want to return. They decide to keep in touch, but go their separate ways.
genres young adult keywords suicide - vandalism - road trip / high school boys figuring out girls - love and life content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 305 source material related works Other books by John Green + film: Paper Towns (2015) availability of fanfiction Less than 100 entries on Archive of Our Own notes n/a -
Pretty Little Liars by I. Marlene King developer - producerAfter their "leader" disappears without a trace the remining three girls of the formerly four girl strong clique, start receiving mysterious and threatening messages by someone only referring to themself as A. The threats evolve and the girls get tortured for wrongdoings they commited in their lifes and while they first believe that the messages come from their lost friend, developments during the series make it clear that these messages come from someone else.
genres young adult mystery keywords self-harm - torture - small town - friendship - trust content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 160 episodes of around 45 minutes source material related works Loosely based on the Young Adult novel series Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on FanFiction.net notes The series walks the fine line between teen cliché and Slasher flick, some critics consider it to be more stumbling between those two. Generally it is considered to have had a slow start and picking up quality during the course of the first three seasons. -
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo writer
At the beginning of World War I Thomas Peaceful lives in the English countryside. His older brother Big Joe is mentally ‘challenged’, his other brother Charlies often gets into trouble. When World War I breaks out both Thomas and Charlie sign up for the service --- for different reasons. For Charlie, it's a matter of keeping the family together as outside forces threaten to break them apart. For Thomas, it's a personal conquest of his fears and to prove to himself, above all else, that he isn't a coward. When Charlie refuses to follow the orders of brutal drill sergeant to save his brother he is accused of cowardice and given a court martial. The book's chapters count down to dawn when Charlie will be executed ( a fate that 290 British soldiers faced in WW I).
genres young adult keywords war - bravery vs cowardice - bullying content warnings profanity: no - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 208 pages source material related works The book has been filmed, By the same author, 'War Horse' (for younger students) availability of fanfiction Less than 100 entries on Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net -
Riverdale by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa developer
Riverdale is an adaptation and continuation of the Archie comics. The series subverses many aspects of those comics showing the dark side of what lies beyond the wholesome facade of small towns. It is also not epsiodic but rather a continous plot. Plotlines inlcude a love triangle and sudden character dissapearances. The series is still ongoing.
genres drama young adult mystery keywords substance abuse - subversion content warnings profanity: no - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length 35 episodes in 2 seasons, each episode around 45 minutes source material availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on FanFiction.net notes Based on the Archie comic series, which started in 1942 and is one of the longest running comic series. -
Teen Wolf by Jeff Davis developer
The high school student Scott is an outcast and awkward teen until one day he gets bitten by a Werewolf. The abilities he gains give him the strength and confidence to deal with his life though it is always a hard struggle for him to keep the two very distinct parts of his life in check. During the course of the series Scott is joined by many other caharcters who are shapeshifters or other magical beings of various sorts (were-hyenas, banshees etc.).
genres young adult keywords coming of age - supernatural - teen romantic comedy/drama content warnings profanity: no - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 100 episodes at about 40 minutes each. source material related works This is very loosely based on the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox. availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on FanFiction.net -
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie writer
The book, written in diary form, follows teenager Junior and one tumultuous year in his life, when he starts at a rich, white school. Junior lives with his family on an Indian Reservation, and he depicts both racism and poverty in a humorous way.
genres young adult keywords addiction - child abuse - disordered eating - racism - substance abuse - death - hope and dreams - bullying - poverty - culture - friendship - family content warnings profanity: yes - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length 230 pages source material notes The book contains the main character's funny drawings. -
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green writer
Hazel Grace Lancaster is a 16-year-old girl, who has a terminal illness. She received a tumor-shrinking medical miracle, but the disease has not been defeated yet. Her mother sends her to a cancer therapy group for kids, where she meets Augustus Waters, nicknamed ‘Gus’. They develop a friendship that evolves into a romance. However, Hazel is holding back as she fears she will die and break Augustus’ heart. Hazel has a favourite novel An Imperial Affliction, a book that leaves the readers unfulfilled after the main character dies mid-sentence. Gus decides to use his ‘wish’ from the Genie Foundation in order to take Hazel and her mother to Amsterdam to meet the author of the book. On this trip, Augustus tells her that during a check-up he ‘lit up like a Christmas tree’, meaning that the cancer has spread over his whole body.
genres romance young adult keywords major character death - (terminal) illness/cancer - / content warnings profanity: mild - violence: no - sex: yes languages English length 313 pages source material related works Other works by John Green + film: The Fault in Our Stars (2014) availability of fanfiction Between 100 and 1000 entries on Archive of Our Own -
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky writer
Charlie is a teenager who in a series of letters describes his life as he starts high school. Sensitive and introverted, Charlie makes new friends with whom he explores the meaning of friendship and love during the awkward years of adolesence.
genres young adult keywords addiction - child abuse - domestic violence content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length 180 source material availability of fanfiction Between 100 and 1000 entries on Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net notes There is movie version of the book with Emma Stone. -
Thirteen Reasons Why by Tom McCarthy director
The series revolves around a high school student, Clay Jensen, and his friend Hannah Baker, a girl who takes her own life after suffering a series of demoralizing circumstances brought on by select individuals at her school. A box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah before her suicide details thirteen reasons why she ended her life.
genres young adult drama keywords major character death - rape or sexual assault - suicide - the series has aroused considerable controversy for explicitly showing how hannah commits suicide by cutting her wrists. - bullying - guilt and blame - macho culture content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length Season 1 - 13 episodes (50 minutes each) source material related works YA novel (2007) the series is based on availability of fanfiction Less than 100 entries -
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher writer
Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 7 cassette tapes and 13 stories recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life and that she holds each of her listeners responsible for her death. Clay is one of those listeners. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. In the book, Clay’s thoughts are always mixed in with Hannah’s stories.
genres young adult keywords suicide - more specifically teen suicide - bullying - machismo culture - guilt and blame content warnings profanity: no - violence: yes - sex: no languages English length 320 pages source material related works Netflix series availability of fanfiction Between 100 and 1000 entries on Archive of Our Own -
Vampire Diaries by Kevin Williamson developer - producer, Julie Plec developer - producer
In the fictional town of Mystic Falls, a place with a history of supernatural events, a teenage girl loses both her parents in a car accident. She meets a vampyre and falls in love with him. Things get more complicated when the Vampyres older brother steps into the scene, and after many antagonism a love triangle erupts. The series then continues who have both brothers protect the girl from super natural enemis while vying for her love.
genres romance young adult horror keywords substance abuse content warnings profanity: mild - violence: yes - sex: yes languages English length 171 episodes in 8 seasons, episodes are around 40 minutes source material availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on FanFiction.net notes Probably the quintessential TV show that came after the initial wave of success of the Twilight films. Very underwhelming at first, but it is generally agreed that the series improved during the later seasons. -
Walking Dead by Frank Darabont developer
After the Zombie apochalypse destroyed human civilization, the last remnants of humanity try to survive the Zombie onslaught as well as the other humans. The series initially follows the Sherrif's Deputy Rick Grames as he tries to survive in this apocalyptic scenario, but quickly multiple plot threads with different characters get introduced. The plots of each episode mainly concern themselves with petty human relationships (petty considering the circumstances).
genres young adult horror keywords addiction - child abuse - divorce - domestic violence - major character death - racism - rape or sexual assault - self-harm - substance abuse - suicide - nihilism - humanity as ultimate evil - zombies - post apochalypse content warnings profanity: yes - violence: graphic - sex: yes languages English length 115 episoded as of April 2018 each about 55 minutes source material related works The Walking Dead is based on a Comic series of the same name created by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, which to most accounts is superior to the TV show. There is also a video game series created by Telltale Games, where the first two seasons garnered much accolades in the gaming media but has been in a decline since. availability of fanfiction Between 1000 and 50,000 entries on The Walking Dead Fanfiction notes The authors of this series have a very negative attitude towards humans and lack the psychological and sociological as well as the historical understanding to make a compelling narrative within the setting. Characters are more concerned with pointless personal squabbles than anything important or ultimately interesting. Note that this is the same with George Romero's Night, Dawn, Day and Land of the living Dead films, so this has been a staple of Zombie narratives from the inception of the Genre. The notable difference is strength of these theme and artistic execution. While of course a matter of taste the series is very divise on how it handles its themes.
Digital stories from fans in the multilingual classroom
