As a member of an all-boy company preparing to perform Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream in a London replica of the Globe Theatre, Nathan Field becomes ill and is mysteriously transported to Elizabethan England. This time-travel novel conveys the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan England as Nathan befriends Shakespeare. The details of 16th-century troupe life as well as how costumes, makeup and stage effects were carried out add depth to the story. Woven into the description of the past is the story of Nathan and his attempts to deal with the deaths of both his parents.
This novel, with its multifaceted themes, would be a good choice to use partnered with Shakespeare's original play.

This novel about Wendy Darling, written before she met Peter Pan, deals with issues of infidelity, caregiver abuse, madness and maturation. Wendy is outspoken and often gets into trouble. After being severely punished by the nanny, she sneaks out of the nursery to spy on her parents at one of their parties. During the party, Wendy discovers that her father is unfaithful. Later, the children are sent to Rosegrove, a summer retreat. Wendy loves Rosegrove because she can see Thomas, who has a disability. Wendy learns that Thomas is really her brother who was sent away because he was not socially acceptable to her father. Wallace describes the hypocrisy and cruelty of the privileged class in early 20th-century London.

This version of the Cinderella story is set in China during the reign (1368-1398) of the Emperor Hung Wu, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Xing Xing's father dies and she is bound in servitude to her stepmother and to her stepsister, who is undergoing the painful process of foot binding in order to make her more marriageable. While hiding the bones of a pet fish killed by her stepmother, Xing Xing discovers a green silk gown and golden slippers that belonged to her mother. Dressed in this fine clothing, Xing Xing goes to the festival where she loses a slipper. As in the Cinderella story, Xing Xing meets her prince and the story ends with happily ever after.
Xing Xing's story makes it clear that in traditional Chinese life, women were not valued and daughters were considered a liability.