Kids Historical Fiction
FEVER, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
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When her friend Polly dies of a mysterious fever, Matilda is in shock. It doesn’t seem possible that Polly could have been so healthy yesterday and dead by the morning. But in a few days’ time, the shock of Polly’s death is overshadowed by the terrifying reality of a yellow fever epidemic that leaves no one unscathed. When her mother falls ill, Mattie and her grandfather try to flee Philadelphia, only to fall ill themselves on the road. They recover and return to a changed city–full of crying orphans, ruthless thieves, mass graves, and starving survivors. In order to survive, Mattie must learn to defend herself, do her best to help the sick, and cling to the hope that her mother may still be alive.
This exciting historical survival story will appeal to middle grade and teen readers. If you liked Fever 1793, you might like A Time of Angels by Karen Hesse or An American Plague by Jim Murphy.
ONE DEAD SPY: THE LIFE, TIMES, AND LAST WORDS OF NATHAN HALE, AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS SPY by Nathan Hale
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Revolutionary Captain Nathan Hale is about to be executed for spying on the British. While the British officer is fetching the hanging orders, the jovial hangman helps Nathan brainstorm some awesome Last Words. But when Nathan says “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country,” he is immediately swallowed by a giant book. It turns out those Last Words were so awesome that Nathan Hale made history! And his brief visit to the history book gives him a glimpse of some fascinating events that happen in the future. When the British officer returns, Nathan Hale delays his hanging by telling the story of the Revolutionary War and its outcome. And he promises to delay his hanging even further by telling about other dramatic historical events as the series of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales continues.
This graphic novel series is great! Author/Artist Nathan Hale (illustrator of Rapunzel’s Revenge) brings American history to life with his artwork and infuses it with humor through the great framing story of the character Nathan Hale, the pompous British officer, and the comedic hangman. One Dead Spy is currently on the NYT Bestselling Graphic Novels list. Two sequels have been published so far (Big Bad Ironclad! and Donner Dinner Party). A fourth (Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood) comes out next month.
ELIJAH OF BUXTON by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Elijah was the first free Black child born in the Canadian town of Buxton. His parents—as well as most of the adults in his town—were once enslaved in the United States who escaped to freedom in Canada. For Elijah and his friends, ringing the freedom bell when a new escapee arrives in Buxton is always exciting, but the true meaning of freedom becomes more real as Elijah grows toward adulthood and has some dangerous adventures of his own.
By exploring the history of slavery through the characters of a free town, Christopher Paul Curtis captures the utter joy of freedom in a rare and beautiful way. Even with enslavement such a recent and raw memory in his community, growing up in a free town, Elijah (like most of his readers) is somewhat naive and ignorant of what a captive life really feels like. This novel is Elijah’s coming-of-age story by which he comes to understand and appreciate more fully his family’s and community’s history. And through his story, the reader will come to experience the same. Curtis does not shy away from the horrors of slavery nor does he rely on violence and drama to propel his plot. I highly recommend this novel to middle grade readers who want to read some really good, character-driven historical fiction.
WOLF BROTHER by Michelle Paver
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Torak can remember the exact moment that his life changed. He and Fa had been setting up camp, happy and laughing, when the bear exploded from the forest—the great demon bear that no hunter could destroy—and attacked Fa. Numb with shock and grief, Torak swears to Fa’s dying request. He will find the mountain of the World Spirit that no man has ever seen. He will trust the guide that the spirits send him, whoever or whatever it may be. And he will stay away from the clans, avoiding people at all costs, so that they do not hinder him. He will fulfill his quest or die trying.
The guide is certainly not what Torak expected. Almost as soon as Torak finds the orphaned wolf cub, he feels a connection between them. Though he does not know how, Torak can communicate with the wolf, understanding his wolf speech and speaking back with grunts, whines, and growls. Realizing that the wolf must be his guide, Torak follows the cub through the forest, hoping that the young wolf will lead him to the mountain of the World Spirit. But Torak forgets his father’s hunting advice—“Look behind you, Torak”—and before his quest is fully underway, he is captured by hunters from the Raven clan. Yet if he had not been captured, he never would have met Renn, learned about the prophecy, or discovered the secrets of his father’s past and the demon bear. Now, Torak is more determined than ever to find the mountain of the World Spirit—but first he must escape the clutches of the Ravens. . . .
I cannot recommend this audiobook highly enough! Sir Ian McKellen’s narration is phenomenal. The story itself is dark, suspenseful, and very exciting. It has all of the story elements you could ask for: action, mystery, complex and evolving characters, friendships and rivalries, puzzles to solve, and evil to defeat. I especially recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and/or high fantasy and to dog lovers. Wolf Brother is the first in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.
If you liked Wolf Brother, you might like The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, or Dreamwood by Heather Mackey.
THE DRAGONFLY POOL by Eva Ibbotson
Tally Hamilton was perfectly happy living in London with her father and her aunts. But when another world war looms on the horizon, Tally’s father takes advantage of a scholarship to send her to a “progressive” boarding school in the country. Although initially homesick, Tally wastes little time in making friends and shaking things up at Delderton Hall. When she sees a tourism advertisement for the Eastern European country of Bergania, whose brave king stood up to Hitler, Tally feels called to visit the beautiful place. And when Delderton Hall is invited to participate in a folkdance festival in Bergania, it seems too good to be true. Tally, her friends, and their inspiring yet enigmatic biology instructor, Matteo, travel to Bergania full of hope.
Karil, the prince of Bergania, lives an unhappy life. He feels stifled by his royal lifestyle and he rarely gets to see his father. But when Karil meets Tally, the folkdancer from England, his perspective on his father changes. Maybe his father is a hero for standing up to Hitler. Maybe the role of a king can be important in the world. Then, Karil’s father is assassinated, and Karil and Tally find themselves swept up in a dangerous political game as the try to smuggle Karil safely out of the country.
As you can probably tell from the two paragraphs of summary, this is a long and complicated story–but a wonderful one! Bergania is a fictional country, so readers should not assume that every detail of this historical fiction is accurate. But the characters are wonderful and the plot a beautiful blend of school adventures, historical, and suspense. It is a coming-of-age story for both Tally and Karil which approaches themes of friendship, family, and personal and national identity–and woven throughout, the theme of finding beauty and peace in nature. Because of its complexity, The Dragonfly Pool does not hang together as well as The Star of Kazan or some of Eva Ibbotson’s other work, but Ibbotson fans and historical fiction readers should definitely check this book out! Personally, I loved it.
The audiobook performed by Patricia Conolly is phenomenal.
If you liked The Dragonfly Pool, you might like The Star of Kazan or The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate.
GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES!: VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE by Laura Amy Schlitz
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What was life like for children growing up in Medieval times? Some were peasants, tied to the land they farmed, so poor they had to trick and steal from their lords and masters just to make sure they had food to eat. Others were apprenticed to tradesmen in the village, working as blacksmiths or falconers. And others were children of the lords living in luxury inside their palace halls.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! tells the stories of over twenty Medieval children and their variety of dreams, fears, pranks, mistakes, and achievements. The stories are written as monologues and dialogues which could be read aloud as a play. They can also be read silently as short first-person narratives. The monologues are interspersed with more information about each of the time periods to keep readers informed about the history and culture surrounding the characters. A Newbery Award winner, these plays are a fun read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. If you would like a more dramatic experience, listen to the audio book which has each character read aloud by a different actor!
If you liked Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! you might like Crispin by Avi.
THE MAN WHO WAS POE by Avi
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Edmund is close to despair. He, his sister, and his aunt had not been in American very long at all before his aunt disappeared. What’s worse, they still have seen no sign of Edmund’s mother, whom they came to America to seek. After going out in search of his aunt and failing to find her, Edmund returns to their small apartment to discover that his sister has also vanished from inside their locked apartment. He has no hope of finding any of his family again until a mysterious stranger turns up. The man is drunk and possibly a bit mad, but he seems sure that he can unravel the mystery and find Edmund’s aunt, mother, and sister. Edmund sees no other option than to trust the sullen, disturbed gentleman and hope for the best. Unfortunately, it seems as though the stranger’s troubled past may interfere with his abilities as a detective.
The Man Who Was Poe is a dark, somewhat gothic mystery story. Readers who are familiar with Poe’s stories and biography will probably find this fictional imagining of Poe both believable and fascinating. Readers without an interest in Poe may be frustrated by the detective’s mood swings and the passive, whiny helplessness of the leading child character, Edmund. Edmund’s character does improve by the end of the novel, however, and the mystery itself is very intriguing. I would recommend this book to all Poe fans and to readers in grades 5-8 who enjoy dark, gothic novels.
BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Since Bud’s mother died, he has been bounced around among orphanages and foster homes–none of which have been particularly good places to live. It seems like the only people willing to take in an orphan child during the Depression are either mean or crazy. But as long as Bud follows his “Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar out of Yourself,” he never loses spirits. He also has his trusty suitcase with the flyer his mother gave him before she died advertising Herman E. Calloway’s Dusky Devastators of the Depression, a Grand Rapids jazz band.
Although his mother never said so, Bud is convinced that Herman E. Calloway is his father. After Bud escapes from a particularly nasty foster home, he decides the time has come to travel the 120 miles from Flint to Grand Rapids to find his father. When he actually meets Mr. Calloway, however, it isn’t quite the reunion Bud was expecting.
Bud, Not Buddy won both the 2000 Newbery Award and the 2000 Coretta Scott King Award for good reason. It is a phenomenal historical fiction novel that immerses readers in the worlds of jazz and the Great Depression. Bud is a wonderfully realistic character–determined, resilient, creative, and just a bit naive–with a great sense of humor that makes his story very funny, as well as touching. I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers who enjoy humor and/or historical fiction.
ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia
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Delphine and her two sisters are not thrilled about flying from New York to Oakland to “meet” their mother, Cecile. They haven’t seen or spoken to Cecile since she left their family when Delphine was only four years old and Fern was still an infant. Now it is 1968, Delphine is eleven years old, and she can’t understand why her father thinks that meeting Cecile is so important–especially since Cecile doesn’t want to meet them either. From the minute they arrive, it is obvious that Cecile has no idea how to take care of children and views them as an inconvenience. Delphine finds herself responsible for making sure her sisters are fed and getting along with one another. All Cecile seems to want to do is write poetry all day long. To get them out of the house, she insists that Delphine and the girls attend a Black Panthers summer camp. Delphine is bothered by the political message of the camp and knows that her father and grandmother would not approve. But as the girls get more and more wrapped up in the Black Panther community and Cecile’s life, their own lives begin to seem more complicated. More than just meeting their mother, they begin to discover new things about themselves.
One Crazy Summer fully deserved its Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. The characters in this book are complicated and fascinating and there is just enough intrigue and adventure in the plot to keep the story engaging. I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers who enjoy historical fiction, coming-of-age stories, or stories about complicated families.
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM–1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Kenny has never been one of the popular kids, in part because of his lazy eye that makes him look kind of funny, but mostly because he is smart and good at school–which automatically makes him uncool. It is both a blessing and a curse that he has the very cool troublemaker Byron as his older brother. While Byron and his friends often bully Kenny, Byron can also get Kenny off the hook with some of the other school bullies. But when Byron crosses one-too-many lines, their parents make a big decision: the whole family (including Byron and Kenny’s little sister Joetta) will be leaving their home in snowy Flint, Michigan and traveling down to Birmingham, Alabama where their grandmother lives. Byron will be spending the whole summer with Grandma Sands, and if he doesn’t get his act together, he’ll be stuck there for the whole next school year. Kenny is excited about his first adventure to the South, but there are some things he couldn’t quite prepare for.
Dedicated to the four young victims of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 is undeniably a Civil Rights story. But the approach that Curtis takes in his novel is somewhat unique. The majority of the story is not about politics, racism, or hatred. The focal point of the story is the family relationships. Curtis focuses on characters, rather than events, making this family living in the past seem real and relatable to modern readers. When the Civil Rights issue finally enters toward the end of the novel, the reader’s understanding of the events is framed by the reader’s intimacy with the characters. While Curtis does not shy away from describing events that are both frightening and tragic, the strength and resilience of his characters and the message of his epilogue will leave readers with a sense of hope and closure. This is a phenomenal book, and I highly recommend it!
If you liked The Watsons Go To Birmingham–1963, you might like The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon.
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