Historical Fiction is not synonymous with boring! Check out one of these engaging stories and discover how you might connect with a character living in a different time period.
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
Youth Fiction ALBUS
In World War II England, orphaned siblings William, Edmund, and Anna are evacuated from London to live in the countryside, where they bounce from home to home in search of someone willing to adopt them permanently.
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
Youth Fiction ALEXANDER
In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly brubaker bradley
Youth Fiction BRADLEY
Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in.
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Youth Fiction HIRANANDANI
Shy, twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland
Youth Fiction IRELAND
Discovering her ability to see ghosts when a cruel act ends her father’s life and forces her to move in with relatives in 1920s Pittsburgh, young Ophelia forges a helpful bond with a spirit whose own life ended suddenly and unjustly.
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
Youth Fiction LEZOTTE
It is 1805 and Mary Lambert has always felt safe among the deaf community of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard where practically everyone communicates in a shared sign language, but recent events have shattered her life; her brother has died, land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people are becoming increasingly bitter, and a “scientist” determined to discover the origins of the islands’ widespread deafness has decided she makes the perfect “live specimen”–and kidnapped her.
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
Youth Fiction OH
A tale based on true events follows the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents’ experiences as lost children during the Korean War.
Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Youth Fiction PANTELEAKOS
Twelve-year-old, nonverbal and severely autistic, Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, and kids across America will watch the event on live TV in their classrooms. Nova and her big sister, Bridget, share a love of astronomy and the space program. They planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared, and Nova is in a new foster home.
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Youth Fiction PARK
Award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers. Includes an afterword from the author.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Youth Fiction RYAN
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz
Youth Fiction SHABAZZ
Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement.
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
Youth Fiction WOLK
When twelve-year-old Ellie and her family lose livelihood and move to a mountain cabin in 1934, she quickly learns to be an outdoors woman and, when needed, a healer.