Historical fiction is quite an interesting genre of books when we discuss other such genres. These books are quite popular among a lot of adults. But before knowing more about the interested audience and perks of this genre, let us discuss what it means, for the people who don’t know what it is.
Historical fiction is a genre in which storylines are taken through a time period earlier than that we’re living in. In simpler words, these books contain stories that are placed in past times that date back to at least 50 years. This genre can be both, interesting as well as informative. And due to this a lot of people who like books, wish for their children to read the books of this genre.
Reading books on historical fiction, a child will develop an interest in history while following an informative approach that takes them to a time much before their own. This appeals to children in a different way by providing their minds enough fuel to power the upcoming generation.
15 Historical Fiction Books for Kids To Read:
1. Birchbark House
This book is written by Louise Erdrich. These can be interesting for the people who liked “Little House on the Prairie.” It tries to establish the 1840s in a phenomenal way. And it revolves around an Ojibway family that lives near Lake Superior. This book teaches the reader about important things while preserving a native point of view.
2. Turtle in Paradise
This book is written by Jennifer L. Holm. The plot revolves around the fact that there is a scarcity of jobs in 1930 and when the mama of Turtle acquires a job as a housekeeper, she is sent to live along with people who she had never seen in Key West, Florida because the owner of the house doesn’t like children. Here in Key West, Turtle has a lot of fun, but there are even some secrets that she unveils over here that helps her know better.
3. One Crazy Summer
This book is written by Rita Williams-Garcia. This book revolves around three sisters and their mother whom they are sent to live within Oakland, California, during summer. The name of the daughters are Delphine, Fern, and Vonetta, and the name of their mother is Cecile. The daughters are surprised in the kind of person Cecile is, as they came here to enjoy with their mother and to visit Disneyland but instead their mother puts them in a day camp which is run by the Black Panthers. The girls unveil a lot of family secrets through the journey.
4. Number the Stars
This book is written by Lois Lowery. This book is set in the time of Hitler when Denmark got occupied by the Nazis. It revolves around Annemarie and her family that takes in their best friend whose name is Ellen and is basically Jewish. They try to pass her off as a member of their family till the time they can actually sneak her out of the country to Sweden.
5. The Inquisitor’s Tale
This book is written by Adam Gidwtiz. It is set in the France of 1242. This book seems a lot like “Canterbury Tales” for kids due to the number of stories it provides. It tells us an extraordinary story into powerful concepts of escaping prejudice and injustice. It is based on Jacob, William, Jeanne, and her dog Gwenforte who are the main characters of this book.
6. Sugar
This book is written by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It is based on a little girl named Sugar, who lives on the River Road sugar plantation. This is set in a time where slavery has been fought off, but times are still pretty rough. In order to add some extra helping hands on the plantation, some Chinese workers are brought in, which makes some people unhappy. Still, the little girl Sugar makes acquaintances with a young Chinese worker in the plantation. She soon figures out that she might still be able to help the communities bridge their gaps.
7. When my name was Keoko
This book is written by Linda Sue Park. This book is set in the times before and during World War II. It is set in Korea during the time it was under the control of the Japanese. During this time, this book focuses on Sun-hee as the main character along with her family. A lot of things like their language, cultures, and even names are forbidden to be used, by the Japanese. At the break of World War II, Koreans are to fight alongside Japan, and the brother of our female protagonist enlists her in the fighting as well even though their family was keeping secrets on the Korean resistance.
8. The Case of the Missing Moonstone
This book is written by Jordan Stratford. And it is the first book of the series of Wollstonecraft Detective Agency. This book is based on two intelligent girls who are best friends and decide to open a detective agency in order the fight crime and clever criminals. The name of the main characters is Ada Byron and Mary Godwin.
9. Phoebe the Spy
This book is written by Judith Berry Griffin. This book deals with a spy story. This revolves around a young girl named Phoebe, who is placed in the house of George Washington as his housekeeper because people are planning to kill him. Young Phoebe has to figure out who the person is before something terrible happens.
10. A Stitch in Time
This book is written by Daphne Kalmar. This book is set in the year 1927 in Vermont. It circles around Donut, who is 10 years old and is recently orphaned. Her aunt plans to send Donut off to Boston when she comes to stay with her. Donut doesn’t wish to leave her beautiful Vermont home so she puts in some clever schemes to stay along with her friend Tiny.
11. Unbound
This book is written by Ann E. Burg. It discusses the story of Grace. She works in “the big house” and her family asks her to keep her head down and her mouth shut when she goes to work there. But soon due to the injustice going on, she speaks up and says something that can’t be taken back. Due to this, she has to leave this life of slavery into the swamps while battling danger at every twist to achieve freedom.
12. Listening for Lions
This book is written by Gloria Whelan. It is set in the scene of East Africa when it was occupied by the British. The main character of this book is a girl named Rachel who lives with her parents, who serve as missionaries. After her parents’ death due to influenza, Rachel gets tricked by her cunning neighbors to get back to England. But she does not want to give up the dream of her parents to establish a mission hospital and has to look for a way to stay.
13. The Story Collector
This book is written by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. This book revolves around an eleven-year-old girl named Viviana and her friends. She lives in an apartment in the New York Public Library and believes that she knows the library like the back of her hand. However, when he claims of the library being haunted backfires, she realizes that she needs to solve two mysteries along with her friend that may help the library and prove them right.
14. The Watsons go to Birmingham
This book is written by Christopher Paul Curtis. This book is set in the times of the Civil Rights movement. It covers the story of Kenny and his family when they take a trip from Flint to Birmingham, in Alabama, to see their grandmother as they hope that she could straighten his older brother. But as a tragedy, they arrive at the exact time that her church is bombed off during the movement. Read the book to know what happens next.
15. Paper Boy
This book is written by Vince Vawter. The author tells the story of a young boy of eleven, who is known as the Little Man. He is great at baseball, and he throws the meanest fastball, but he has an issue with interacting with others due to stuttering. But things take a bright turn for him when he takes up his friend’s paper route in July, meaning that he will have to talk to different types of customers. However, things take a drastic turn when he runs into a thief and a bully, who was his neighborhood junkman that poses a threat to his life as well as the life of his family’s housekeeper. Read the book to know more about the events that take place next.
I hope I helped you in finding an accurate book for your kid in the genre of Historical Fiction. These books will help your kid grasp knowledge in a relatively faster manner. If the content was helpful, please like the post or leave a comment below. Any sort of criticism is warmly welcome.