We've found that historical fiction is not being published at the same level that it used to be. This article at The Federalist speaks to this phenomenon and offers some possible reasons for it. It also mentions that certain categories of historical fiction are more likely to be published and you'll see that reflected in this list. We love historical fiction and think it's an excellent way for kids to immerse themselves in another time period and gain understanding of historical peoples and societies. While fewer historical fiction books are being published there are still gems to be found! The Biblioguides Team collaborated with Diane Pendergraft and Sara Masarik from Plumfield Moms, as well as librarian Sherry Early, to put together this list of some of our favorite historical fiction books that have been published in the last 20 years. You should be able to find most, if not all, of these books at your local library.
The Wednesday Wars
By: Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewed by: Sara Masarik
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Diane Pendergraft, Sarah Kim, Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
This book is brilliant and hilarious while also being poignant and tender. The story is not merely set in the early 1960s, but the war in Vietnam, the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, Atomic Bomb Awareness, and baseball with the Yankees are all real and vibrant aspects of the story. As a mama, I find that the 1960s is a difficult period of time to teach to my children. I would say that this exciting and thoughtful story has been very helpful in introducing that tumultuous time to my children.
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Okay For Now
By: Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewed by: Diane Pendergraft
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Sara Masarik, Sarah Kim, Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
Of Schmidt’s three companion books, The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now, and Just Like That, I think Okay for Now is the richest. The characters are full and believable and Doug’s growth over the school year is substantial. Doug finds himself surrounded by caring adults who see the best in him and mentor him through hard times. When Doug first gets to Marysville, he believes he is alone like the arctic tern falling out of the sky. His father is abusive, one brother is a juvenile delinquent, and the other is in Vietnam. His mother is as much of an ally as she can be while trying not to bring her husband’s wrath down on herself or the boys.
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
By: Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewed by: Sara Masarik
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Diane Pendergraft, Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
It is hard to review this book in a way that doesn’t spoil the ending but still gives you a sense of why this is so compelling. Because this is a work of historical fiction, I am tempted to tell you about the facts that inspired this tragic tale. I think, however, that I will let you decide for yourself what you wish to know before reading. The setting of this story is real. The characters are semi-real. The large events are mostly real and the small ones are added to draw us in and make us care. In some ways this is one of Schmidt’s gentler tales, but in other ways it is the hardest. I am glad to have read this. I will recommend this to teens and moms. I will probably do a book club on this one. And I will sob each time I do.
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Resistance
By: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Reviewed by: Tanya Arnold
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Sara Masarik
This story was incredibly thought provoking, and a great exploration of the events leading up to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and those who chose to join the Resistance Movement. Highly recommend for 12 and up!
Words on Fire
By: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Reviewed by: Sara Masarik
Also read and recommended by: Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
This exciting story is told from the point of view of a teenage girl, but there are healthy adult mentors who feature prominently and good relationships all around. The story is based on true events that did depend on the work of the old and the young working in tandem to preserve Lithuanian culture through underground schools and book smuggling. Of course, Audra becomes a book smuggler. But not automatically. She is angry at everyone over the grief and loss of her parents. And it takes some time and some experiences for her to really understand what is at stake and what role she has to play in all of this.
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Brother's Keeper
By: Julie Lee
Reviewed by: Sarah Kim
Recommended age: 12+
This is an incredibly heartbreaking and important story. My mother-in-law fled North Korea when she was 2 years old, her older sister watching over her. Many of the events in this book happened to the author's mother. While the details of each refugee's story is unique, they all represent people desperate for freedom facing unfathomable decisions in an attempt to survive and protect their loved ones. Read this book when you're prepared to mourn and remember.
In the Tunnel
By: Julie Lee
Reviewed by: Sarah Kim
Recommended age: 12+
This is a heartbreaking story just as the companion book, Brother's Keeper, was, but it is sensitively told. The Author's Note explains how commonplace stories like this were. "An astounding ten million Koreans were permanently separated from their immediate family after the Korean War." I'm glad I read this book and that more stories about the Korean War are starting to be told.
Hattie Big Sky
By: Kirby Larson
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Also read and recommended by: Sara Masarik, Tanya Arnold
The orphaned sixteen year old Hattie Brooks decides to leave Iowa and move to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim. In Montana in 1918, Hattie finds adventure, hardship, and family.
A Long Walk to Water
By: Linda Sue Park
Reviewed by: Tanya Arnold
Also read and recommended by: Deanna Knoll, Lara Lleverino, Sherry Early
A Single Shard
By: Linda Sue Park
Reviewed by: Tanya Arnold
Also read and recommended by: Deanna Knoll, Sherry Early
I highly recommend this story! I was fascinated by the history and culture the author incorporated into the story, I learned so much and took some time to research Korean celadon pottery a bit more. One of my favorite aspects was the moral dilemmas the main character faced and how he worked through those (often with the voice of his surrogate father Crane-man ringing in his mind) to find the correct path. The relationship was masterfully written. A beautiful story of an orphan finding his place in the world.
When My Name Was Keoko
By: Linda Sue Park
Reviewed by: Tanya Arnold
Recommended age: 13+
Beautifully and perceptively told, this story set in Korea during World War II shares how one family faced oppression and occupation together while living under a Japanese regime. Placed under the extreme pressures of this environment, including life-and-death situations, each member struggles to make the best decisions they can while supporting one another. Misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions, and more create tensions and yet, in the end, their resilience, courage, and love for one another shine through.
We often only consider what was happening in Europe leading up to and during WWII, but history shows us that so much more was going on in other places of the world and that the threads of these events are all intertwined together. Here we see that inhumanity was occurring, as it was in Europe, in Korea as well, including attempts to stamp out culture, house raids and intimidation, forced military and work recruitment, and more. While covering such difficult truths of history, I loved how well Linda Sue Park tells this story for a younger audience. It is honest, but not graphic; hard, yet hopeful. Highly recommend.
Although this book is written at a reading level for a 4th-6th grader, I recommend the book for ages 12+ due to the nature of the content. In depth content considerations are available with a Biblioguides membership.
Blood on the River: James Town, 1607
By: Elisa Carbone
Reviewed by: Diane Pendergraft
Recommended age: 12+
I generally despise the modern trend of authors placing a child artificially into a historical situation to “help” the heroes. That is what I was expecting from this book, but Elisa Carbone didn’t resort to that. In this book, the story of the founding of Jamestown is told in the first person point of view by Samuel Collier, an eleven-year-old boy who did go to Jamestown as Captain John Smith’s page. Carbone pieces together a fictionalized story based on extensive research.
It is tragically true that the story of Jamestown involves hardship, death, betrayal, and corruption. Samuel tells his story frankly but not too explicitly for children around twelve years old and up. I appreciate this addition to the historical fiction genre for children and have read it aloud in several classes.
Echo
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Reviewed by: Lara Lleverino
Also read and recommended by: Sarah Kim, Tanya Arnold
Bamboo People
By: Mitali Perkins
Reviewed by: Sherry Early
Recommended age: 13+
When I was in high school I seriously considered becoming a Quaker or Mennonite because I read that those Christian denominations have a history and tradition of pacifism. I know that Christian pacifism, practiced as a life decision and a way of life, would be incredibly challenging and difficult. And war is certainly not the final answer to much of anything. But in this world I believe that self-defense and even violence are sometimes necessary evils.
Mitali Perkins' book, Bamboo People, made me think again about these issues, and I love books that make me think. Is it possible to defend the helpless and also show mercy to one's enemies? Although it's not over-emphasized in the book, Tu Reh's family are obviously Christians, and a lot of the tension in the story has to do with the application of Christian concepts of justice, mercy, hospitality, and healing in a difficult and complex situation. If not pacifism or revenge, then what? How do we balance and make the right decisions?
Profound, good stuff.
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Under the Persimmon Tree
By: Suzanne Fisher Staples
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
War always brings suffering, death and loss. This well written story of the Afghan War, just after it started, brings some of that suffering into sharp focus. Telling the story of a young Afghan girl who is forced to leave her hillside village and flee in terrible conditions, Under the Persimmon Tree explores the power of hope, the importance of family, as well as the sense of place that drives this young girl and her brother to think of returning to their long lost home. Even though this book takes place halfway around the world, the author skillfully draws the reader in so that I felt like I experienced that dark night sky huddled with the sheep and goats, and hear the bombs drop the next day. I could feel the dusty roads and almost smell the savory lentils cooking in the kitchen. For a better understanding of this war torn region, I highly recommend this work of historical fiction.
When the Cherry Blossoms Fell
By: Jennifer Maruno
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
While the plight of Japanese Americans during WWII is fairly well known, Japanese Canadians faced similar prejudice and relocation. This story, along with the other two in sequence, tell the well-written story of a British Columbian family of Japanese descent who struggle through displacement and racism during the 1940s.
Wolf Hollow
By: Lauren Wolk
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
Recommended age: 13+
Also read and recommended by: Lara Lleverino, Tanya Arnold
This thought-provoking story is about a girl in 1940s Pennsylvania who, up to now, has lived a fairly simple life, but is forced to grow up fast and make difficult choices, leaving the innocence of childhood behind. The author weaves together themes of prejudice, the ethics of truth telling, justice, and the price of kindness, all through the lens of bullying. It haunted my thoughts long after I finished turning the pages. It’s one of those books that draws you in so deep you can’t escape until the final words are read.
I’ve enjoyed other coming-of-age stories, but this one hit me hard. As it deals primarily with the long lasting physical, mental and emotional effects of bullying, it hurt my heart like nothing else, and yet, stories are one of the best ways to tell those difficult truths.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, but be prepared to weep.
A Place to Hang the Moon
By: Kate Albus
Reviewed by: Deanna Knoll
Also read and recommended by: Lara Lleverino, Liv Conroy, Sarah Kim, Sherry Early, Tanya Arnold
World War II historical fiction holds a special place in my library and I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. With all the amazing stories there, it’s rare that a new book finds a space but A Place to Hang the Moon did just that. Many children from the city of London were farmed out throughout rural England and this hopeful, adventurous story based on that theme follows three siblings shuffled from one family (if you can even call them that) to the next. What makes this story so beautiful in my eyes is the focus on the importance of stories and how they bind people of different ages together in times of distress. If you loved The Last Bookshop in London, you’ll love this one, too!
