|
book nook: Historic Fiction
4-8 Years
Silent Movie by Avi
Revisit the days when movies were silent and black and white, with this story about a family of Swedish immigrants making a new life in America. Author and illustrator notes at the end of the book offer more information about silent movies.
Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman
An account of what possibly occurred on the historic hot-air balloon ride taken by a duck, a sheep, and a rooster. Also includes a brief history of the hot-air balloon, invented by Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier.
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
During World War II, “Shorty” and his family are sent to an internment camp. There, in captivity, the game of baseball gave him hope, a sense of triumph, and a reason to keep going, even after the war ended and he went back home.
Death of the Iron Horse by Paul Goble
In the late 1867, a group of Cheyenne braves attacked a Union Pacific freight train. The story is told from the Indians’ viewpoint, depicting the curiosity and fear that motivated them to go and protect their village from the strange iron beast.
Katie’s Trunk by Ann Turner
As the American Revolution heats up, Katie is the middle child in a family of those loyal to England. When a group of neighbors, all armed, come to their home to steal and loot, the family hides out in the nearby woods. Katie, however, runs back to the house to protect the family’s valuables and one of the young rebels discovers her.
The Mud Family by Betsy James
In the midst of a drought and her family members’ short tempers, a young Anasazi girl makes a family of dolls out of mud. Not allowed to participate in the rain dance, she rises early one morning and dances and sings with her mud family, bringing the rain again.
Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness
The story of Bartholemew, Remember, and Mary Allerton, who traveled with their parents on the Mayflower and settled down in the Plymouth Colony.
Pop’s Bridge by Eve Bunting
Robert’s father is helping to build San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, as is the father of Robert’s friend Charlie. Robert secretly believes that the work that his father does as a high-iron man is far more important and dangerous than that of Charlie’s father, a painter. But when an accident occurs and 10 men die, Robert realizes that the work of every man involved is equally important and dangerous.
Coolies by Yin
Shek and Wong are two brothers, refugees from Southern China, eager to begin a new and promising life in America. But as they begin helping to build the transcontinental railroad, they come face to face with the harsh reality of discrimination, and they must strive to find the better future they had hoped for in America.
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
In this story of post-World War II Holland, Katje receives a letter and a package from Rosie, a girl she doesn’t know in Indiana. The two girls develop a friendship through exchanging letters, and when Rosie and her family discovers the severe need in Holland, they gather food and clothes to send to Katje.
9-12 Years
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
See 19th century life through the eyes of a seven year old Ojibwa girl. Danger lurks everywhere, from meeting a bear to surviving a small pox outbreak.
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Set in late 12th century Korea, a ten year old orphan transforms from an apprentice to an artist. After breaking a pot, Tree Ear must pay his debt by working for the potter. This is a story of determination and kindness amidst the backdrop of life in Korea.
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
As Frannie struggles to understand Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul”, other events are occurring that give her plenty to ponder. Such as the arrival of a new boy at school – a boy who looks white and says he’s not.
The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
Being friends with the daughter of the new African American postmaster is the last thing Harry “Dit” Sims wants or expects, but Emma makes Dit think and learn hard lessons about race, justice, and the true meaning of friendship.
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
After being falsely accused of murder, Crispin, a 14th-century English peasant boy, flees for his life, meeting a traveling juggler on the way.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
Written as a play with 23 lead characters, this book presents a series of monologues and dialogues that feature the stories of the young people living in a medieval English village.
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
Set during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, this book follows 11-year-old Jack, who must find the strength and courage to determine the course of his future as well as that of his town.
The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands by Louise Borden
In Holland, in the winter of 1941, a 10-year-old Piet leads his two young neighbors to safety by skating over the ice to relatives in Belguim.
The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble
By day, Maddy Rose sews seams in the linens for a local upholstery shop. By night, using her own hand-knit scarlet-colored stockings and her white petticoats, she leaves weekly signals on the clothesline for her brother, who serves in General Washington’s army.
The Trial by Jen Bryant
This novel-in-poems looks from a child’s perspective at the trial of the alleged kidnapper and killer of Colonel and Mrs. Charles Lindbergh’s baby son.
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The true story of Roy’s Aunt Syvia’s experiences in the Lodz Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
In 1853, Owen and his brother are on an orphan train headed west, having been abandoned by their widowed mother. Jumping off the train, Owen winds up on a circus boat and his adventures (and discoveries) really begin.
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Follow errand boy Ethan through the streets of Colonial Boston, meeting the people of the city and hearing about their work and thoughts on the current political situation.
The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble
Inspired by events in the author’s own family history, this novel, set in Andover in the late 1600s, depicts one family’s experiences during the Salem witch trials.
The Last Girls of Pompeii by Kathryn Lasky
It is the summer of 79 A.D. in Pompeii. By all appearances, Julia - daughter of a wealthy ship-builder - and Sura, orphan and Julia’s slave, lead vastly different lives yet each girl is a prisoner in her respective life. Desperate for freedom, they do not realize the true meaning of freedom until Mt. Vesuvius erupts and their lives are changed forever.
|
