Historical Fiction for Children

Recommended historical fiction for children.  Historical fiction is a type of story that is set in the past.  Most titles on this list are at fourth to sixth grade reading levels.

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All-of-a-Kind Family
Artist/Author/Cast:
Taylor, Sydney; John, Helen (Illustrator)
Call Number:
JF Taylor
Description:

Five little Jewish girls, all dressed alike, live in New York at the turn of the century.

The Arrow Over the Door
Artist/Author/Cast:
Bruchac, Joseph; Watling, James (Illustrator)
Call Number:
JF Bruchac
Description:

In 1777, a group of Quakers and a group of Abenaki Native Americans have a memorable meeting.

Ben and Me: A New and Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin as Written by His Good Mouse, Amos
Artist/Author/Cast:
Lawson, Robert
Call Number:
JF Lawson
Description:

According to Amos, the mouse, it was really he who was responsible for Ben Franklin's inventions and discoveries.

Betty Before X
Artist/Author/Cast:
Shabazz, Ilyasah
Call Number:
JF Shabazz
Description:

A passion for social justice blossoms during middle school for the girl who grew up to become Dr. Betty Shabazz.

The Birchbark House
Artist/Author/Cast:
Erdrich, Louise
Call Number:
JF Erdrich
Description:

The story of an Ojibwa girl who lives with her family on an island on Lake Superior in 1847.

Caddie Woodlawn
Artist/Author/Cast:
Brink, Carol Ryrie
Call Number:
JF Brink
Description:

Meet red-headed Caddie, a pioneer girl who loves to have adventures with her brothers.

Calico Bush
Artist/Author/Cast:
Field, Rachel; Lewis, Allen (Illustrator)
Call Number:
JF Field
Description:

A girl orphaned and alone in the New World promises to serve the Sargent family in return for her keep.

Children of the Longhouse
Artist/Author/Cast:
Bruchac, Joseph
Call Number:
JF Bruchac
Description:

Eleven-year-old Ohkwa'ri and his sister must make peace in their Mohawk village in the late 1400s.

Dragon's Gate
Artist/Author/Cast:
Yep, Laurence
Call Number:
JF/YP F Yep
Description:

Young Otter faces adventure, danger, and hardship when he joins the crew building the transcontinental railroad.

The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
Artist/Author/Cast:
Yep, Laurence
Call Number:
JF Yep
Description:

Henry and Chin love to read about heroes until they both witness real courage during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Elijah of Buxton
Artist/Author/Cast:
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Call Number:
JF Curtis
Description:

Eleven-year-old Elijah, born free, feels as if he's in over his head when he sets out to recover stolen money.

Esperanza Rising
Artist/Author/Cast:
Ryan, Pam Muñoz
Call Number:
JF Ryan
Description:

Privileged, wealthy Esperanza must leave Mexico to work in a labor camp on the eve of the Great Depression.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Artist/Author/Cast:
Kelly, Jacqueline
Call Number:
JF Kelly
Description:

Growing up in rural Texas in 1899, twelve-year-old Callie spends her time exploring the river and observing animals.

Ghost Hawk
Artist/Author/Cast:
Cooper, Susan
Call Number:
JF Cooper
Description:

Little Hawk loses everything he loves to a sickness brought by white men in colonial Massachusetts.

Johnny Tremain
Artist/Author/Cast:
Forbes, Esther; Ward, Lynd (Illustrator)
Call Number:
JF/YP F Forbes
Description:

After injuring his hand, a silversmith's apprentice becomes a messenger for the Sons of Liberty before the American Revolution.

A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple
Artist/Author/Cast:
Lasky, Kathryn
Call Number:
JF Lasky
Description:

Twelve-year-old Mem describes her trip on the Mayflower in 1620 and her family's first year in the New World.

A Long Way from Chicago
Artist/Author/Cast:
Peck, Richard
Call Number:
JF Peck
Description:

A boy recounts his annual summer trips to Illinois with his sister to visit their grandmother during the Great Depression.

Morning Girl
Artist/Author/Cast:
Dorris, Michael
Call Number:
JF Dorris
Description:

In alternating chapters, Morning Girl and Star Boy describe their island life in pre-Columbian America, ending as Columbus arrives.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
Artist/Author/Cast:
Philbrick, W. Rodman
Call Number:
JF Philbrick
Description:

Orphaned Homer sets out to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.

No Moon
Artist/Author/Cast:
Watts, Irene N.
Call Number:
JF Watts
Description:

Louisa, a nursemaid, overcomes her fear of the ocean and sails with her charges to New York aboard the Titanic.

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