When historical fiction is taught in elementary and middle school classrooms, it is often presented as literature, or alongside works of nonfiction and primary sources. Children’s historical fiction is not regularly taught for its own educational merit or as means of gaining historical awareness. While the pairing of fiction and nonfiction is a useful tool that teaches the importance of scholarly and primary sources, we must also consider how these stories alone can positively impact children to become better students and members of society. Around the time that students enter middle school, their knowledge of the past begins to shift from snapshots of famous people and events, to a broader critical understanding of the context behind these things that happened long ago. Because of this, children’s historical fiction, primarily published at the middle-grade reading level, are perfect tools for gaining historical awareness. It is an understatement to say that educators and libraria