This article was written for the Nerdy Book Club. The original post can be read here.
When teachers and librarians encourage students to read historical, they not only provide a way to understand the past, they also promote an enjoyment in learning. Historical fiction has not always been used in this way, however. For centuries, children’s literature, and historical fiction in general, failed to accurately reflect and include global humanity.
In the nineteenth century, school textbooks would regularly feature stories to illustrate the individual triumphs of those with good character and civic virtue. These stories taught local history, government, and national identity, but they were often ethnocentric and male-dominated narratives. Things began to change in the twentieth century when the Industrial Revolution and mass immigration from Europe influenced writers to embrace realism. Instead of focusing on the privileged and powerful, they captured the lives of common people as they interacted with both the ordinary and extraordinary. Yet it wasn’t until our current century that themes of multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion really began to enter the K-12 classroom. One of the largest contributors to this shift is the prevalence of sound historical fiction written for children and young adults. These titles are praised for accurately depicting the values, actions, and reactions of a given historical period, while at the same time providing authentic characters, places, and events.
These ten books are excellent examples of twenty-first century historical fiction that represents the voices of people from different cultures, ethnicities, socio-economies, and abilities. Not only are these books effective resources for educators and librarians to talk about topics absent from textbooks, they also demonstrate that learning about the past can also be fun!
When teachers and librarians encourage students to read historical, they not only provide a way to understand the past, they also promote an enjoyment in learning. Historical fiction has not always been used in this way, however. For centuries, children’s literature, and historical fiction in general, failed to accurately reflect and include global humanity.
In the nineteenth century, school textbooks would regularly feature stories to illustrate the individual triumphs of those with good character and civic virtue. These stories taught local history, government, and national identity, but they were often ethnocentric and male-dominated narratives. Things began to change in the twentieth century when the Industrial Revolution and mass immigration from Europe influenced writers to embrace realism. Instead of focusing on the privileged and powerful, they captured the lives of common people as they interacted with both the ordinary and extraordinary. Yet it wasn’t until our current century that themes of multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusion really began to enter the K-12 classroom. One of the largest contributors to this shift is the prevalence of sound historical fiction written for children and young adults. These titles are praised for accurately depicting the values, actions, and reactions of a given historical period, while at the same time providing authentic characters, places, and events.
These ten books are excellent examples of twenty-first century historical fiction that represents the voices of people from different cultures, ethnicities, socio-economies, and abilities. Not only are these books effective resources for educators and librarians to talk about topics absent from textbooks, they also demonstrate that learning about the past can also be fun!
Middle Grade
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
(Grades 5-7)
Pam Munoz Ryan takes storytelling to a new level with this tale of four children’s interaction with a “magical” harmonica . Spanning decades, the book recounts Friedrich’s hardships at the rise of Nazi Germany, Mike’s struggles during the Great Depression, and Ivy’s encounters with racism during WWII. The harmonica music helps keeps their families together and ultimately draws the children towards a common goal.
The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley(Grades 5-7)
(Grades 5-7)
Pam Munoz Ryan takes storytelling to a new level with this tale of four children’s interaction with a “magical” harmonica . Spanning decades, the book recounts Friedrich’s hardships at the rise of Nazi Germany, Mike’s struggles during the Great Depression, and Ivy’s encounters with racism during WWII. The harmonica music helps keeps their families together and ultimately draws the children towards a common goal.
The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley(Grades 5-7)

Al Capone Shines my Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
(Grades 5-7)
When I first sat down to read this book, I had no idea what to expect, except that Gennifer Choldenko is a master of the historically-accurate backdrop. Choosing the notorious time period when Al Capone was imprisoned at Alcatraz and prison guards lived with their families on the island, she tells the story of twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan, and his life with an autistic sister, and encounters with convicts, a new school, bullies, and baseball.
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine
(Grades 5-7)

The Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan
(Grades 4-7)
Not much is known about Kate Warne, the first female detective for the Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency, but what is known about this courageous trail-blazer fuels Kate Hannigan’s story about Warne and her spunky niece, Nell. Together the two help solve cases across the country, including mysteries surrounding President Lincoln and the underground railroad. Along the way, Nell discovers the answers to some mysteries of her own and learns hard lessons about family and belonging.
Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling
(Grades 3-6)
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
(Grades 5-7)

Young Adult
(A note of care for younger readers: these stories, though redemptive in nature, include violence and tragedy).Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
(Grades 7-12)
Gary Schmidt is known for delicately weaving history into powerful, character-driven stories, and this is no exception. When Turner Buckminster’s family moves to Phippsburg, Maine in 1911, all he can think about is leaving. That is, until he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a spirited girl from Malaga Island. The inhabitants of the island, impoverished former slaves, are soon driven from their home, and it seems Turner is the only one who cares.
Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse
(Grades 6-9)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Grades 8-12)

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