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Historical Fiction and Biography for Young Readers
Young students often find history rather dull. However, teachers, librarians, and parents have discovered
that using historical fiction is an exciting way to encourage children to read and learn about history. This Showcase features new and classic works of historical fiction that spark a child's desire to learn about
the past.
Please browse the titles below and click on those that interest you to see cover art and a full book
description. Some of the titles may also include examples of interior art that offer a clearer representation of the actual book. The titles included in the Showcase are selected by their publishers
who provide the art and descriptive information.
These books are available at your local bookstore, which we urge you to patronize. Your local
bookseller can supply these titles and offer professional, informed help in selecting other good books for children. Check the American Booksellers Association's directory of member bookstores for a bookseller near you.
If you do not have convenient access to any local bookstores, you can purchase these CBC Showcase books online from independent bookstores at  .
CBC Showcase is a bimonthly thematic bibliography available only online. Please visit the Showcase Archive to view previous lists, which include Poetry Titles, Math and Counting Books, Folk and Fairy
tales, The African-American Experience, Humorous Books, Holiday Titles, and much more.
The next Showcase featuring children's poetry will be online as of March 1, 2002.
Abraham Lincoln: Letters from a Slave Girl
, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney.
Ages 10-14. Imagine Lettie Tucker, a slave girl in Charleston, South Carolina, having the courage to write to President Lincoln. Imagine that he writes back. (Winslow House)
Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer
, written by Jane Moore Howe, illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Ages 8-12. The childhood adventures of the
famous aviator are featured in Volume 1 of the Young Patriots Series. Numerous illustrations bring the young Amelia to life! (Patria Press, Inc.)
China's Son
, written by Da Chen. Ages 12 and up.
A candid memoir about growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and one boy's triumph against adversity. (Delacorte)
Daniel's Walk
, written by Michael Spooner. Ages 12 and up.
A teenage boy walks the Oregon Trail in search of his missing father. (Henry Holt and Company)
Dragonwings: Golden Mountain Chronicles 1903
, written by Laurence Yep. Ages 10 and up.
A Newbery Honor book, and first in the Golden Mountain
Chronicles series, Laurence Yep's acclaimed saga of the Chinese American immigrant experience. (HarperTrophy)
The Earth Kitchen
, written by Sharon Bryant. Ages 12 and up.
Set in the cold-war hysteria of the early 1960s, this strikingly original blend of history, fantasy, and fairy tale will take readers on a miraculous journey into the depths of the earth kitchen. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Earthquake, written by Milly Lee, illustrated by Yangsook Choi. Ages 4-8.
A young Chinese-American girl and her family move their belongings from their home in Chinatown to the safety of Golden Gate park during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Francis Foster Books)
The Executioner's Daughter
, written by Laura E. Williams. Ages 10-14.
A medieval executioner's daughter discovers that she can make choices about her own future, though the rewards may be equaled by the risks. (Henry Holt and Company)
Fannie in the Kitchen
, written by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Ages 4-9.
The whole story from soup to nuts of how Fannie Farmer invented recipes with precise measurements. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Letters from a Mill Town Girl
, written by Elizabeth Winthrop.
Ages 10-14. It is 1933. Imagine that the twelve-year-old daughter of Italian immigrants writes a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Imagine that the President writes back. (Winslow House)
Ghost Soldier
, written by Elaine Marie Alphin. Ages 10-15.
The ghost of a young soldier from the Civil War haunts a modern, troubled teen. (Henry Holt and Company)
Gold Rush Fever
, written by Barbara Greenwood, illustrated by Heather Collins. Ages 8-12. Tim and his brother, Roy,
face danger and disappointment in their quest to strike it rich. Factual information, illustrations and photographs follow each chapter of the boys' story. (Kids Can Press)
The Heart Calls Home
, written by Joyce Hansen.
Ages 12 and up. Four-time Coretta Scott King Honoree Joyce Hensen explores the aftermath of war on one man's quest for family and security in this moving conclusion to the award-winning trilogy. (HarperTrophy)
Hiawatha and Megissogwon
, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Jeffrey Thompson. Ages 6 and up. Young Hiawatha
journeys to battle with an evil magician in this little-known episode of Longfellow's epic poem. (National Geographic Society)
Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons
, written by Jane Yolan and Robert J. Harris. Ages 8-12.
Tackling the extraordinary journey of a warrior princess-in-the-making, this is the second book in the exciting Young Heroes series about the early adventures of legendary heroes and heroines. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Honk: The Moose
, written by Phil Stong, illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Ages 8-12. Newbery Honors Book, 1936, A classic tale
of two Finnish boys who save a moose during a cold, Minnesota winter. Lewis Carol Shelf Award, l970. (Trellis Publishing, Inc.)
James Whitcomb Riley, Boy Poet
, written by Minnie Belle Mitchell and Montrew Dunham, illustrated by Cathy Morrison.
Ages 8-12. The "Children's Poet" spent his boyhood amid the fields and streams of his native Midwest and is featured in Volume 5 of the Young Patriots Series. (Patria Press, Inc.)
Joining the Boston Tea Party
, written by Diane Stanley. Ages 5-10. Diane Stanley once again blends humor and historical detail in
this exciting second installment of the Time-Traveling Twins series. (Joanna Cotler Books)
Juliette Low, Girl Scout Founder
, written by Helen Boyd Higgins, illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Ages 8-12. Juliette Low, founder of the
Girl Scouts, spent an adventurous childhood in her native South. Learn more in Volume 4 of the Young Patriots Series. (Patria Press, Inc.)
The Jungle Book
, written by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by P. Craig Russell.
Ages 10-14. Adaptation of the classic into a graphic novel by one of America's pre-eminent comic artists. (NBM Publishing)
Kit Saves the Day
, written by Valerie Tripp, illustrated by Walter Rane. Ages 7-12. A young hobo tells Kit about life on
the road. What will happen when Kit decides to have an on-the-road adventure of her very own? (Pleasant Company Publications)
The Last Knight, an Introduction to Don Quixote
, written by Miguel de Cervantes, illustrated by Will Eisner. Ages 8-12. Adaptation of the classic into
a graphic novel picture book by the greatest living artist in comic art. (NBM Publishing)
Lew Wallace, Boy Writer
, written by Martha E. Schaaf, illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Ages 8-12. The boyhood of the author of
"Ben-Hur" is the subject of this fictional illustrated biography for young readers. Volume 3 in the Young Patriots Series. (Patria Press, Inc.)
Little House in the Big Woods
, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Ages 8-12. At long last, Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved and bestselling Little House series - now available on audio! (HarperCollins Audio)
Lord of the Nutcracker Men
, written by Iain Lawrence. Ages 10 and up.
A piercing story of World War I as told through a father's letters to his son. (Delacorte)
Masada: The Last Fortress
, written by Gloria D. Miklowitz. Ages 9 and up. As the Roman army marches across the Judean desert
toward the fortress of Masada, Simon and his family and friends prepare to fight—to the very end. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Miriam, written by Beatrice Gormley.
Ages 9 and up. While living in Pharaoh's palace in ancient Egypt, Miriam, the sister of Moses in the Hebrew Scriptures, struggles to remain loyal to her people and her God. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, illustrated by Will Eisner. Ages 8-12. Adaptation of the classic into a graphic novel picture
book by the greatest living artist in comic art. (NBM Publishing)
Nelly In the Wilderness
, written by Lynn Cullen. Ages 8-12. Set on the Indiana frontier in 1821, this is a fresh look at
pioneer life with a fierce and feisty heroine, and a powerful tribute to discovering the good in everything. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
The Old Chisholm Trail: A Cowboy Song
, written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer.
Ages 4-8. A classic cowboy tune serves as the text for this hilarious story of a cattle drive. (National Geographic Society)
Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
, written by Julius Lester. Ages 10 and up.
Award-winning author Julius Lester imagines Mosis as a brother, a son, an adoptee, and ultimately, as a young man who must make sense of his own unique identity. (HarperTrophy)
Pioneer Crafts
, written by Barbara Greenwood, illustrated by Heather Collins. Ages 7-12. It's Thanksgiving 1847, and
this year the Robertson family has a special reason for giving thanks. Follow their holiday preparations with the help of interesting facts and hands-on activities. (Kids Can Press)
Polar the Titanic Bear
, written by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden, illustrated by Laurie McGaw.
Grades 3-7. Polar is a story told through the eyes of a young boy's teddy bear who gives an enthralling eyewitness account of the Titanic disaster. (Little, Brown and Co.)
Promises to the Dead
, written by Mary Downing Hahn. Ages 8-12. A provocative historical novel set in the early days of the
Civil War by Mary Downing Hahn, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for "Stepping on the Cracks." (HarperTrophy)
Secrets in the House of Delgado
, written by Gloria D. Miklowitz. Ages 9 and up. Maria becomes a servant to a wealthy family of
Conversos during the Spanish Inquisition. She must chose between her loyalty to the Church and to the Delgado family whom she loves. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Stolen by the Sea
, written by Anna Myers.
Ages 8-12. Based on the tragic story of the Great Hurricane of 1900 that destroyed Galveston, this is a gripping story of natural disaster and human courage. (Walker & Company)
Stowaway, written by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker and Rodica Prato. Ages 10-14. A lively and engrossing tale of
a young stowaway's travels aboard the H.M.S. Endeavour, written by a Newbery Medal-winning author. (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
A Traitor Among Us
,
written by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Ages 9 and up. Pieter becomes involved in the Resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Holland, risking discovery by the Nazi informer living in his village. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
Turn of the Century
, written by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. Ages 4 and up. Intriguing facts complement
the stories of eleven young children throughout the second millennium. (Charlesbridge)
We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History
, written by Phillip Hoose. Ages 10 and up. Biographies of dozens of young people who made a mark in
American history, including explorers, planters, spies, cowpunchers, sweatshop workers, and civil rights workers. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Melanie Kroupa)
When the Circus Came to Town
, written by Laurence Yep, illustrated by Suling Wang.
Ages 8-10. Based on actual events from early-twentieth century Montana, this is the latest, lyrical, middle-grade novel from the two-time Newbery Honor winner. (HarperCollins Children's Books)
William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe
, written by Howard Peckham, illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Ages 8-12. Share the childhood escapades
of the ninth US president in this illustrated fictional biography for young readers. Volume 2 in the Young Patriots Series. (Patria Press, Inc.)
The Wind in the Willows
, vol.1, The Wild Wood, written by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Michel Plessix.
Ages 8-12. Adaptation of the classic into a graphic novel picture book. First of 4 volumes, vols. 2 and 3 are availabe as well, vol.4 will be out in March 2002. (NBM Publishing)
The Year of My Indian Prince
, written by Ella Thorp Ellis.
Ages 12 and up. A teenager finds friendship and romance as she faces a devastating illness in a story that is both gripping and tender—and true. (Delacorte)
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