Chronological History

Sometimes we speak of world history as though it belongs to people. It doesn't—it belongs to God, and though people play prominently within the historical narrative, it always remains under God's auspices and control. The problem with losing the right perspective isn't that we'll get the facts wrong, it's that we'll fail to understand what they mean, what the purpose of past events is, and what we can look forward to.

Human history began all at once in the same place: the Garden of Eden, where God made Adam and Eve as the crown of all Creation. He told them to fill the earth and take dominion of it, and He also told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ate the fruit anyway, and mankind was removed from paradise and introduced to tension, pain, and resistance.

The story of the world is in many ways simply the story of adversity. For the enemies of God, it's adversity in the form of the failure and futility of purely human endeavor; for God's people, it's the story of fighting for the truth against secular philosophies, fighting for holiness despite the pervasiveness of sin, and fighting for the Gospel in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the Prince of Peace, the defeater of Death, and the King of the Universe, the saver of souls and the punisher of wickedness. His kingdom is the restoration and glorious fulfillment of the paradise from which Adam and Eve were removed, and we work, wait, hope and pray for the quick fulfillment of His will in all things.

This is our framework for history. While it's important to study things like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the ancient Near East, it's only important when investigated through the lens of God's ultimate sovereignty and plan. The story of mankind is the story of redemption, and only when we analyze battles, kings, treaties, and catastrophes from God's perspective can we truly make sense of them.

Otherwise, it's all fairly irrelevant and useless. Sure, there's Napoleon's dictum that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, but a quick survey of the past will show that each successive generation does repeat the sins of their fathers, and that without Christ's real physical life on Earth as a centering point, there's no real cause for optimism or hope of any kind.

Christ's love not only makes the trajectory of history cause for hope; it reveals the truly great moments of the past, events that to the secular eye seem insignificant or even pernicious. We're speaking of the progress of the true Church, of course, and of each soul that God calls and makes His own through the agency of His Holy Spirit. These are the milestones we look for and celebrate.

We carry a lot of world history products. Because it's the story of God's work in the world and our human responses, we believe it's important to know and understand. Not everything we carry is Christian; there are plenty of secular resources here. We encourage you to use whichever ones work best for your situation, but that you do so with a view to understanding the will and work of the One who made history in the first place.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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120 Items found Print
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Puffin Books
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Adventures of Robin Hood
Puffin Classics
by Roger Green, illustrated by Arthur Hall
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Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade
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Adventures of Robin Hood
Puffin Classics
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
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After the Dancing Days
by Margaret I. Rostkowski
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After the War
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Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
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1951 Newbery Medal winner
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Angel on the Square
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Anna of Byzantium
by Tracy Barrett
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Art of Keeping Cool
by Janet Taylor Lisle
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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Basher Five-Two
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Autobiography for 4th-8th grade
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by Lew Wallace
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by Dave & Neta Jackson
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Betrayer's Fortune
by Dave & Neta Jackson
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by Staton Rabin
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A Young Royals Book
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Black Arrow
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson
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Black Ships Before Troy
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Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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Blue Willow
Puffin Newbery Library
by Doris Gates
from Puffin Books
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Bonanza Girl
by Patricia Beatty
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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Bonanza Girl
by Patricia Beatty
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Bound for Oregon
by Jean Van Leeuwen
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Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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Breadwinner, The
by Deborah Ellis
from Groundwood Books
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman
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by Carol Ryrie Brink
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by Carol Ryrie Brink
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by Rachel Field
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1932 Newbery Honor Book
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Captain Blood
Penguin Classics
by Rafael Sabatini
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Historical Romance for 7th-Adult
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$16.00
Devil's Arithmetic
by Jane Yolen
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
by Laurence Yep
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Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
1976 Newbery Honor Book
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Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
by Laurence Yep
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Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
1976 Newbery Honor Book
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Earthquake at Dawn
by Kristiana Gregory
from Gulliver Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Endless Steppe
by Esther Hautzig
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
from Scholastic Inc.
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Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan
from Scholastic Inc.
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Eyes of the Emperor
by Graham Salisbury
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Eyes of the Emperor
by Graham Salisbury
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Farewell to Manzanar
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
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For Freedom
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Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler
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Golden Age
by Kenneth Grahame
from Wordsworth Classics
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Golden Goblet
by Eloise J. McGraw
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1962 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Good Night, Mr. Tom
by Michelle Magorian
from HarperCollins
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Good Night, Mr. Tom
by Michelle Magorian
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Great Turkey Walk
by Kathleen Karr
from Sunburst Book
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Guns for General Washington
by Seymour Reit
from Harcourt
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Heroes & Monsters Of Greek Myth
by Bernard Evslin, Dorthy Evslin, ned Hoopes
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Hitty
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Personification story for 4th-8th grade
1930 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.95
House of Sixty Fathers RPG
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
House of the Red Fish
by Graham Salisbury
from Ember
Historical Fiction for 5th-7th grade
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Hunt for the Bamboo Rat
Prisoners of the Empire #4
by Graham Salisbury
from Ember
Historical Fiction for 5th-7th grade
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Indian Captive
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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Inquisitor's Tale
by Adam Gidwitz
from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
2017 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Jo's Boys OSI
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$5.99
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
1944 Newbery Medal winner
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Journey Home
by Yoshiko Uchida
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Kidnapped Prince
by Olaudah Equiano
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King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Puffin Classics
by Roger Green
from Puffin Books
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$8.99
King's Fifth
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-7th grade
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King's Shadow
by Elizabeth Alder
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$8.99
Kite Rider
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from HarperTeen
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$15.99
Lantern in Her Hand
by Bess Streeter Aldrich
from Puffin Books
Realistic fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt
by C. Coco De Young
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 3rd-8th grade
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$5.99
Light Beyond the Forest
Arthurian Trilogy #2
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Little House - Softcover Boxed Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$79.91
Little Men
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$8.99
Little Riders
by Margaretha Shemin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Women
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$10.99
Mara, Daughter of the Nile
by Eloise J. McGraw
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Martyr of the Catacombs
by Anonymous Christian
from Kregel Publications
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
Midwife's Apprentice
by Karen Cushman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 7th-10th grade
1996 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Moonshiner's Son
by Carolyn Reeder
from Aladdin Paperbacks
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
My Brother Sam Is Dead
by James & Christopher Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
No Promises in the Wind
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
1990 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Parallel Journeys
by Eleanor Ayers, Helen Waterford, & Alfons Heck
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Perilous Road
by William O. Steele
from Harcourt
for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane
from Bantam Books
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$4.95
Red Badge of Courage
Puffin Classics
by Stephen Crane
from Puffin Books
for 7th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Road to Camlann
Arthurian Trilogy #3
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred Taylor
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Puffin Modern Classics
by Mildred Taylor
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Sarah Bishop
by Scott O'Dell
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Scarlet Pimpernel
Puffin Classics
by Baroness Orczy
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.99
Second Mrs. Giaconda
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Shakespeare's Spy
Shakespeare Stealer #3
by Gary Blackwood
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade
2002 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1974 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.50 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
1974 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
So Far From the Bamboo Grove
by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
from Beech Tree Books
Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Staircase
by Ann Rinaldi
from Harcourt
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
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