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Historical Fiction

The best way to learn history is not always in a textbook. (That's probably the worst way, really, but more on that elsewhere.) While learning history through novels can be taken too far (it is fiction after all), there's much to be said for getting a feel for the Civil War through books like The Red Badge of Courage or Across Five Aprils, or learning about the deep rifts between Saxons and Normans in Medieval England through Scott's Ivanhoe.

A well-researched historical novel imparts something no list of names and dates can—a picture of life among a particular people at a particular time, the way they thought, the way they ate, who they admired, how they traveled. Sometimes readers are introduced to real historical figures and events from an intimate perspective, not the stale cardboard presentations common in schools.

There's plenty of nonsense available, of course, and just because the cover says a book takes place in Renaissance Italy or ancient Egypt doesn't mean it's a good book, or even that it's historical fiction in the true sense. A writer who simply transposes stories on different time periods isn't really saying anything about that time period, they're just trying to inflate sales with an appeal to the exotic and unfamiliar.

Such bogus historical fiction is really just fantasy. The good stuff is real and bright and dusty and loud, just like an old Roman city or a battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers. It reflects the religious sentiments of the characters as they would have been, such as in Lilli Thal's brilliant Medieval epic Mimus. It shows how one small action can lead to many much larger events, as happens frequently in C.S. Forester's Hornblower series.

Whether you're into the technical descriptions of battles found in Henty's boy-versus-the-world stories, or prefer the romance of The Scarlet Pimpernel, or like to break your heart over and over with books like Amos Fortune, Free Man, historical fiction is above all fiction of the present—not to be kept in the annals of the past, it shows us that the people of long ago (or not so long ago) are not so different than the people of today.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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49 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Middle Ages, 9th grade (Ages 14-15), Trade Paperback
At Agincourt
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Black Arrow
Adventures in History Series
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from A Beka Books
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
Both Sides the Border
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Brethren
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.75 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Cloister and the Hearth
Adventures in History Series
by Charles Reade
from A Beka Books
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
Door to the North
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Bethlehem Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
from Preston Speed
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$15.00
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Girl in a Cage
Stewart Quartet
by Jane Yolen, Robert Harris
from Speak
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
by Laura Amy Schlitz
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
2008 Newbery Medal Winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
by Laura Amy Schlitz
2nd edition from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Gytha's Message
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Hand of Vengeance
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.99
Hawk and the Dove Series
by Penelope Wilcock
from Lion Hudson
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Hostage Lands
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
I Serve
by Rosanne E. Lortz
from Anno Domini
Historical Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
In Freedom's Cause
by G. A. Henty
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$15.25
In Freedom's Cause
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Ivanhoe
by Sir Walter Scott
from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Knight of the White Cross
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Lantern Bearers
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1959 Carnegie Medal
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Lantern Bearers
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Oxford University
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1959 Carnegie Medal
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Leofwine the Monk: Or, the Curse of the Ericsons
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Lion of St. Mark
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Lost Baron
Bethlehem Books Adventure Library
by Allen French
from Bethlehem Books
for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
March on London
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Martyr's Victory
Emma Leslie Church History Series
by Emma Leslie
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Men of Iron
by Howard Pyle
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Morbid Taste for Bones
Brother Cadfael
by Ellis Peters
from Mysterious Press
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Morbid Taste for Bones
Brother Cadfael
by Ellis Peters
Reissue from Mysterious Press
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$14.99
One Corpse Too Many
Brother Cadfael
by Ellis Peters
Reissue from Mysterious Press
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$14.99
Otto of the Silver Hand
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.95
Red Keep
Bethlehem Books Adventure Library
by Allen French
from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Scottish Chiefs
by Jane Porter
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Epic for 8th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Scottish Chiefs
by Jane Porter
from CreateSpace
Historical Epic for 8th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Sea-Queen's Sailing
by Charles W. Whistler
from Salem Ridge Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Shining Company
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Sunburst Book
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99
St. George for England
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Sword Song
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Sunburst Book
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.99
The Revolt
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.99
Twelve Bright Trumpets
by Margaret Leighton
from American Home-School Publishing
Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Twelve Bright Trumpets
by Margaret Leighton
from Hillside Education
Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
White Company
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$10.36
William the Conqueror
by Jacob Abbott
from A Beka Books
for 7th-10th grade
in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK)
Winning His Spurs
by G.A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Wulf the Saxon
by G. A. Henty
from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Wulf the Saxon
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
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