Historical Fiction - Exodus Books

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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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Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Historical Fiction

Subcategories by Grade

4th grade (Ages 9-10)

5th grade (Ages 10-11)

6th grade (Ages 11-12)

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

Subcategories

G. A. Henty Books

- Henty Audio Books

Louise Vernon Historical Fiction

We Were There Series

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	Angel Knew Papa and the Dog by Douglas Kaine McKelvey from Rabbit Room Press for 2nd-4th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.99
	Balloon Boy of San Francisco by Dorothy Kupcha Leland from Tomato Enterprises for 7th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.95
	Battle of Seattle by Douglas Bond from P&R Publishing for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.99
	Bite of the Gold Bug by Barthe DeClements from Puffin Books for 4th-6th grade in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI) $4.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Bold Journey West With Lewis and Clark by Charles Bohner from Sandpiper Books Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C) $7.99
	Boy in the Alamo We Were There at the Battle of the Alamo by Margaret Cousins from Veritas Press Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.00
	Brady by Jean Fritz from Puffin Books for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	By the Shores of Silver Lake Little House Series #5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1940 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Captain's Dog My Journey With the Lewis and Clark Tribe by Roland Smith from Harcourt for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Captain, My Captain by Deborah Meroff from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 8th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95
	Carolina's Courage by Elizabeth Yates from Bob Jones University Press Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Children of the Covered Wagon by Mary Jane Carr 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.75
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Fear in the Forest by Cateau de Leeuw from Bethlehem Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95
	First Four Years Little House Series #9 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Forty-Acre Swindle George Washington Carver TrailBlazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Castle Rock Creative for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $8.99
	Grandfather's Dance by Patricia MacLachlan from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	Iron Scouts of the Confederacy by Lee McGiffin 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.50
	Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter & Connie Roop from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Listen for the Whippoorwill Harriet Tubman Trailblazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Castle Rock Creative for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $8.99
	Little House in the Big Woods Little House Series #1 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Little House on the Prairie Little House Series #2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Little Town on the Prairie Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Little Town on the Prairie Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt from Clarion Books for 7th-9th grade 2005 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Long Winter Little House Series #6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Long Winter Little House Series #6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	Mary and the Trail of Tears A Cherokee Removal Survival Story from Stone Arch Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.95
	May B. by Caroline Starr Rose from Yearling Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99
	Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick from Scholastic Press for 3rd-6th grade 2010 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Oregon Trail #01 The Race to Chimney Rock Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #02 Danger at the Haunted Gate Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #03 The Search for Snake River Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #04 The Road to Oregon City Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Oregon Trail #05 Wagon Train Trek Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #06 Alone in the Wild Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #07 Gold Rush! Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #08 Calamity in the Cold Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Oregon Trail #1-4 - Boxed Set Choose Your Own Trail! by Jesse Wiley from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $31.00
	Ranch of the Golden Flowers by Constance Lindsay Skinner from Bethlehem Books for 2nd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.95
	Sallie Fox by Dorothy Kupcha Leland 1^st edition from Tomato Enterprises for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.95
	Seaman The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark by Gail Karwoski & James Watling from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C) $9.99
	Slopes of War A Novel of Gettysburg by N. A. Perez from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	These Happy Golden Years Little House Series #8 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1944 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan from HarperCollins for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Trouble for Lucy by Carla Stevens from Clarion Books Historical Fiction for 4th-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.95 $5.50 (1 in stock)
	We Were There at the Battle of Gettysburg by Alida Sims Malkus Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99
	We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike by David Shepherd, William K. Plummer Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	Where the Broken Heart Still Beats The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker by Carolyn Meyer from Graphia for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	White Seneca by William W. Canfield from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.50
	With Lee in Virginia A Story of the American Civil War by G. A. Henty from Dover Publications Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.95
	Young Pioneers by Rose Wilder Lane from HarperTrophy for 3rd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99

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