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)

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G. A. Henty Books

- Henty Audio Books

Louise Vernon Historical Fiction

Nautical Fiction

We Were There Series

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In-Stock Books & Materials

	Adventures of the American Revolution Annie Henry Books 1-4 by Susan Olasky from P&R Publishing in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	AIO Imagination Station Book #14 Captured on the High Seas by Marianne Hering, Nancy I. Sanders from Focus on the Family for 1st-3rd grade in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO) $6.79
	Alone Yet Not Alone Based on the True Story of Barbara and Regina Leininger by Tracy M. Leininger Mti from Zonderkidz Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1951 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.64
	Annie Henry and the Secret Mission Adventures of the American Revolution by Susan Olasky from Crossway Books for 3rd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.94
	Ben and Me New and Astonishing Life of Ben Franklin as Written by His Very Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.79
	Blackthorn Winter Monroe Family Chronicles #1 by Doug Wilson from Veritas Press Nautical fiction for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Blackthorn Winter Veritas Maritime Series #1 by Doug Wilson from Veritas Press Nautical fiction for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose Dgs from Puffin Books Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.34
	Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz from Puffin Books Historical fiction for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.64
	Calico Bush by Rachel Field, illustrated by Allen Lewis from Macmillan in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	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) $13.59
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham from Scholastic Inc. Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Codfish Musket by Agnes Hewes, illustrated by Armstrong Sperry from Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc. for 8th-12th grade 1937 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $45.00 (1 in stock)
	Colonial America: An Interactive History Adventure You Choose Books by Allison Lassieur from Capstone Press for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $4.40 (1 in stock)
	Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh from Atheneum for 3rd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $16.99
	Dan Morgan, Rifleman by Ernest E. Tucker 70th anniversary from Purple House Press for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.04
	Dark Venture by Audrey White Beyer, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 7th-12th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $11.20 (1 in stock)
	Day of Glory by Philip Spencer for 4th-6th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $1.20 (1 in stock)
	Early Thunder by Jean Fritz from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79 $3.20 (3 in stock)
	Faith and Freedom Trilogy Faith and Freedom by Douglas Bond from P&R Publishing for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $33.97
	Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson from Simon and Schuster for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Fiddler's Green Fin's Revolution #2 by A. S. Peterson from Rabbit Room Press for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.44
	Fiddler's Gun Fin's Revolution #1 by A. S. Peterson 1^st edition from Rabbit Room Press for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.44
	Finding Providence The Story of Roger Williams An I Can Read Chapter Book by Avi from HarperCollins for 3rd-5th grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.09
	Grand Papa and Ellen Aroon by F. N. Monjo, illustrated by Richard Cuffari 1^st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for 3rd-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Guns for General Washington A Story of the American Revolution by Seymour Reit from Harcourt Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Guns of Thunder Faith and Freedom Trilogy #1 by Doug Bond from P&R Publishing Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.74
	In the Hands of the Senecas by Walter D. Edmonds from Little, Brown & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.20 (2 in stock)
	Indian Captive The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	John Treegate's Musket Treegate Series Book 1 by Leonard Wibberly from Bethlehem Books Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes from Yearling Historical Fiction/Adventure for 3rd-10th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes Reprint from Sandpiper Books Historical Fiction/Adventure for 5th-9th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes Reprint from Laurel-Leaf Books Historical Fiction/Adventure for 5th-9th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Journeyman by Elizabeth Yates from Bob Jones University Press Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.64
	Kings Mountain by G. Clifton Wisler 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Lafayette! Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #8 by Nathan Hale from Amulet Books for 4th-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $13.59
	List by C. D. Baker from Preston Speed Historical Fiction for 8th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Little Maid of Old Maine by Alice Turner Curtis, illustrated by Sandra James 2025 Reprint from Purple House Press for 2nd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.34
	Madeleine Takes Command Bethlehem Books Living History Library by Ethel Brill from Bethlehem Books Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.71 $7.20 (3 in stock)
	Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade 1942 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $3.60 (3 in stock)
	Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry W. Longfellow, illustrated by Jeffrey Thompson Reprint from Scholastic Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Midshipman Bolitho by Alexander Kent from McBooks Press for 8th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Monroe Family Chronicles by Douglas Wilson, Ned Bustard from Veritas Press for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $54.00
	Mooring Tree by Gertrude Robinson 2020 GaTB from The Good and the Beautiful for 4th-8th grade in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	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) $6.79
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Four Winds Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Ocean-Born Mary by Lois Lenski 1st Edition Thus from Purple House Press for 3rd-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.29
	One Dead Spy Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1 by Nathan Hale from Amulet Books for 3rd-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $13.59
	Phoebe and the General Now titled Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin from Weekly Reader Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Phoebe the Spy Originally titled Phoebe and the General by Judith Berry Griffin from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79 $3.60 (2 in stock)
	Pirate's Promise by Clyde Robert Bulla, illustrated by Peter Burchard from HarperTrophy for 1st-3rd grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac from Harcourt for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	Reb and the Redcoats Bethlehem Books Living History Library by Constance Savery from Bethlehem Books Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.71
	Roger the Ranger A Story of Border Life Among the Indians by Eliza F. Pollard from Inheritance Publications for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.71
	Rush Revere and the First Patriots Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh 1St Edition from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Rush Revere and the Presidency Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh with Kathryn Adams Limbaugh from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Sam the Minuteman An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Sea Captain from Salem Treegate Series Book 3 by Leonard Wibberley Reprint from Bethlehem Books for 9th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Shadow of the North A Story of Old New York and a Lost Campaign by Joseph A. Altsheler from Appleton-Century-Crofts for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope from Sandpiper Books for 10th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Siege! The Story of St. Augustine in 1702 by Wilma Pitchford Hays, illustrated by Peter Cox from Coward McCann for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare from Yearling Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1984 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1984 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Soldier of Virginia A Novel on George Washington by Marjorie Bowen from Inheritance Publications Biography for 9th-12th grade in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03) $11.01
	Sophia's War by Avi from Beach Lane Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Spy! by Anna Myers from Walker and Company for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Squalls Before War His Majesty's Schooner Sultana by Ned Bustard from Veritas Press Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.00 $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Stephen of Philadelphia by James Otis from A Beka Books for 4th-6th grade in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK) $3.40 (1 in stock)
	Stephen of Philadelphia America's Children by James Otis from Living Book Press for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79
	Story of Yorktown as told by Conrad Shultz by W. Walter Van Baman from Privately printed History in Verse for 10th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.80 (1 in stock)
	Susan Creek Monroe Family Chronicles #2 by Doug Wilson from Veritas Press Nautical Fiction for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $15.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Sweet Land of Liberty by Charles Coffin from Maranatha Publications Historical Reference for in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH) $8.00 (4 in stock)
	Three Gold Doubloons Level 7 by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd from The Good and the Beautiful for 3rd-6th grade in GATB Language Arts & Reading (Location: CUR-GABELA) $3.20 (2 in stock)
	Toliver's Secret by Esther Brady from Yearling Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Two Williams Monroe Family Chronicles #3 by Doug Wilson from Veritas Press Nautical fiction for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $15.00
	We Were There at the Boston Tea Party by Robert N. Webb from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	White Seneca by William W. Canfield from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.50
	Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare from Yearling Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1959 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Reissue from Sandpiper Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1959 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	With Pipe, Paddle and Song A Story of the French-Canadian Voyageurs Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf by Elizabeth Yates 2^nd edition from Bethlehem Books Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $20.36 $9.60 (2 in stock)
	Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen from Ember for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Yankee Doodle Boy A Young Soldier's Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself by Joseph Martin from Holiday House Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $9.99
	Yankee Doodle Boy A Young Soldier's Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself by Joseph Martin from Holiday House Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Yankee Doodle Boy A Young Soldier's Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself by Joseph Martin from William R. Scott Inc. Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $14.00 (1 in stock)

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