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

64 Items found Print

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20th Century America,

9th grade (Ages 14-15)

	After the Dancing Days by Margaret I. Rostkowski from HarperTrophy for 7th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Beckoning Hills A Story of the Italians in California Land of the Free Series by Joseph H. Gage, illustrated by Floyd Torbert 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Blowing-Wand A Story of Bohemian Glassmaking in Ohio Land of the Free Series by Elsie Reif Ziegler, illustrated by Jacob Landau 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Blowing-Wand A Story of Bohemian Glassmaking in Ohio Land of the Free Series by Elsie Reif Ziegler, illustrated by Jacob Landau from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Book Thief by Markus Zusak from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 8th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.99
	Borrowed House Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf by Hilda Van Stockum from Purple House Press Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $13.95
	Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone from Penguin Putnam for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone from Penguin Putnam for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Chariot in the Sky A Story of the Jubilee Singers Land of the Free Series by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Cyrus Le Roy Baldridge 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $35.00 (1 in stock)
	Climb a Lofty Ladder A Story of Swedish Settlement in Minnesota by Marion & Walter Havighurst, illustrated by Jill Elgin 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein from Hyperion/Madison Press for 9th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	Come On, Seabiscuit! by Ralph Moody from University of Nebraska Biography for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Day of Pleasure by Isaac Bashevis Singer from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 7th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	Deep Treasure A Story of the Greek Sponge Fishers of Florida by Charles Blackford, illustrated by Alexander Key 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Desert Harvest A Story of the Japanese in California Land of the Free Series by Vanya Oakes, illustrated by Isami Kashiwagi 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Door to the North A Saga of Fourteenth Century America Land of the Free Series by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston from Random House for 7th-11th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston from Houghton Mifflin for 7th-11th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester from Little, Brown & Company for 8th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Gunner's Run by Rick Barry from Bob Jones University Press for 7th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99
	Horses of Anger by James Forman 2nd Printing from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 7th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	I Heard of a River A Story of the Pennsylvania Germans Land of the Free Series by Elsie Singmaster, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Impossible Escape The True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin from Roaring Brook Press for 9th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	In This Hour A Story of World War II and the Floods of 1953 by Rudolf Van Reest from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.95
	Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida 2^nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99
	Journey Through the Night by Anne De Vries from Inheritance Publications Historical fiction for 8th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $29.95
	Last Fort A Story of the French Voyageurs Land of the Free Series by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Edward Shenton 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool from Yearling for 6th-10th grade 2011 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
	Moved-Outers by Florence Crannell Means, illustrated by Helen Blair for 6th-10th grade 1946 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Never Dies the Dream by Margaret Landon from Doubleday & Company for 7th-12th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $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)
	Oak's Long Shadow A Story of the Basque Sheepherders in Idaho by Olive W. Burt, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen from Scholastic Inc. for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Rising Tide A Novel of World War II by Jeff Shaara from Ballantine Books Historical Non-fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Runner in the Sun A Story of Indian Maize Land of the Free Series by D'Arcy McNickle, illustrated by Allan Houser 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Sea of Glory - A Novel Based on the True Story of the Four Chaplains and the U.S.A.T. Dorchester by David Poling, Ken Wales from B&H Books for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Seek the Dark Gold A Story of the Scots Fur Traders Land of the Free series by Jo Evalin Lundy, illustrated by Edward Shenton from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Seek the Dark Gold A Story of the Scots Fur Traders Land of the Free series by Jo Evalin Lundy, illustrated by Edward Shenton 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Seven Beaver Skins A Story of the Dutch in New Amsterdam Land of the Free Series by Erick Berry 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade Junior Literary Guild in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Sign of the Golden Fish A Story of the Cornish Fishermen in Maine Land of the Free Series by Gertrude Robinson, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade Junior Literary Guild in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Silver Fleece A Story of the Spanish in New Mexico Land of the Free Series by Florence Crannell Means & Carl Means, illustrated by Edwin Schmidt 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Sing in the Dark A Story of the Welsh in Pennsylvania Land of the Free Series by Maude Morgan Thomas, illustrated by Clifford H. Schule 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Snow Goose by Paul Gallico from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 7th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.95 $14.00 (2 in stock)
	Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp from HarperCollins Biography for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99
	Tidewater Valley A Story of the Swiss in Oregon Land of the Free Series by Jo Evalin Lundy, illustrated by Margaret Ayer 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Upon the Head of the Goat A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal First Square Fish: Aug.2012 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 5th-9th grade 1982 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix from Simon and Schuster for 6th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99
	War in the Wasteland by Douglas Bond from Inkblots Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals Reprint from Washington Square Press in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $15.99
	Watergate A Story of the Irish on the Erie Canal Land of the Free Series by Herbert Best, illustrated by Erick Berry 1^st edition from John C. Winston Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	We Were There at Pearl Harbor We Were There #15 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Frank Vaughn from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle for Bataan We Were There #13 by Benjamin Appel, illustrated by Irv Docktor from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of Britain We Were There #24 by Clayton Knight & Katherine Sturges Knight from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Battle of the Bulge We Were There #34 by David Shepherd, illustrated by George Kraynak from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Driving of the Golden Spike We Were There #31 by David Shepherd, illustrated by William K. Plummer from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the First Airplane Flight We Were There #28 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Lazlo Matulay from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the First Airplane Flight by Felix Sutton, illustrated by Lazlo Matulay Reprint from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99
	We Were There at the Normandy Invasion We Were There #5 by Clayton Knight from Grosset & Dunlap for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era We Were There #32 by James Munves, illustrated by Charles Brey from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the Lafayette Escadrille We Were There #33 by Clayton Knight & Katherine Sturges Knight from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 9th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99
	Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean from Thunder's Mouth Press Action/Adventure (Espionage) for 8th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean from Sterling Publishing Co. Action/Adventure (Espionage) for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)

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