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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Historical Fiction

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4th grade (Ages 9-10)

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G. A. Henty Books

- Henty Audio Books

Louise Vernon Historical Fiction

We Were There Series

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	Aquila's Drinking Gourd A Story of the Underground Railroad by Pamela Dell from Tradition Books for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Big Balloon Race An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Eleanor Coerr from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
	Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe from Eerdmans for Kindergarten-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $17.99
	Brothers in Hope The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie from Lee & Low Books for 1st-4th grade 2006 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Chang's Paper Pony An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Eleanor Coerr from HarperCollins for Kindergarten-2nd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Clown of God by Tomie dePaola from Simon and Schuster Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Cornstalks and Cannonballs by Barbara Mitchell from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Emily by Michael Bedard from Dell Publishing Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	F is for Freedom by Roni Schotter from Scholastic Press for 1st-3rd grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say Reprint from Sandpiper Books Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade 1994 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Grandfather's Journey 20th Anniversary by Allen Say from HMH Books for Young Readers for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $17.99
	Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine from Scholastic Press for Nursery-1st grade 2008 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	House on Walenska Street by Charlotte Herman from Avyx, Inc. in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Island Boy by Barbara Cooney from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Island Boy by Barbara Cooney from Trumpet Club Realistic Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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
	Klondike Gold by Alice Provensen from Simon and Schuster for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Les Miserables (adapted) Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book by Victor Hugo, Adapted by Monica Kulling from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Long Way to a New Land An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Joan Sandin from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.99
	My Brothers' Flying Machine Wilber, Orville, and Me by Jane Yolen from Little, Brown & Company for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Oversized Biographies $4.00 (1 in stock)
	My Favorite Songs Maria Von Trapp's Childhood Folk Songs With Audio CD by Maria Trapp from Veritas Press for Kindergarten-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.00
	New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Not Regina by Christmas Carol Kauffman Fourth Printing from Pathway Publishers in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Obadiah the Bold by Brinton Turkle from Beautiful Feet Books Historical Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.95
	Pilgrim Adventures by Margaret B. Pumphrey from My Father's World for 1st-3rd grade in My Father's World (Location: CUR-MFW) $12.95
	Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $5.99
	Rachel and Obadiah by Brinton Turkle from Beautiful Feet Books Historical Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.95
	Sailing the Unknown Around the World with Captain Cook by Michael Rosen, Illustrated by Maria Cristina Pritelli from Creative Editions for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Samuel's Choice by Richard Berleth from Scholastic Inc. for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott First Ed from G.P. Putnam's Sons for 1st-4th grade 2006 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99
	So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting from Clarion Books for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade 1955 Caldecott Honor Book in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL) $8.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
	Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle from Beautiful Feet Books Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.95
	Thy Friend, Obadiah (hardcover) by Brinton Turkle from Beautiful Feet Books Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $14.95
	Thy Friend, Obadiah (hardcover) by Brinton Turkle 1972 Seafarer Edition from Viking Press Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Trail Through Danger by William O. Steele, illustrated by Charles Beck from Harcourt, Brace & World for Kindergarten-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (2 in stock)

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