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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Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Historical Fiction

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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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Used Books & Materials

	Bad News for Outlaws The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for 5th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Betsy and the Emperor by Staton Rabin 1^st edition from Margaret K. McElderry Books for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich from Hyperion/Madison Press Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade National Book Award Finalist in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Bull Run by Paul Fleischman from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Captive by Scott O'Dell from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-8th grade Hans Christian Anderson Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (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)
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.40 (5 in stock)
	Child Star When Talkies Came to Hollywood by Lydia Weaver from Viking Press for 4th-7th grade in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes, illustrated by Warrenn Chappell from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis from Scholastic Inc. Nursery Rhymes for 4th-6th grade 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, 2008 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.20 (2 in stock)
	Flaming Arrows by William O. Steele, Illustrated by Paul Galdone 1^st edition from Harcourt Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	From Bondage to Freedom A Tale of the Times of Mohammed Emma Leslie Church History Series by Emma Leslie from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Helmet of Navarre The Story of King Henry IV of France by Burke Wilkinson, illustrated by James W. Williamson Second Printing from Macmillan for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	I Sailed with Columbus by Susan Martin Xlibrary Copy. from Overlook Press for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Innocent Voyage or A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes, illustrated by Lynd Ward from Heritage Press for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (2 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Realistic Fictio for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt First Edition (first thus) from MDC Books for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Journey to America by Sonia Levitin, illustrated by Charles Robinson from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Kathleen: A Yankee Girl at Gettysburg by Alice Turner Curtis from Gramercy Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.40 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams Book Club Edition from Harper & Row for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder Uniform Edition from Harper & Brothers for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Little House in the Big Woods (Pictorial Cover) by Laura Ingalls Wilder from Harper & Row for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.60 (4 in stock)
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody 1^st edition from W. W. Norton and Co. Biography for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Mighty Mastiff of the Mayflower by Peter Arenstam, illustrated by Karen Busch Holman from History Press for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Moccasin Trail Puffin Newbery Library by Eloise J. McGraw 9th impression from Coward McCann Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $28.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	My Brother, My Enemy by Madge Harrah 1^st edition from Simon and Schuster for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	North of Danger by Dale Fife, map and decorations by Haakon Saether 1^st edition from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	North to Freedom Also published as I am David by Anne Holm from Harcourt, Brace & World for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (2 in stock)
	Nothing But the Truth A Documentary Novel by Avi from Orchard Books for 3rd-6th grade 1992 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Ojibway Drums by Marian Magoon, illustrated by Larry Toschik from Longmans, Green & Co. for 5th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Om-kas-toe of the Blackfeet by Kenneth Thomasma Later Printing from Baker Books Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Out of the Mouth of the Lion Or, The Church in the Catacombs Emma Leslie Church History Series by Emma Leslie from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Poland's Noble Son Life of St. Stanislaus Kostka by Daughters of St. Paul & Maxine Mayer, illustrated by Maxine Mayer for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Rodzina by Karen Cushman from Clarion Books for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Rose's Journal by Marissa Moss from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-6th grade in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Scanlon of the Sub Service A Doubleday Signal Book by Dan Senseney, illustrated by Ray Johnson from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Secret Church by Louise A. Vernon; illustrated by Thomas Dunbebin from Review and Herald Publishing Association for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (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)
	Silver Sword Also Published As Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges from Criterion Books for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (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)
	Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson from HarperCollins in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories of the Covenanters in Scotland for Young People by Robert Pollok from Sprinkle Publications for 4th-8th grade in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories of the Old Dominion From the Settlement to the end of the Revolution by John Esten Cooke from American Foundation Publications for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (2 in stock)
	Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon Black & Gold Updated Edition from LiveRight for 5th-8th grade 1922 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Storyteller's Beads by Jane Kurtz, Michael Bryant 1^st edition from Gulliver Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	This Dear-Bought Land by Jean Lee Latham from Harper & Row for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $44.80 (1 in stock)
	Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell & Elizabeth Hall from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (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 (1 in stock)
	Traitor Among Us by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk from Eerdmans for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Treasure Island Scribner Illustrated Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth Deluxe from Atheneum for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $14.40 (1 in stock)
	Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by John Lawrence from Candlewick Press Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Treasure Island Macmillan Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by John Falter from Macmillan for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Little Confederates by Thomas Nelson Page from Sprinkle Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Wanderer by Sharon Creech 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Reprint from Dial Books for Young Readers for 4th-8th grade 2017 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	War Within These Walls by Aline Sax, illustrated by Caryl Strzelecki, translated by Laura Watkinson from Eerdmans for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.60 (1 in stock)
	Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Which Way Freedom? by Joyce Hansen from Walker and Company for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (2 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) $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)
	Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Young Bess by Margaret Irwin from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 5th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $3.20 (2 in stock)
	Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by Mary Jane Carr, illustrated by Richard Holberg from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. for 5th-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)

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