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

We Were There Series

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Used Books & Materials

	Almost Home A Story Based on the Life of the Mayflower's Mary Chilton Daughters of the Faith by Wendy G. Lawton from Moody Press Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU) $7.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
	Amon's Adventure A Family Story for Easter by Arnold Ytreeide from Kregel Publications Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY) $18.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Andie's Moon Historical House: 1969 by Linda Newbery from Educational Development Corporation for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Apprentice by Pilar Molina Llorente Reprint from Sunburst Book for 2nd-4th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
	Boy of Old Prague by Shulamith Ish-Kishor from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Cecily's Portrait Historical House: 1895 by Adele Geras from Educational Development Corporation for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Earthquake! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski from Scholastic Inc. for 2nd-5th grade in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	First Four Years Little House Series #9 by Laura Ingalls Wilder Reprint from HarperCollins for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Flight of the Fugitives Gladys Aylward Trailblazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Bethany House for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Forty-Acre Swindle George Washington Carver TrailBlazer Books by Dave & Neta Jackson from Bethany House for 3rd-7th grade in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Guests by Michael Dorris from Hyperion/Madison Press for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.49 (1 in stock)
	Hiroshima by Laurence Yep from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	House Divided A Novel of the Civil War Young Founders 1863 by Elizabeth Massie from Tor Classic for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Jazz Man by Mary Hays Weik 2^nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Journey West on the Oregon Trail by Cecile Alyce Nolan from Rain Dance Publishing for 2nd-7th grade in Oregon Trail (Location: HISA-19OR) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Kirsten's Cook Book A Peek at Dining in the Past with Meals You Can Cook Today American Girl by Jodi Evert from Scholastic Inc. for 2nd-5th grade in Cooking for Kids (Location: COOK-KID) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse from Square Fish Publishing Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	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 Rocky Ridge Rocky Ridge Years Book 1 by Roger Lea MacBride from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Making of a Knight by Patrick O'Brien from Charlesbridge Picture Books/Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID) $7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Medieval Feast by Aliki from HarperCollins for 2nd-5th grade in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Meet Samantha American Girl by Susan S. Adler from American Girl for 2nd-5th grade in American Girl (Location: SER-AMGIRL) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Neeluk An Eskimo Boy in the Days of the Whaling Ships by Frances Kittredge from Alaska Northwest Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff from Yearling for 2nd-3rd grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Our America... The Pilgrim Adventure by Susan Kilbride for 3rd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (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) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Polly's March Historical House: 1914 by Linda Newbery from Educational Development Corporation for 3rd-6th grade in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells First Scholastic printing 2008 from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Samantha Learns a Lesson American Girls by Susan S. Adler from American Girl for 2nd-5th grade in American Girl (Location: SER-AMGIRL) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Stronger than the Sword Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake by Faith Cook from EP Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Surviving Jamestown by Gail Karwoski from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. for 3rd-12th grade in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA) $8.95 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Walker and Company Historical Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt from Richard R. Dahlstedt the Attic in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (5 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)
	The Turning by Gloria Whelan from Avyx, Inc. for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Tikta'Liktak An Inuit-Eskimo Legend by James Houston from Harcourt for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (4 in stock)
	Written in Stone by Rosanne Parry from Yearling for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)

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