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

	All Sail Set by Armstrong Sperry from David R. Godine Nautical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1936 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Anna and the King (adapted) by Margaret Landon from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Behind the Bedroom Wall Novel of Nazi Germany by Laura E. Williams from Scholastic Inc. for 5th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Beyond the Sacred Page The Tyndale Translation Book of Books #2 by Jack Cavanaugh from Zondervan for 7th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Bold Journey West With Lewis and Clark by Charles Bohner from Houghton Mifflin Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Boy and the Samurai by Erik Christian Haugaard Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Boy in the Alamo We Were There at the Battle of the Alamo by Margaret Cousins from Corona Publishing Co. Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Boy's Guide to the Historical Adventures of G. A. Henty by William Potter from Vision Forum for 5th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1962 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Bull Run by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts) 2^nd edition from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	By Conduct & Courage A Story of Nelson's Days by G. A. Henty from Robinson Curriculum for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN) $11.50 (1 in stock)
	Castle Diary The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt from Candlewick Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi from Hyperion/Madison Press for 4th-8th grade 2003 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Cry From Egypt Book One of the Promised Land by Hope Auer from Great Waters Press for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.50 (2 in stock)
	Dispelling the Tyranny Struggle for Freedom Series #2 by Piet Prins from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Dragon and the Raven The Days of King Alfred by G. A. Henty from Preston Speed Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Father's Promise by Donna Hess from Bob Jones University Press Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Fighting Ground by Avi from HarperCollins for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (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)
	Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Dale Snedeker from American Home-School Publishing for 7th-10th grade 1934 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (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)
	Glimpses of Truth The Wycliffe Translation Book of Books #1 by Jack Cavanaugh from Zondervan for 7th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	God King A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah Bethlehem Books Living History Library by Joanne Williamson from Bethlehem Books Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $9.50 (4 in stock)
	Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Trouble A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson Reprint from Yearling for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Wheel by Robert Lawson from Walker and Company Realistic fiction for 4th-8th grade 1958 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Great Wheel by Robert Lawson from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (2 in stock)
	Gytha's Message A Tale of Saxon England Emma Leslie Church History Series by Emma Leslie from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day by Scott O'Dell from Bob Jones University Press Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Heart Strangely Warmed by Louise A. Vernon from Herald Press for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Hostage Lands by Doug Bond from P&R Publishing Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	I Serve A Novel of the Black Prince by Rosanne E. Lortz from Anno Domini Historical Fiction for 7th-Adult in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Square Fish Publishing Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	In Search of Honor by Donna Hess from Bob Jones University Press Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert from Little, Brown & Company Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1972 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai Reprint from HarperCollins Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-8th grade 2012 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Iron Scouts of the Confederacy by Lee McGiffin 2^nd edition from Christian Liberty Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (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)
	King of the Mound My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke Reprint from Simon and Schuster for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	King's Arrow Crown & Covenant Series #2 by Doug Bond & Matthew Bird from P&R Publishing Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Letter Writer by Ann Rinaldi Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Lonely Sentinel Shadow Series #1 by Piet Prins from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Magic Runes A Tale of the Times of Charlemagne Emma Leslie Church History Series by Emma Leslie from Salem Ridge Press for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody from University of Nebraska Biography for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Mission to Cathay by Madeleine Polland from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.50 (4 in stock)
	Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 7th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Partisans Shadow Series #4 by Piet Prins from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Patty Reed's Doll The Story of the Donner Party by Rachel K. Laurgaard from Tomato Enterprises Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.00 (3 in stock)
	Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Quintus Story About the Persecutions of Christians at the Time of Emperor Nero by R. Weerstand 2^nd edition from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple from HarperTrophy in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine Reprint from Square Fish Publishing for 5th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99 $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Scottish Seas by Doug Jones from Canon Press Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Secret Mission A Huguenot's Dangerous Adventures in the Land of Persecution Huguenot Inheritance Series #2 by A. Van der Jagt from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02) $13.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Shakespeare Stealer Shakespeare Stealer #1 by Gary Blackwood from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Shakespeare's Scribe Shakespeare Stealer #2 by Gary Blackwood from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell from HMH Books for Young Readers for 6th-8th grade 1971 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Slopes of War A Novel of Gettysburg by N. A. Perez from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Son of Charlemagne Bethlehem Books Living History Library by Barbara Willard from Bethlehem Books Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95 $9.00 (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 (1 in stock)
	Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs from Bloomsbury Publishing Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1933 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99 $6.00 (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)
	Switherby Pilgrims A Tale of the Australian Bush by Eleanor Spence from Bethlehem Books Orphan Stories for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $13.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Talisman Adventures in History Series by Sir Walter Scott from A Beka Books Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in A Beka Book Report books (Location: REA-ABK) $9.50 (1 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)
	Thunderstorm in Church by Louise Vernon from Herald Press Biography for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Tirzah by Lucille Travis from Herald Press Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Trails to Poosey by Olive R. Cook from Misty Hill Press Pioneer Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Walk the World's Rim by Betty Baker from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. Historical fiction for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.00 (5 in stock)
	War Comes to Willy Freeman by James Lincoln Collier, Christopher Collier Reissue from Yearling for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Reprint from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 2017 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Warrior Scarlet by Rosemary Sutcliff from Sunburst Book Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Way of the Gladiator by Dan Mannix from ibooks for 7th-12th grade in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	When the Morning Came Struggle for Freedom Series #1 by Piet Prins from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $11.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	With Custer's Cavalry by Katherine Gibson Fougera from University of Nebraska in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (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) $23.95 $12.00 (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) $8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood from Speak for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Young Carthaginian A Story of the Times of Hannibal by G. A. Henty from Preston Speed Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Young Huguenots Huguenot Inheritance Series #4 by Edith Floyer from Inheritance Publications Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02) $11.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)

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