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

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

	Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1965 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	After the War by Carol Matas from Simon Pulse Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
	Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade 2001 Scott O'Dell Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Ben and Me New and Astonishing Life of Ben Franklin as Written by His Very Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804 by Kathryn Lasky from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Bonanza Girl by Patricia Beatty from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 6th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (4 in stock)
	Bull Run by Paul Fleischman from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.99 $3.50 (3 in stock)
	Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz from Puffin Books Historical fiction for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (2 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)
	Escape From Warsaw Originally titled The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury from Laurel-Leaf Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	For Freedom The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley from Laurel-Leaf Books for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara from Ballantine Books Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Guns for General Washington A Story of the American Revolution by Seymour Reit from Harcourt Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.00 (4 in stock)
	House on Walenska Street by Charlotte Herman from Avyx, Inc. in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Indian Captive The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 4th-9th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Anv from Sandpiper Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express by Kristiana Gregory from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Killer Angels by Michael Shaara from Ballantine Books Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Little Farm in the Ozarks Rocky Ridge Years Book 2 by Roger Lea MacBride from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Long Way to a New Land An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Joan Sandin from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.99 $2.50 (3 in stock)
	Long Way Westward An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Joan Sandin from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.99 $2.50 (3 in stock)
	Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade 1942 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $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)
	On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade 1998 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayers, Helen Waterford, & Alfons Heck from Aladdin Paperbacks Historical Non-Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Pedro's Journal A Voyage with Christopher Columbus by Pam Conrad from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
	Perilous Road by William O. Steele from Harcourt for 5th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
	Red Badge of Courage Puffin Classics by Stephen Crane from Puffin Books for 7th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.50 (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)
	Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell from Scholastic Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Serpent Never Sleeps A Novel of Jamestown and Pocahontas by Scott O'Dell from Fawcett Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder from Aladdin Paperbacks Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade Scott O'Dell Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder from Avon Books Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade Scott O'Dell Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Laurel-Leaf Books Historical Fiction for 6th-8th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.50 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins from Beech Tree Books Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	To Be a Slave Puffin Modern Classics by Julius Lester, illustrated by Tom Feelings from Puffin Books Historical Non-fiction for 6th-10th grade 1969 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty from Beech Tree Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
	Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Wagon Wheels An I Can Read Book Level 3 by Barbara Brenner from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)

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