Thanks so much for all the responses to my request for historical fiction
titles. The overwhelming suggestion was the Dear America series. I was
delighted to find a few of these in our collection. Kristin sent me two
wonderful bibliographies for historical fiction titles. Thanks again to
everyone for your help.
I've compiled the hit below.
Tamara Jordan, Media Specialist
Lakewood Elementary School
Phenix City, AL
tjordan@pcboe.net
Erdrich's The Birchbark House
(its sequel, the Game of Silence, will be out this summer)
Michael Dorris, Morning Girl
Karen Cushman, The Midwife's Apprentice, Catherine
called Birdy
***
Anything by Ann Rinaldi. Dear America, My Name is America series.
***
My all time favorite (still) in this genre is: They Loved to Laugh, by
Kathryn Worth. One of the girls who checked it out discovered that she was
distantly related to the protaganist. It's the story of a "poor little rich
girl," who is orphaned by disease (smallpox, typhoid, some such). The
attending doctor takes her home to his large fun-loving family which
includes 5 boys. Truly a lovely book. It's long out of print, but can
still be located on line.
****
Anna Myers if a WONDERFUL author of Historical Fiction for this age group!
***
I love "The Great Brain" series books by John Fitzgerald. :)
***
Hi. The Mid-wife's Apprentice; Matilda Bone; Catherine, called Birdy, all 3
by Cushman (Medieval England).
A single shard (Korean history)
***
#1 choice would be THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE, by Avi.
***
Johnny Tremain (Revolutionary War)
Across Five Aprils (Civil War)
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (30s dust bowl)
Catherine called Birdy (Medieval times)
The Whipping Boy (Medieval times)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (Southern black experience
before desegretation)
Witch of Blackbird Pond
Trumpeter of Krakow (Middle ages)
Fever, 1793 (About the yellow fever outbread in Philidelphia)
A Gathering of Days: A New England girl's journal 1830-1832.
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson (story of a young factory worker during
Industrial Revolution)
Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell (young girl survives Revolutionary War)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor((World War II)
True Confession of Charlott Doyle (Great adventure novel set in time of
sailing ships)
***
Dear America journals, Stopping to Home, Ballad of Lucy Whipple, Sooner,
Bigger, Watsons go to birmingham, Bud not Buddy, My Daniel,
Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker, Twenty One Balloons, Birchbark House,
Understood Betsy, Slave Dancer.
***
And don't forget the Anne books (L.M. Montgomery).
***
Bigger by Patricia Calvert (post Civil War, Texas)
Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (young girl growing up)
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Civil War-family conflict)
ALL of Elizabeth George Speare's award winners:
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Colonial America)
Calico Captive (French and Indian War)
Sign of the Beaver (Native American)
The Bronze Bow (Israel in Jesus' time)
Johnny Tremaine by Esther Forbes (American Revolution)
***
What about the "Dear America" series... I just read "Nory Ryan's Song" and
"A Single Shard" for a MLS class, and loved both of them. "Nory Ryan's Song"
is set in Ireland in the mid 1800s during the potato famine, and the other
is set in Korea in the 1500s. "Walkin to the Bus Rider Blues" is set in
Alabama (I think) during the '50s/'60s. "Lewis and Clark and Me" is told
from the viewpoint of Lewis' dog and his experiences on their cross-country
adventure. "Number the Stars" is a great holocaust book, as is "The Diary of
Anne Frank." Hope this helps!
****
Bound for Oregon
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Fever 1793
Toliver's Secret
Number the Stars
***
"Crispin: The Cross of Lead," by Avi, "Sarah, Plain and Tall," by
MacLachlan (Newbery),
-- The Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" series, Ann Walsh has written a
few books set during the 1860s gold rush in BC, Karen Cushman's "The
Midwife's Apprentice" & "Catherine Called Birdy" - "The True Confessions of
Charlotte Doyle" by Avi.
Julie Lawson & Barbara Smucker are other authors that are popular at my
school.
Check Scholastic - they have a couple of series..."Dear America" & "Dear
Canada" -other series include "Young Royals" - "Girls of Many Lands"
These titles really appeal to girls.
***
Historical fiction covers a broad area...
http://www.waterborolibrary.org/bklistjh.htm has book lists - scroll down
the page to find links to other sites that contain the lists.
****
The Dear America series and Royal Diaries series are very good historical
fiction.
***
I always liked books by Annabel and Edgar Johnson as a kid. Wilderness
Bride was one of my favorites (and probably pretty innocuous in today's
day and age.)
***
I am currently running a historical fiction booklover's book club for fourth
and fifth grade students. Here's the titles we have read*. I also included
some from past state nominated award books. All the kids loved these books
and they are appropriate for grade 4. These are my favorites.
***
Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin (racial integration)
the Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park (Korea, 1473, making and flying kites)
*Trouble don't last by Shelley Pearsall (Underground Railroad)
*The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed by Heather Vogel *(whaling expedition)
Joshua's Song by Jean Hiatt Harlow (Molasses explosion in Boston, early
1900s)
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Korea, 12th century, pottery)
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff (Irish Potato famine)
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan (treatment of young women in India, sewing)
***
It is great to hear about enthusiastic readers like yours!
Hear are some more books and Websites:
The Orphan Train (series) --Joan Lowery Nixon
American Girl (series)
Clara and the Book wagon (Levinson)
Dear America (series)
I Can Read (series)
I'm Sorry Almira Ann (Kurtz)
Little House (series by Wilder)
Little House (series, adaptations into easy chapter books)
Magic Tree House books.
My Name is America (series)
Next Spring an Oriole (and other books by Whelan)
Scholastic Step up Classics (series)
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgleish)
The Golly Sister (Byars)
***
http://nancykeane.com/rl/
ATN Booklist ( Most of the titles above came from this site Copyright ©
1999-2004 by Nancy J. Keane.)
http://www.dawcl.com/search.asp
The Database of Award Winning Children's Literature can help with reader's
advisory
http://bookgirl3.tripod.com/historicalfiction.html
Historical fiction for Children is another useful site
***
One of my favorite authors for historical fiction is AVI.
***
Introduce her to Scholastic's diary series (The Royal Diaries, My Name Is
America, Dear America). Some of them may be a little too advanced, but our
kids love them. Also, the American Girls series (Meet Molly, Meet Josefina,
and so on) are very good. There's also a mystery series from American Girl
that has each book set in a particular historical period.
When My Name Was Keoko by Park, Single Shard by Park, Crispin: Cross of
Lead by Avi, Fair Weather by Peck and his two Chicago books, Tucket
series by Paulsen, Black pearl, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Sarah
bishop and Streams to the river, River to the Sea by O'dell, Adaline
Falling Star by Osborne.
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