Children's
History & Historical Fiction
History for Teens
America:
A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne V. Cheney, et al
Written by Lynne Cheney, author and wife of Vice President Richard
Cheney, to honor this "beautiful land made more beautiful still by our
commitment to freedom," America: A Patriotic Primer is a proud celebration
of the individuals, milestones, and principles of this nation. Each busy
spread features elaborately decorated letters of the alphabet, with one
or two kids draped over its bars and loops, along with the highlighted
concept or person: "N is for Native Americans, who came here first," "T
is for Tolerance." Surrounding every letter is a veritable circus of entertaining
and useful related information, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (Alexander,
Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move). "J is for Jefferson,"
for example, is bordered with biographical details and quotations from
Thomas Jefferson, while mini images depict the third president's famous
home (Monticello), some of his inventions, and a description of the Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom. This compelling picture book will work best
as a supplement for children who are already immersed in basic American
history at school. Teachers and parents will enjoy exploring with their
kids every inch of the detailed, hand-drawn and illustrated U.S. map found
in "U is for United States," explaining and elaborating on the historical
lessons as appropriate. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter - Amazon.com
Hardcover: 40 pages
Simon & Schuster (Juv); ISBN: 0689851928; (May 21,
2002)
Daily
Life in a Victorian House
by Laura Wilson
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Book Description Daily Life in a Victorian House A child's "Upstairs,
Downstairs," this thrilling journey back in time into the heart of a Victorian
home uses a unique visual approach, with photographs of real objects from
the past in close-up color to bring the period fully alive. Discover how
a wealthy family and their servants really lived: how they dressed, what
they ate, how they entertained. Daily Life in a Victorian House chronicles
a day in the life of the Smith family, from the moment when the housemaid
struggles wearily out of bed to light the fires, to the moment when the
last candle is snuffed out and the house is once more at rest. Daily Life
in a Victorian House looks in close detail at a typical upper-middle-class
household and its social and historical background, combining original
artifacts, clothes, and interiors with informative text to present an intimate
portrait of a Victorian home.
(Hardcover -- September 1993)
Out of Print - Try Used Books
The
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
(Paperback -- July 1, 1994)
The
Starving Time: Elizabeth's Diary, Book Two, Jamestown, Virginia, 1609 (My
America)
by Patricia Hermes
Hardcover: 109 pages
Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0439199980; 1st edition (May
2001)
Farewell
to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After
the World War II Internment
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston
(Paperback -- March 1983)
The
Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut
Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river
to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat
doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this
spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's
stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl
who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is
not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch.
When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird
Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her
life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious
townspeople?
A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable
Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond
brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will
wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities
in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and
older) --Emilie Coulter - Amazon.com
Paperback: 223 pages
Laurel Leaf; ISBN: 0440995779; Reissue edition (June
1, 1978)
Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
by Maira Kalman
(Hardcover -- August 2002)
 |
Johnny
Tremain
by Esther Forbes, Lynn Ward (Illustrator)
(Paperback -- May 1, 1987) |
|
|
|
Bud,
Not Buddy (Newbery Medal Winner, 2000)
by Christopher Paul Curtis
"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds.
Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before
you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you
ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not
Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles
in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that
Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the
Depression, is his father.
Guided only by a flier for one of Calloway's shows--a small, blue poster
that had mysteriously upset his mother shortly before she died--Bud sets
off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never laid eyes on. And,
being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely
escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even
getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl." Christopher
Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, once again exhibits
his skill for capturing the language and feel of an era and creates an
authentic, touching, often hilarious voice in little Bud. (Ages 8 to 12)
--Paul
Hughes - Amazon.com
Paperback: 256 pages
Yearling Books; ISBN: 0440413281; Reprint edition (January
8, 2002)
Before
We Were Free
by Julia Alvarez
(Hardcover -- August 13, 2002)
Shades
of Gray
by Carolyn Reeder
Mass Market Paperback: 152 pages
Aladdin Paperbacks; ISBN: 0689826966; (May 1999)
Out
of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
Like the Oklahoma dust bowl from which she came, 14-year-old narrator
Billie Jo writes in sparse, free-floating verse. In this compelling, immediate
journal, Billie Jo reveals the grim domestic realities of living during
the years of constant dust storms: That hopes--like the crops--blow away
in the night like skittering tumbleweeds. That trucks, tractors, even Billie
Jo's beloved piano, can suddenly be buried beneath drifts of dust. Perhaps
swallowing all that grit is what gives Billie Jo--our strong, endearing,
rough-cut heroine--the stoic courage to face the death of her mother after
a hideous accident that also leaves her piano-playing hands in pain and
permanently scarred. Meanwhile, Billie Jo's silent, windblown father is
literally decaying with grief and skin cancer before her very eyes. When
she decides to flee the lingering ghosts and dust of her homestead and
jump a train west, she discovers a simple but profound truth about herself
and her plight. There are no tight, sentimental endings here--just a steady
ember of hope that brightens Karen Hesse's exquisitely written and mournful
tale. Hesse won the 1998 Newbery Award for this elegantly crafted, gut-wrenching
novel, and her fans won't want to miss The Music of Dolphins or Letters
from Rifka. (Ages 9 and older) --Gail Hudson - Amazon.com
Paperback: 227 pages
Scholastic Paperbacks; ISBN: 0590371258; Reprint edition
(January 1999)
The
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
(Hardcover -- September 1999)
Red
Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
by Ji-Li Jiang, David Henry Hwang
(Paperback -- October 1998)
Magic Tree House Boxed Set (Volumes 1-4)
by Mary Pope Osborne
Listed under Magic Tree House
 |
The
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite De Angeli, Ted de Angeli (Introduction)
(Paperback -- August 1, 1990) |
|
|
|
 |
Bravemole
by Lynne Jonell
(Hardcover -- August 2002) |
|
|
|
From
Colonies to Country ( History of U.S., Book 3)
by Joy Hakim
(Paperback -- March 1999)
Little House (9 Books, Boxed Set)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams (Illustrator)
Listed under Little House Books
A
Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories
by Richard Peck
Paperback: 148 pages
Puffin; ISBN: 0141303522; Reprint edition (October 2000)
The
Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
Paperback: 254 pages
Houghton Mifflin Co; ISBN: 0395137195; (September 1, 1997)
 |
Fever
1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
(Mass Market Paperback -- March 2002) |
|
|
|
Red
Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
by Ji-Li Jiang, David Henry Hwang
(Paperback -- October 1998)
Seabird
by Holling C. Holling
Regarded by many as a classic for young readers 9-12.
Book Description: The history of America at sea is presented through
the travels of Seabird, a carved ivory gull.
Paperback from Houghton Mifflin Co
Book Published: 26 April, 1978
Delaware
(America the Beautiful: Second Series)
by Jean F. Blashfield
(School & Library Binding -- September 2000)
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold
stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark
that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within
hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla
to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account
to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life
through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors
her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles
Ellen's family out of the country. Amazon.com
Listed under Ages 9 - 12
Minn
of the Mississippi
Holling C. Holling
Reading level: Ages 9-12
The history of the Mississippi River Valley is told in text and pictures
through the adventures of Minn, a snapping turtle, as she travels downstream.
School & Library Binding (March 15, 1951)
Houghton Mifflin Co (Juv); ISBN: 039517578X
The
1940s : From World War II to Jackie Robinson (Decades of the 20th Century)
by Stephen Feinstein
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding - 64 pages (November 2000)
Enslow Publishers, Inc.; ISBN: 0766014282
History of Ancient Greece
Eyewitness:
Ancient Greece
by Anne Pearson, Nick Nicholls (Photographer)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Ancient Greek culture, which reached its peak in Athens in the 5th
century B.C., produced some of the most glorious and fascinating relics
of Western civilization. This terrific Eyewitness Book traces ancient Greek
achievements from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period using evidence
found by archaeologists. Greek myths are introduced by way of statues,
carvings, and illustrations. Like all the books of this series, Ancient
Greece is incredibly rich in vivid, colorful photographs, which bring the
subject to life. Kids and adults can learn about power and politics in
Athens, the legendary Herakles (not quite like the Disney version), temples,
and home life. Archaeological evidence shows what life was like for women
and children of ancient Greece, what people did for fun, and what their
standards of beauty and accomplishment were. It's easy to see how influential
this ancient culture has been on modern life, from science and medicine
to the Olympic games. Extremely informative, intriguing, and entertaining.
Amazon.com
Hardcover: 64 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.42 x
11.32 x 8.80
Publisher: DK Publishing; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
ISBN: 0789457504
Children's
Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
by Padraic Colum, Willy Pogany (Illustrator)
Reading level: Young Adult
A
Fair Wind for Troy
by Doris Gates, Charles Mikolayack (Illustrator)
Ancient
Greeks
by Daisy Kerr
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 40 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.15 x
7.90 x 7.91
Publisher: Franklin Watts, Incorporated; Reprint edition
(October 1997)
ISBN: 053115310X
Tales
of the Trojan War
by Kamini Khanduri
young adult readers
Coloring
Book of the Trojan War
by Harry Knill.
The
Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War
by Emily Little
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 48 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.17 x
8.95 x 5.96
Publisher: Random House (Merchandising); (November 1988)
ISBN: 0394896742
How
Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek?
by Fiona MacDonald and David Salariya
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Inside
the Walls of Troy: A Novel of the Women Who Lived the Trojan War
by Clemence McLaren, Joel P. Johnson (Illustrator)
Reading level: Young Adult
Black
Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Lee Alan.
A novel based on the Iliad
Reading level: Ages 9-12
The
Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Alan Lee
» Click
here for top sellers in History & Historical Fiction
