Why Read Historical Fiction?
Historical Fiction novels are an interesting way to learn about history -
what happened before we were born. Although most of the characters in the novel
are not 'real' in that they never lived, their stories are based on what people
who lived at that time experienced. Writers of Historical Fiction do lots of
research and so the facts about the countries and the important people mentioned
in the stories are real. Many of the historical fiction novels for Junior
students in our school library are about Canada's history. Others think that
historical fiction is important as well. Click here to read about one opinion
about
Why & How I teach with Historical Fiction
A Fabulous site which leads to other historical fiction
lists for students can be found at
http://librarybooklists.org/fiction/children/jhistorical.htm
It is
maintained by the Kansas City Public Library
Junior Historical Fiction Novels by Place or Time
-
Canadian Historical Novels
- Accidental Orphan by Constance Horne
- Belonging Place by Jean Little
- Blood Red Ochre by Kevin Major
- Broken Blade by William Durbin
- Copper Sunrise by Bryan Buchanan
- Curse of the Viking Grave by Farley Mowat
- Days of Terror by Barbara Smucker
- Dream Carvers by Joan Clark
- Finders Keepers by Andrea Spalding
- Fire Ship by Marianne Brandis
- Flight by Connie Brummel Crook
- Gold Fever Trail by Monica Hughes
- Hand of Robin Squires by Joan Clark
- Hiding Place by Lyn Cook
- Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn
- Home Child by Barbara Haworth-Attard
- I Heard the Owl Call my Name by Margaret
Craven
- King's Daughter by Suzanne Martel
- Laura's Choice - The Story of Laura Secord by
Connie Brummel Crook
- Meyer's Creek by Connie Brummel Crook
- My Name is Seepetza by Shirley Stirling
- Namoi's Road by Joy Kogawa
- Nellie L. by Connie Brummel Crook
- No Man's Land by Kevin Major
- Ocean's Between by Margaret Bunel Edwards
- One Proud Summer by Marsha Hewitt
- Pit Pony by Marsha Hewitt
- Promise Song by Linda Holeman
- Question of Loyalty by Barbara Greenwood
- Rebellion - A Novel of Upper Canada by
Marianne Brandis
- Root Cellar by Janet Lunn
- Sioux Winter by Bill Freeman
- Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson
- Soldier Boys by David Richards
- Stone Orchard by Susan Merritt
- The Temptations of Big Bear by Rudy Wiebe
- Ticket to Curlew by Celia Lottridge
- Tinderbox by Marianne Brandis
- Treasure of the Long Sault by Monica Hughes
- Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker
- White Jade Tiger by Julie Lawson
- White Mist by Barbara Smucker
- Wind Wagon by Celia Lottridge
- Wings to Fly by Celia Lottridge
- Within a Painted Past by Hazel Hutchins
-
- *Dear Canada
- *Our Canadian Girl
- Dear America
- Girls of Many Lands
- Little House Chapter Book
- Royal Diaries
- Young Royals
-
Arthurian Novels for Younger Readers
- Camelot - Yolen, Jane.
- Merlin Dreams - Dickinson, Peter.
- Over Sea, Under Stone - Cooper, Susan.
- The Dragon's Boy - Yolen, Jane.
- The Seeing Stone - Crossley-Holland, Kevin.
- The Squire's Tale - Morris, Gerald.
-
Historical Fiction for Younger Readers -
Middle Ages
- Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page - Platt, Richard.
- Fire, Bed & Bone - Branford, Henrietta.
- The Knight at Dawn - Osborne, Mary Pope.
- The Making of a Knight: How Sir James Earned His Armor - O'Brien,
Patrick.
-
World War II Stories for Younger Readers
- A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor - Mazer, Harry.
- Lily's Crossing - Giff, Patricia Reilly.
- Number the Stars - Lowry, Lois.
- Stepping On the Cracks - Hahn, Mary Downing.
- The Sky is Falling - *Pearson, Kit.
- War of the Eagles - *Walters, Eric.
- Wish Me Luck - *Heneghan, James.
-
Pioneer Life - Stories for Younger
Readers
- Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of
Hattie Campbell - Gregory, Kristiana.
- Caddie Woodlawn - Brink, Carol Ryrie.
- Footsteps in the Snow: The Red River Diary of Isobel Scott - *Matas,
Carol.
- Little House on the Prairie - Wilder, Laura Ingalls.
- Our Only May Amelia - Holm, Jennifer L.
- Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan, Patricia.
- The Ballad of Lucy Whipple - Cushman, Karen.
- The Belonging Place - *Little, Jean.
- The Gentleman Outlaw and Me - Eli: A Story of the Old West - Hahn,
Mary Downing.
- The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy - Scieszka, Jon.
- Ticket to Curlew - *Lottridge, Celia B.
-
Braving the New World - Immigration Stories
- Skateway to Freedom - Alma, Ann
- Death over Montreal - Bilson, Geoffrey
- Calico Bush - Gaetz, Dayle Campbell
- Torn Away - Hennegham, James
- The Red Corduroy Shirt - Kertes, Joseph
- Goldstone - Lawson, Julie
- The Belonging Place - Little, Jean
- Ticket to Curlew - Lottridge, Celia Barker
- Wind Wagon - Lottridge, Celia Barker
- The Hollow Tree - Lunn, Janet
- The Sky is Falling - Pearson, Kit
- Goodbye, Walter Malinski - Recorvits, Helen
- Days of Terror - Smucker, Barbara
- Underground to Canada - Smucker, Barbara
-
- Alcock Singer to the
Sea God Greece
- Alexander Time Cat
Various eras
- Alexander The Arkadians Greece
- Banks Moses in
Egypt Egypt
- Benchley Demo and the Dolphin
Greece
- Blacklock, D. Pankration: The Ultimate Game Greece 430
B.E.
- Bosse Cave Beyond
Time Various eras
- Bradshaw Beyond the North Wind
Greece
- Brennan Shiva: a tale of the
Ice Age Ice Ages
- Browne, N Warriors of Alavna
- Bunting I am the Mummy Heb-Nefert
Egypt PICTURE BK
- Catling John Midas in the
Dreamtime Prehistory
- Denenberg, Barry Atticus of Rome 30 B.C.
- Gregory Cleopatra, Daughter
of the Nile Egypt
- Griek, Susan Gift for Ampato Inca
- Lawrence, Ann Between the Forest and the Hills Britain
- McGowen The Time of the
Forest Denmark, Viking
- McGraw The Golden
Goblet Egypt
- McGraw Mara, Daughter
of the Nile Egypt
- Norton, Andre Shadow Hawk 1590 B.C.
- Osborne Mummies in the
Morning Egypt
- Paton Walsh, Jill Pepi and the Secret Names Egypt
- Ray
The Golden Bees Greece
- Ray, Mary Beyond the Desert Gate Palestine
- Rubalcaba, Jill Place in the Sun
- Speare The Bronze Bow
Galilee (Roman Era)
- Treece The Windswept
City Trojan War
- Turnbull The Queen Cat
Egypt
- Turnbull The Wolf King
Prehistory
- Turner Time of the
Bison Prehistory
- Winterfield Detectives in Togas
Rome
- Yarbro Four Horses for
Tishtry Rome
- Yolen, Jane Atalnta and the Arcadian Beast
-
Some Authors & Titles of Historical Fiction Novels for
Junior Students
- Bilson, Geoffrey
- Brink, Carol Ryrie
-
Byers, Betsy
- Cooper, James Fenimore
-
Cushman,
Karen
- The Midwife's Apprentice, Catherine Called Birdy
- Hunter, Bernice Thurman
- That Scatterbrain Booky, Lamplighter, Hawk & Stretch
-
Hutchins, Hazel
- Lenski, Losi
- Little, Jean
- Lottridge, Celia Barker
- Lowry, Lois
-
Pearson, Kit
- The Sky is Falling, A Handful of Time
-
Smucker, Barbara
- Speare, Elizabeth George
- The Sign of the Beaver, The Witch of Blackbird Pond
-
Wilder, Laura Ingalls
- Little House on the Prairie
-
Winthrop,
Elizabeth
- Castle in the Attic, Battle for the Castle
- Woodruff, Elvira
The Assignment ~ Historical Fiction Monologue-
Miss Berndl's Class
- Read a historical novel
- Decide what character you will "play"
- Write a 1 to 2 page script. In it you will tell the class about
yourself and tell about one of the adventures that has happened to you
(taken from the story). You need to write in your character's
"voice", namely as if you were that person.
- Practice reading your script out loud. This is not to be memorized.
However you should have practiced enough so that your reading is fluent
and expressive.
- Look around at home and find something to wear that reminds you of
something your character would wear.
- Try to find some artifacts to use as props to set the stage for
your reading. These could be items that represent things about the
character or things that were referred to in the book.
- On your presentation day, you will be expected to be dressed in
character and you will read your script to the class. Your
artifacts will be on a table by your side.
- After your presentation the class can ask you questions. You should try to
stay in character when answering the questions.
Learning Expectations
- demonstrate an understanding of voice and audience by speaking and
writing in role as a character in a story using the first-person point
of view
- use costumes, props, artifacts to set the stage
English
- read a variety of genres (Historical Fiction)
- describe vividly, choosing words that are most effective for their
purpose
- identify elements of a story and provide supporting details
- retell a story by adapting it for presentation as a dramatization
- read aloud expressively, fluently with sufficient volume and clarity
to be easily understood
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