Historical Fiction for Kids
Great reads that bring the past to life! A list of historical fiction titles for children of all ages.
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The Legend of Auntie Po
In 1885, the Chinese Exclusions Act has just passed, and 13-year-old Mei, a Chinese American, works in a California logging camp. While she shares epic tales of Chinese folk hero Auntie Po and her blue buffalo Pei Pei, Mei must also navigate the mounting racial tensions and violence, and her growing feelings for the foreman's daughter.
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Brother's Keeper
In this moving, suspenseful story set in 1950 on the outset of the Korean War, twelve-year-old Sora and her eight-year-old brother must escape North Korea's Communist Regime on their own after they are separated from their parents in a bombing.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Show Me A Sign
It’s 1805, and adventurous 11-year-old Mary Lambert, who is deaf, lives in a supportive community on Martha’s Vineyard. When a mysterious outsider claiming to be a scientist appears, and kidnaps Mary as a “specimen,” Mary must use all of her strength and ingenuity to get back to the community she loves.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Indian No More
Set in 1957, during the government's Indian Relocation Program which terminated her family's Umpqua tribal status, 10-year-old Regina and her family are forced to relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, Regina must figure out how to stay connected to her Indian identity, in this autobiographical novel.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen
Set in 1914, this rolicking tale follows the adventures 12-year-old Daring Darleen, an orphan and silent film adventure star. But when a publicity stunt becomes all too real, and she finds herself caught up in a kidnapping, will she be able to find the courage to rescue herself and her newfound friend?
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Prairie Lotus
In the 1880s, multiracial Hanna and her white father move to the Dakota Territory, where they experience prejudice and racism as they try to make a life for themselves.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Loretta Little Looks Back
Told through first person narratives, poetry, and spiritual hymns, this is the fictionalized account of a Mississippi family's struggles as sharecroppers under Jim Crow, and the fight for Civil Rights.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Ghost Boys
In this blend of history and contemporary fiction, 7th grader Jerome meets Emmett Till, and other "ghost boys" who have been killed due to racism, after he is shot and killed by a white police officer.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Root Magic
In 1963 South Carolina, 11-year-old African American twins Jezebel and Jay will be amongst the first students to integrate the local school. But the real challenge and room for possibility lies in their introduction to rootwork, an African American folk magic that has been in their family for generations.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Yara's Spring
Growing up in East Aleppo, this is a coming of age tale set in the midst of Arab Spring. Based on the author's own experience.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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