Thoughts & Things

Historical Fiction for Young Readers

A good piece of historical fiction combines reality with the magic of fiction, and gives us so many opportunities to learn. The genre for adults is quite broad, with options available for you regardless of the time or location setting you prefer. For children and young adults, the genre tends to get a bit narrower. I think many people are under the impression that children wouldn't be interested in history, but I think that's not true at all. Despite their flaws, series like Magic Treehouse and Horrible Histories have gained huge followings, and I personally first became interested in history through historical fiction as a child.

With that in mind, I would like to share some examples of historical fiction designated for children and young adults that I personally thought were enjoyable, and generally as factual as fiction is likely to be (particularly given that some of them include time travel as the connection to history).

Tunnels of Time
by Mary Harelkin Bishop
Set in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Tunnels of Time focuses around a young girl visiting the city, and feeling not particularly happy about it. She visits the tunnels of Moose Jaw, a local historical site where prohibition era criminals smuggled alcohol into the US, although she has her doubts that the tunnels were ever that exciting. She is transported back in time, to prohibition era Moose Jaw, where she has run ins with criminals she had denied the existence of, and even ends up working with them. Tunnels of Time manages to be realistic and sensational all at once, making it an enjoyable read for younger readers.

Underground to Canada
by Barbara Smucker
Underground to Canada is something of a classic in Canada, although my understanding is that it isn't overly well known in other parts of the world. It focuses on the story of Julilly, a young slave in 19th century US, sold away from her mother. Ultimately Julilly escapes to Canada via the underground railroad. Underground to Canada manages to realistically portray the abuse that slaves in America endured for far too long, while also still being appropriate for young readers. Rather than being dumbed down or watered down, it is presented in a child-friendly way.

Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is best known for writing YA fiction that shows teens their own lives and problems. Fever 1793 presents the lives and problems of a teenage girl in Philadelphia in 1793, when an outbreak of yellow fever devastated the city. Fever 1793 presents a realistic view of how an outbreak of illness might have effected a teenage girl personally, and it how it might have effected family owned businesses at the time. It deals with epidemic, loss, grief, and commerce, all within an historical context, and all from the view of a teenager.

The Shakespeare Stealer
by Gary L. Blackwood
The Shakespeare Stealer is set in the midst of the Shakespearean period, with a young literate orphan being hired to steal Hamlet by copying it in shorthand. The story presents a realistic view of sixteenth century England, as the story winds through the more dramatic and cultured parts of London, along with the grittier alleyways that orphans and actors might find themselves wandering down. It presents the streets of London with all the action, adventure, intrigue, and mystery required to delight young readers, while still allowing them to ponder about the past.


Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
Set during the Great Depression, in the midst of the Oklahoma dust storms, Out of the Dust focuses on Billie Jo and her family as they struggle physically, environmentally, and financially. Every page is a fresh poem, with the beautiful verse detailing Billie Jo's life from nearly a century ago, as she struggles with problems of the time. The narrative poetry makes it a much easier read than it would otherwise be, but the topic does require some level of emotional maturity due to its heavy nature and dark subject matter. The poems make it easier to read and swallow, but the story is still capable of leaving you in tears for a fictional girl from the 1930s.

Elixir
by Eric Walters
Eric Walters is a Canadian author known for his historical fiction targeted towards younger readers, and this was my personal favourite of his when I was younger. Elixir focuses on young Ruth, whose mother is working as a cleaner at the University of Toronto. Ruth befriends the real life Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best as they work on important diabetes research, while protests about animal test subjects take place outside the university. Ruth is torn, as she understand the importance of a cure for diabetes, but fears for the safety of the animals as well. Elixir shares vital information about diabetes and the race to cure it, as well as ethics in animal testing, and is set in the early 1920s when the research on diabetes and insulin took place.


(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Fifty-Four. Six days of leave taken total.)