Children's and Young Adult Literature: Historical fiction
Historical fiction in the classroom
"Historical fiction brings history to life for young readers through the inclusion of story about historical events. Most often, historical fiction features a child as the main character, allowing the child reader to identify with a historical event through a similar perspective. Historical fiction can:
- Increase curiousity about historical events.
- Support young readers in understanding a historical event through narrative
- Encourage multiple interpretations of an event.
- Extend the school curriculum through reading beyond a textbook
- Integrate curricula (Gamble & Yates, 2008)."
Barone, D. M. (2011). Children's Literature in the Classroom: Engaging Lifelong Readers. Guilford Press.
Historical fiction for children and youth
Selected historical fiction in the Education & Music Library.
*Note: This list is not comprehensive and includes only titles assigned the heading historical fiction. You may also want to browse this longer list of titles with a historical focus.
Featured resource
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Drum Dream Girl
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.
