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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.

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