Historical Fiction...Starring Girls!

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Welcome to the Historical Fiction . . . Starring Girls! Website.On this page you will find an annotated bibliography of Young Adult Historical Fiction starring girls.The bibliographies on this site will continue to grow as time goes by. Follow the links below to connect to website links, adult historical fiction, or send email to me with questions or comments.

Historical Fiction offers Young Adults an accessible doorway into the past. With vibrant, believable characters and richly detailed settings, writers of historical fiction communicate what history books cannot. Women are often left out of history books, and teenage girls need to know the parts that women and girls have played in history. A girl character will give a girl reader a more personal connection with the story, and with the facts and fantasy of history.
I have created a selective bibliography of Historical Fiction books for Young Adults that have female protagonists. I have not limited my selections by time period or geographical location, but have tried to choose stories that involve the characters in an adventure. Although they are not fiction, I included some memoirs that are especially powerful and absorbing. The girls in these stories are brave, strong, and smart. They have lived in many different times and places, but they have all had to become courageous. They have learned to rely on their own resources of strength and wit, perseverance and patience, to succeed in their adventures.
At the end of this bibliography you will find a short list of some of the print resources I used for this project. I also used many of the web pages found on the links page of this site.

Armstrong, Jennifer. (1992). Steal Away. New York : Orchard Books.
Susannah, a white orphan, and Bethlehem, a black slave, run North together from Virginia and the plantation of Susannah's uncle and Bethlehem's master. It is 1855, ten years before the Civil War. When their journey begins, the two girls have little in common but the desire to go North, Susannah to Vermont, her original home, and Bethlehem to Canada, where blacks are free. But as they progress, Susannah and Bethlehem become dear friends. The story is told from Susannah and Bethlehem as old women to their two granddaughters. These two girls, one black and one white must come to terms with their differences and shyness during the telling of the story. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1993; an ALA Notable Book, 1993.

Avi. (1990). The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. New York: Avon Books.
Charlotte Doyle is the only passenger, and the only female, on board a ship bound from England to America in the year 1832. Charlotte, the daughter of a rich American, is captivated by the captain, for his manners and dress are familiar to her, especially in contrast to the rough and scruffy crew. But when the crew mutinies against the abusive captain Charlottes loyalties are tested. Out of necessity, Charlotte becomes a member of the crew, and dedicates her life to sailing. A terrifying adventure story with a heroine that grows on you. A 1991 Newbery Honor Book.

Bernstein, Sara Tuvel. (1997). The Seamstress. New York : Putnam.
Sara Tuvel lived through the Holocaust of WWII to write her biography. She was a young Jewish girl in Romania when the war started and was eventually taken to concentration camps in Hungary. She survived through sheer will, while others around her, including much of her family, died. She describes the concentration camps in detail, but she manages to give the story some hope. Many years after the war, she went to Israel to be reunited with some of her distant relatives. A very powerful book, good for High School students studying the Holocaust. A YALSA (Young Adult Library Association) 1998 Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults.

Collier, James Lincoln and Collier, Christopher. (1983). War Comes to Willy Freeman. New York: Dell Yearling.
Willy is a free black living in Connecticut during the American Civil War. After her father is murdered by the British, and her mother is captured, Willy leaves her home to search for her mother in New York. She disguises herself as a boy, but finds that sometimes it is better to be a girl. Changing her identity back and forth, Willy finds a life for herself in New York City, even as she struggles against the whites and the British.

Cushman, Karen. (1995). The Midwives Apprentice. New York: Harper Trophy.
Alyce, formerly known as Beetle or Brat, is a homeless orphan who finds her way to a small Medieval England village. She is taken in by a midwife, and slowly learns the skills of midwifery. But Alyce has many self doubts, and it is not until she runs away to work at an inn, and begins to learn how to read, that she has the confidence to return to midwifery, and a way of life that suits her. Alyce learns to overcome her self-hatred by learning how to read and learning to be a midwife. The 1996 Newbery Award, ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.

Cushman, Karen. (1994). Catherine, Called Birdy. New York: Harper Trophy.
Catherine, called Birdy because of her collection of birds, is the daughter of a knight, and is required to do his bidding. Her father wants to marry her off to the richest man who will take her, but Catherine doesn't want to marry the despicable Shaggy Beard who her father ultimately chooses. She longs to be a peasant girl, to be able to marry as she pleases. She runs away for a time, but realizes that she must remain true to who she is, and returns to accept her fate. Catherine is a strong girl hero who has desires to move beyond the typical woman's life. A Newbery Honor Book, 1995 Notable Children's Book (ALA), 1995 Best Book for Young Adults (ALA), and Quick Picks for Young Adults 1995 (ALA).

Garden, Nancy. (1995). Dove and Sword. New York: Scholastic.
The story of Joan of Arc, Dove and Sword is told by Gabrielle, a girl from Joan's village who disguises herself as a boy to follow Joan into battle, and to learn the healing arts. While Joan is the Sword, Gabrielle is the Dove in this story, preferring peacetime to battles. Powerful descriptions of the brutality of war show that, although Joan was a hero more than a heretic, war itself is a very high price to pay for peace.

Garland, Sherry. (1992). Song of the Buffalo Boy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
It is 1987 and Loi is a 17-year-old Amerasian- the daughter of a Vietnamese woman and an American man. The historical significance of this book is the impact that the war in Vietnam had on the many children born of American soldiers and Vietnamese women. Because of her mixed blood, Loi is an outsider. Only her beloved Khai accepts her for who she is. But in order to be with him, Loi must run away to Saigon. This story touches on homelessness, poverty, love, and the complicated situation between Amerasians, Vietnam, and America.

Gregory, Kristiana. (1992). Earthquake at Dawn. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Edith Irvine witnessed the 1906 Earthquake from a boat in the San Francisco Bay. In Earthquake at Dawn, Edith's story is told by her maid, Daisy, who was traveling with her to San Francisco from the Delta. After the Earthquake Daisy and Edith are separated from Edith's father on shore and must live in a tent city in Golden Gate Park. They witness the destruction throughout the city, and meet some interesting characters. Edith Irvine was a real girl, and she took illegal photographs of the destruction of the city, some of which are included in the book. A great book for students in the bay area.

Hendry, Frances Mary. (1990). Quest for a Maid. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Meg's life is changed forever when she hides under a table and hears her sister kill King Alexander of Scotland with a witches spell. Hendry weaves this tale of the death of King Alexander with fact and legend, creating a compelling, fast paced adventure. Feisty and passionate, nine-year-old Meg is betrothed to six-year-old Davie, who she loves in spite of his gruesome harelip. When Meg is chosen to escort the young Norwegian Princess, rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, home to rule, she begins a perilous journey that will pit her against her powerful sister. Hendry brings 13th Century Scotland alive with a colorful mix of the details of everyday life and the turbulent politics of the Scottish Kingdom. An ALA Notable Children's Book; ALA Best Books for Young Adults; Bulletin Center for Children's Books Honor List.

Hesse, Karen. (1992). Letters From Rifka. New York: Henry Holt.
Told through letters written by 12-year-old Rifka to her Cousin Tovah in the early 1920's. Rifka flees with her family to America to escape the anti-Semitism in Russia. Her family suffers many hardships on their journey across Europe, and when they get to Belgium, Rifka must stay behind because she has developed Ringworm on her scalp. While she is recovering in Belgium, the clever Rifka learns English. It is her intelligence and perseverance that allows her to rejoin her family in America. The immigrant experience told here is far from idyllic.

Hesse, Karen. (1997). Out Of The Dust. New York: Scholastic Press.
This story of the 1930's dust bowl is told in a series of blank verse poems. Billie Jo's family live in the Oklahoma Panhandle, where they experience the hardship brought on by the depression and the dust bowl. Billie Jo bears much of the emotional weight of their struggles. She jumps a train to escape her torments, only to find that she must return to the home where she belongs. The poetic verse sets this narrative apart from other novels and gives Billie Jo a unique voice. A 1998 Newbery Award Book; 1998 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award.

Holland, Isabelle. (1994). Behind the Lines. New York: Scholastic.
Katie lives in New York during the Civil War where she works for a rich Protestant family as a housemaid. She is Irish, and there is much friction between the Irish and the rest of the New York population. While the family is trying to get Katie's brother to take money to fight in place of their own son, the New York Draft Riots break out. Katie struggles between her loyalty to her family, a stray dog who she has grown to love, and a black stable hand who has helped her take care of the dog.

Houston, Jeanne Wakastsuki and Houston, James D. (1973). Farewell to Manzanar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Jeanne Wakastsuki was a prisoner in the Japanese interment camp at Manzanar during WWII. She was a young girl, and didn't understand how deeply the experience affected her until later in her life. The book gives a detailed and poignant description of the Japanese Interment camps and how these camps affected the lives of Japanese immigrants and their offspring. This book would be a great tool for teaching Young Adults about the interment camps.

Lasky, Kathryn. (1994). Beyond the Burning Time. New York: Blue Sky Press.
This story of the Salem Witch trials is based firmly in fact, but is told from the point of view of a fictional character named Mary Chase. Mary is an intelligent girl, who thinks beyond the thoughts of marriage and women's work. When women in the community of Salem Village begin to be accused of witchcraft, Mary and her mother are skeptical; they do not believe in witches. But their unwillingness to go along puts them in danger, and eventually Mary's own mother is accused. Mary and her brother must use their courage and their wits to save their mother.

Lowry, Lois. ( 1989). Number The Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
10-year-old Annemarie lives in Denmark during WWII, where she and her family hide her best friend, Ellen, a Jew, during a Nazi raid. Nearly 7000 people were evacuated to unoccupied Sweden from Denmark by the Danish Resistance during the war. Annemarie and Ellen must show courage, intelligence and hope in order to survive their ordeal. The 1990 Newbery Medal winner; An ALA Notable Book; A "School Library Journal" Best Book of the Year; Booklist Editors' Choice; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award; Horn Book Fanfare Selection; IRA Teachers' Choice.

Matas, Carol. (1997). The Garden. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
This sequel to Matas' After the War, takes place in Palestine after WWII. Ruth, a German Jew, and survivor of the concentration camps, lives on a Kibbutz. She and her friends fight with meager supplies against the Arabs in order to live peacefully in Israel. The fighting escalates after the UN votes for "Partition" - giving the Jews and the Arabs separate states. Ruth must confront her own fears and morals, and find more courage than she thought she had. After surviving the camps and the war in Germany it is difficult for Ruth and her friends to come to terms with the war they are fighting now. A rare perspective for historical fiction on the aftermath of the Jewish Holocaust.

Meyer, Carolyn. (1992). Where The Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Cynthia Ann Parker was a real woman who was captured by Comanches at the age of Nine. The book takes place many years later, at the beginning of the Civil War, when Cynthia Ann is about 37 and is rescued by white settlers and returned her uncle and his family. But Cynthia Ann does not feel that she has been rescued. Her only desire is to return to her people, her husband, and her sons. This is an incredible true story, that shows the sharp contrast between the ways of the Comanche Indians and the white settlers; and illustrates their inability to understand each other.

O'Dell, Scott. (1960). Island of the Blue Dolphins, New York: Dell.
Based on the true story of Karana, a 12-year-old American Indian girl who survived alone on a small island off the California Coast in the early 1800's. Karana stayed behind when the island was evacuated, and lived there for 18 years, finding her own food and clothing, and fending off wild dogs. She finds a kind if peace in her aloneness. A very impressionable book. The 1961 Newbery Medal winner; An ALA Notable Children's Book; William Allen White Award winner.

O'Dell, Scott. Sarah Bishop. (1980). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Sarah Bishop flees her home in New England during the American Revolution because of her father's sympathies with the king, and her brother's with the patriots. Tired of being around people who she must fear and suspect, Sarah decides to live in the wilderness. Armed with a musket, she ventures into the woods and finds a cave. Her strength and resourcefulness save her from cold and starvation. She struggles with her belief in God and the Bible and her desire to take revenge on those who have harmed her and her family. Based on a true story.

Paterson, Katherine. (1992). Lyddie. New York: Puffin.
Lyddie's family is poor, and after her father abandons them, her mother hires her out to work in an Inn. But Lyddie runs off to become a factory girl in Lowell, Massachusetts, where she can make enough money to buy back her family farm. Lyddie makes many friends in the factory, but most of all she learns to read. She determines to buy herself an education. This story of life in the New England factories of the mid 1800's is full of rich historical details, and fascinating characters. An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; Booklist Editor's Choice; ALA Notable Book; ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Paulsen, Gary. (1993). Nightjohn. New York: Deallocate Press.
This is a story about Nightjohn, but it is told by a young slave girl named Sarny. Nightjohn risks his life to teach Sarny and other slave children to read. Although this is a short book that is easy to read, the descriptions of violence are explicit, and the story is about despair, as well as hope. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults; ALA Notable Children's Book

Paulsen, Gary. (1997). Sarny, A Life Remembered. New York: Deallocate Press.
In this sequel to Nightjohn, Sarny, now an old woman, relates the story of her life. After learning to read, marrying, bearing children, and becoming a widow, Sarny is freed by the civil war. But before she receives her freedom her children are sold, so she must venture to New Orleans to find them. During this adventure, Sarny is taken in by an "Octoroon," or mixed blood woman, who gives her a job and helps her find her children. After her children are grown, Sarny teaches reading to young black children, traveling all over the country to start schools. This novel continues the hopefulness started in Nightjohn.

Rinaldi, Ann. (1996). Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.
The story of Phillis Wheatley, America's first black poet. Based on facts from her life, and beautifully fleshed out by the author. Phillis's life began in Senegal where she was captured and brought to America to be a slave. She was bought by the Wheatleys, who encouraged her to read and write and express herself. When she began to write poetry the Wheatleys pampered her and showed her off, but Phillis longed for her freedom for many years. When her freedom finally came she was ambivalent about it. The fact that this story is true makes it especially intriguing. It should inspire Young Adults to read and write poetry.

Siegal, Aranka. (1994). Upon The Head Of The Goat: A Childhood in Hungary, 1939-1944. New York: Puffin Books.
Piri's story begins on her grandmothers farm in the Ukraine, and ends when her family is put on a train to Aushwitz in Hungary. The affects of WWII on Hungary are subtly shown in small, and gradually larger changes that affect every day life for Piri and her family. This story is especially tragic because Piri remains hopeful and strong up to the very last sentence of the book.

Speare, Elizabeth George. (1989). Calico Captive. New York: Bantam, Doubleday, Dell.
16-year-old Mirriam is captured by Indians from her New England home in 1754. She and her family are forced to march to Canada and become the Indian's slaves. The journey is terrifying and exhausting, and Mirriam must keep up her courage in order to survive. Speare's first book offers an interesting account of the French and Indian war, easily accessible to young readers through the fickle, but captivating character of Mirriam. Based on the journals of Mirriam's real life sister.

Speare, Elizabeth George. (1958). The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
When 16-year-old Kit arrives in Connecticut in 1687 she knows she doesn't fit in. In contrast to her hoe in Barbados, the Puritan village of Wethersfield seems strange to Kit. Kit's differences from the community are so great, that when she befriends an old woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, she herself is accused of witchery. The 1958 Newbery Medal winner, An ALA Notable Children's Book, A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age.

Temple, Frances. (1994). The Ramsay Scallop. New York: Orchard Books.
Elenor, who lives in England at the beginning of the 13th Century, is 14 and betrothed to Thomas, who is off on crusade. Thomas and Elenor are somewhat reluctant to marry, but when Thomas returns from crusade they are sent together on a religious pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The two travelers learn to love each other along the way, and they gain purpose and self respect. They come in contact with many fascinating and lovable people, and they learn to trust others, and to be open to different kinds of people. A 1995 ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Booklist Editors' Choice Top of the List Winner for Youth Fiction, 1995.

Tomlinson, Theresa. (1993). The Forestwife. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.
A retelling of the Robin Hood Legend with Maid Marian as the protagonist. When the young Mary is betrothed to a much older man, she runs away, and is followed by her Nurse. They live in the woods and, together, they help those who have been cast out be greedy and unkind lords. Marian's nurse is The Forestwife, but Marian herself is being trained for this role of healer and protector. She is often visited by Robert (Robin Hood) who becomes her companion, but not her husband, for the Forestwife cannot wed. A fresh take on the traditionally male centered legend.

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PRINT RESOURCES

Burt, Daniel S, ed. (1997). What Historical Novel Do I Read Next? Detroit: Gale.
Estes, Sally, ed. (1996). Popular YA Reading: A Collection of Booklist Columns. Chicago: Americanm Library Association.
Odean, Kathleen. (1997). Great Books for Girls. New York: Ballantine.

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Visit my home page!

Last updated June 2000

	*Armstrong, Jennifer. (1992). Steal Away. New York : Orchard Books.* Susannah, a white orphan, and Bethlehem, a black slave, run North together from Virginia and the plantation of Susannah's uncle and Bethlehem's master. It is 1855, ten years before the Civil War. When their journey begins, the two girls have little in common but the desire to go North, Susannah to Vermont, her original home, and Bethlehem to Canada, where blacks are free. But as they progress, Susannah and Bethlehem become dear friends. The story is told from Susannah and Bethlehem as old women to their two granddaughters. These two girls, one black and one white must come to terms with their differences and shyness during the telling of the story. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1993; an ALA Notable Book, 1993.
	Avi. (1990). The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. New York: Avon Books. Charlotte Doyle is the only passenger, and the only female, on board a ship bound from England to America in the year 1832. Charlotte, the daughter of a rich American, is captivated by the captain, for his manners and dress are familiar to her, especially in contrast to the rough and scruffy crew. But when the crew mutinies against the abusive captain Charlottes loyalties are tested. Out of necessity, Charlotte becomes a member of the crew, and dedicates her life to sailing. A terrifying adventure story with a heroine that grows on you. A 1991 Newbery Honor Book.
	*Bernstein, Sara Tuvel. (1997). The Seamstress. New York : Putnam.* Sara Tuvel lived through the Holocaust of WWII to write her biography. She was a young Jewish girl in Romania when the war started and was eventually taken to concentration camps in Hungary. She survived through sheer will, while others around her, including much of her family, died. She describes the concentration camps in detail, but she manages to give the story some hope. Many years after the war, she went to Israel to be reunited with some of her distant relatives. A very powerful book, good for High School students studying the Holocaust. A YALSA (Young Adult Library Association) 1998 Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults.
	*Collier, James Lincoln and Collier, Christopher. (1983). War Comes to Willy Freeman. New York: Dell Yearling.* Willy is a free black living in Connecticut during the American Civil War. After her father is murdered by the British, and her mother is captured, Willy leaves her home to search for her mother in New York. She disguises herself as a boy, but finds that sometimes it is better to be a girl. Changing her identity back and forth, Willy finds a life for herself in New York City, even as she struggles against the whites and the British.
	Cushman, Karen. (1995). **The Midwives Apprentice. New York: Harper Trophy.** Alyce, formerly known as Beetle or Brat, is a homeless orphan who finds her way to a small Medieval England village. She is taken in by a midwife, and slowly learns the skills of midwifery. But Alyce has many self doubts, and it is not until she runs away to work at an inn, and begins to learn how to read, that she has the confidence to return to midwifery, and a way of life that suits her. Alyce learns to overcome her self-hatred by learning how to read and learning to be a midwife. The 1996 Newbery Award, ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.
	Cushman, Karen. (1994). Catherine, Called Birdy. New York: Harper Trophy. Catherine, called Birdy because of her collection of birds, is the daughter of a knight, and is required to do his bidding. Her father wants to marry her off to the richest man who will take her, but Catherine doesn't want to marry the despicable Shaggy Beard who her father ultimately chooses. She longs to be a peasant girl, to be able to marry as she pleases. She runs away for a time, but realizes that she must remain true to who she is, and returns to accept her fate. Catherine is a strong girl hero who has desires to move beyond the typical woman's life. A Newbery Honor Book, 1995 Notable Children's Book (ALA), 1995 Best Book for Young Adults (ALA), and Quick Picks for Young Adults 1995 (ALA).
	*Garden, Nancy. (1995). Dove and Sword. New York: Scholastic.* The story of Joan of Arc, Dove and Sword is told by Gabrielle, a girl from Joan's village who disguises herself as a boy to follow Joan into battle, and to learn the healing arts. While Joan is the Sword, Gabrielle is the Dove in this story, preferring peacetime to battles. Powerful descriptions of the brutality of war show that, although Joan was a hero more than a heretic, war itself is a very high price to pay for peace.
	*Garland, Sherry. (1992). Song of the Buffalo Boy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.* It is 1987 and Loi is a 17-year-old Amerasian- the daughter of a Vietnamese woman and an American man. The historical significance of this book is the impact that the war in Vietnam had on the many children born of American soldiers and Vietnamese women. Because of her mixed blood, Loi is an outsider. Only her beloved Khai accepts her for who she is. But in order to be with him, Loi must run away to Saigon. This story touches on homelessness, poverty, love, and the complicated situation between Amerasians, Vietnam, and America.
	*Gregory, Kristiana. (1992). Earthquake at Dawn. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.* Edith Irvine witnessed the 1906 Earthquake from a boat in the San Francisco Bay. In Earthquake at Dawn, Edith's story is told by her maid, Daisy, who was traveling with her to San Francisco from the Delta. After the Earthquake Daisy and Edith are separated from Edith's father on shore and must live in a tent city in Golden Gate Park. They witness the destruction throughout the city, and meet some interesting characters. Edith Irvine was a real girl, and she took illegal photographs of the destruction of the city, some of which are included in the book. A great book for students in the bay area.
	Hendry, Frances Mary. (1990). **Quest for a Maid. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.** Meg's life is changed forever when she hides under a table and hears her sister kill King Alexander of Scotland with a witches spell. Hendry weaves this tale of the death of King Alexander with fact and legend, creating a compelling, fast paced adventure. Feisty and passionate, nine-year-old Meg is betrothed to six-year-old Davie, who she loves in spite of his gruesome harelip. When Meg is chosen to escort the young Norwegian Princess, rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, home to rule, she begins a perilous journey that will pit her against her powerful sister. Hendry brings 13th Century Scotland alive with a colorful mix of the details of everyday life and the turbulent politics of the Scottish Kingdom. An ALA Notable Children's Book; ALA Best Books for Young Adults; Bulletin Center for Children's Books Honor List.
	*Hesse, Karen. (1992). Letters From Rifka. New York: Henry Holt.* Told through letters written by 12-year-old Rifka to her Cousin Tovah in the early 1920's. Rifka flees with her family to America to escape the anti-Semitism in Russia. Her family suffers many hardships on their journey across Europe, and when they get to Belgium, Rifka must stay behind because she has developed Ringworm on her scalp. While she is recovering in Belgium, the clever Rifka learns English. It is her intelligence and perseverance that allows her to rejoin her family in America. The immigrant experience told here is far from idyllic.
	*Hesse, Karen. (1997). Out Of The Dust. New York: Scholastic Press.* This story of the 1930's dust bowl is told in a series of blank verse poems. Billie Jo's family live in the Oklahoma Panhandle, where they experience the hardship brought on by the depression and the dust bowl. Billie Jo bears much of the emotional weight of their struggles. She jumps a train to escape her torments, only to find that she must return to the home where she belongs. The poetic verse sets this narrative apart from other novels and gives Billie Jo a unique voice. A 1998 Newbery Award Book; 1998 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award.
	*Holland, Isabelle. (1994). Behind the Lines. New York: Scholastic.* Katie lives in New York during the Civil War where she works for a rich Protestant family as a housemaid. She is Irish, and there is much friction between the Irish and the rest of the New York population. While the family is trying to get Katie's brother to take money to fight in place of their own son, the New York Draft Riots break out. Katie struggles between her loyalty to her family, a stray dog who she has grown to love, and a black stable hand who has helped her take care of the dog.
	*Houston, Jeanne Wakastsuki and Houston, James D. (1973). Farewell to Manzanar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.* Jeanne Wakastsuki was a prisoner in the Japanese interment camp at Manzanar during WWII. She was a young girl, and didn't understand how deeply the experience affected her until later in her life. The book gives a detailed and poignant description of the Japanese Interment camps and how these camps affected the lives of Japanese immigrants and their offspring. This book would be a great tool for teaching Young Adults about the interment camps.
	*Lasky, Kathryn. (1994). Beyond the Burning Time. New York: Blue Sky Press.* This story of the Salem Witch trials is based firmly in fact, but is told from the point of view of a fictional character named Mary Chase. Mary is an intelligent girl, who thinks beyond the thoughts of marriage and women's work. When women in the community of Salem Village begin to be accused of witchcraft, Mary and her mother are skeptical; they do not believe in witches. But their unwillingness to go along puts them in danger, and eventually Mary's own mother is accused. Mary and her brother must use their courage and their wits to save their mother.
	*Lowry, Lois. ( 1989). Number The Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.* 10-year-old Annemarie lives in Denmark during WWII, where she and her family hide her best friend, Ellen, a Jew, during a Nazi raid. Nearly 7000 people were evacuated to unoccupied Sweden from Denmark by the Danish Resistance during the war. Annemarie and Ellen must show courage, intelligence and hope in order to survive their ordeal. The 1990 Newbery Medal winner; An ALA Notable Book; A "School Library Journal" Best Book of the Year; Booklist Editors' Choice; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award; Horn Book Fanfare Selection; IRA Teachers' Choice.
	*Matas, Carol. (1997). The Garden. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.* This sequel to Matas' After the War, takes place in Palestine after WWII. Ruth, a German Jew, and survivor of the concentration camps, lives on a Kibbutz. She and her friends fight with meager supplies against the Arabs in order to live peacefully in Israel. The fighting escalates after the UN votes for "Partition" - giving the Jews and the Arabs separate states. Ruth must confront her own fears and morals, and find more courage than she thought she had. After surviving the camps and the war in Germany it is difficult for Ruth and her friends to come to terms with the war they are fighting now. A rare perspective for historical fiction on the aftermath of the Jewish Holocaust.
	*Meyer, Carolyn. (1992). Where The Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker. New York: Harcourt Brace.* Cynthia Ann Parker was a real woman who was captured by Comanches at the age of Nine. The book takes place many years later, at the beginning of the Civil War, when Cynthia Ann is about 37 and is rescued by white settlers and returned her uncle and his family. But Cynthia Ann does not feel that she has been rescued. Her only desire is to return to her people, her husband, and her sons. This is an incredible true story, that shows the sharp contrast between the ways of the Comanche Indians and the white settlers; and illustrates their inability to understand each other.
	*O'Dell, Scott. (1960). Island of the Blue Dolphins, New York: Dell.* Based on the true story of Karana, a 12-year-old American Indian girl who survived alone on a small island off the California Coast in the early 1800's. Karana stayed behind when the island was evacuated, and lived there for 18 years, finding her own food and clothing, and fending off wild dogs. She finds a kind if peace in her aloneness. A very impressionable book. The 1961 Newbery Medal winner; An ALA Notable Children's Book; William Allen White Award winner.
	*O'Dell, Scott. Sarah Bishop. (1980). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.* Sarah Bishop flees her home in New England during the American Revolution because of her father's sympathies with the king, and her brother's with the patriots. Tired of being around people who she must fear and suspect, Sarah decides to live in the wilderness. Armed with a musket, she ventures into the woods and finds a cave. Her strength and resourcefulness save her from cold and starvation. She struggles with her belief in God and the Bible and her desire to take revenge on those who have harmed her and her family. Based on a true story.
	*Paterson, Katherine. (1992). Lyddie. New York: Puffin.* Lyddie's family is poor, and after her father abandons them, her mother hires her out to work in an Inn. But Lyddie runs off to become a factory girl in Lowell, Massachusetts, where she can make enough money to buy back her family farm. Lyddie makes many friends in the factory, but most of all she learns to read. She determines to buy herself an education. This story of life in the New England factories of the mid 1800's is full of rich historical details, and fascinating characters. An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; Booklist Editor's Choice; ALA Notable Book; ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
	*Paulsen, Gary. (1993). Nightjohn. New York: Deallocate Press.* This is a story about Nightjohn, but it is told by a young slave girl named Sarny. Nightjohn risks his life to teach Sarny and other slave children to read. Although this is a short book that is easy to read, the descriptions of violence are explicit, and the story is about despair, as well as hope. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults; ALA Notable Children's Book
	*Paulsen, Gary. (1997). Sarny, A Life Remembered. New York: Deallocate Press.* In this sequel to Nightjohn, Sarny, now an old woman, relates the story of her life. After learning to read, marrying, bearing children, and becoming a widow, Sarny is freed by the civil war. But before she receives her freedom her children are sold, so she must venture to New Orleans to find them. During this adventure, Sarny is taken in by an "Octoroon," or mixed blood woman, who gives her a job and helps her find her children. After her children are grown, Sarny teaches reading to young black children, traveling all over the country to start schools. This novel continues the hopefulness started in Nightjohn.
	*Rinaldi, Ann. (1996). Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.* The story of Phillis Wheatley, America's first black poet. Based on facts from her life, and beautifully fleshed out by the author. Phillis's life began in Senegal where she was captured and brought to America to be a slave. She was bought by the Wheatleys, who encouraged her to read and write and express herself. When she began to write poetry the Wheatleys pampered her and showed her off, but Phillis longed for her freedom for many years. When her freedom finally came she was ambivalent about it. The fact that this story is true makes it especially intriguing. It should inspire Young Adults to read and write poetry.
	*Siegal, Aranka. (1994). Upon The Head Of The Goat: A Childhood in Hungary, 1939-1944. New York: Puffin Books.* Piri's story begins on her grandmothers farm in the Ukraine, and ends when her family is put on a train to Aushwitz in Hungary. The affects of WWII on Hungary are subtly shown in small, and gradually larger changes that affect every day life for Piri and her family. This story is especially tragic because Piri remains hopeful and strong up to the very last sentence of the book.
	*Speare, Elizabeth George. (1989). Calico Captive. New York: Bantam, Doubleday, Dell.* 16-year-old Mirriam is captured by Indians from her New England home in 1754. She and her family are forced to march to Canada and become the Indian's slaves. The journey is terrifying and exhausting, and Mirriam must keep up her courage in order to survive. Speare's first book offers an interesting account of the French and Indian war, easily accessible to young readers through the fickle, but captivating character of Mirriam. Based on the journals of Mirriam's real life sister.
	*Speare, Elizabeth George. (1958). The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.* When 16-year-old Kit arrives in Connecticut in 1687 she knows she doesn't fit in. In contrast to her hoe in Barbados, the Puritan village of Wethersfield seems strange to Kit. Kit's differences from the community are so great, that when she befriends an old woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, she herself is accused of witchery. The 1958 Newbery Medal winner, An ALA Notable Children's Book, A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age.
	*Temple, Frances. (1994). The Ramsay Scallop. New York: Orchard Books.* Elenor, who lives in England at the beginning of the 13th Century, is 14 and betrothed to Thomas, who is off on crusade. Thomas and Elenor are somewhat reluctant to marry, but when Thomas returns from crusade they are sent together on a religious pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The two travelers learn to love each other along the way, and they gain purpose and self respect. They come in contact with many fascinating and lovable people, and they learn to trust others, and to be open to different kinds of people. A 1995 ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Booklist Editors' Choice Top of the List Winner for Youth Fiction, 1995.
	*Tomlinson, Theresa. (1993). The Forestwife. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.* A retelling of the Robin Hood Legend with Maid Marian as the protagonist. When the young Mary is betrothed to a much older man, she runs away, and is followed by her Nurse. They live in the woods and, together, they help those who have been cast out be greedy and unkind lords. Marian's nurse is The Forestwife, but Marian herself is being trained for this role of healer and protector. She is often visited by Robert (Robin Hood) who becomes her companion, but not her husband, for the Forestwife cannot wed. A fresh take on the traditionally male centered legend.