Does your middle schooler dread historical fiction novels? Thankfully, historical fiction books have come a long way since my middle school days. Here’s a list of thirty-five great titles to get your reluctant readers started.
1. Wolf Hollow
For Annabelle, everything was normal until the day Betty Glengarry moved in. Toby, a World War I veteran, quickly becomes the target of Betty’s bullying. As tensions rise in the small community, Annabelle must find the bravery to stand up for what she knows is right.
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2. The Watsons Go To Birmingham
When the Watson family plans a trip south to visit Grandma they don’t realize what lies ahead. The journey has its ups and downs as they endure one of the hardest times for African Americans in the South.
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3. Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine
Hoping to start a new life, two brothers escape a dark family secret and set out for Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. After hearing a rumor of lost gold, the boys are determined to find it and change their lives.
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4. Brother's Keeper
Sora and her family live under a rigid set of rules in North Korea. With the war between the North and the South, it seems like the perfect distraction to make their move for the border until an unexpected bombing changes everything.
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5. Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen
Darlene's big-screen dream gets a dose of reality when a publicity stunt goes wrong. Thrown in the middle of the kidnapping of Miss Victorine Berryman, Darlene has to make some quick decisions to come out the hero. Middle-grade readers will love this one.
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6. The Good War
What can be bad about a school-sponsored gaming fan club? Nothing, until The Good War, a new game based on World War II threatens to tear Ironville Middle School apart. It's just a friendly competition until one player takes the game too far.
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7. The Summer We Found the Baby
On the way to the library dedication, Julie Sweet and her sister find a baby in a basket on the library steps. Bruno, on his way to the train station to run an important errand for his deployed brother spies Julie with a baby in her arms. Can it be that his childhood friend is a kidnapper?
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8. The Puffin Keeper
Years ago Allen was saved from a disaster at sea by Benjamin, a lighthouse keeper. After being deployed, Allen finds himself in a prison camp unsure if he’ll ever see his mother or Benjamin again. The only thing that keeps him going is his fond memories of his time at the lighthouse.
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9. The Fire-Eaters
Tensions between the USA and USSR are mounting and causing panic in the small town Bobby grew up in. Bobby's world gets rocked when he learns that his father is suffering from a mysterious illness. Can Bobby's friends help him learn to believe in miracles that will save both his home and the people he loves?
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10. Inside Out and Back Again
Ha is being forced to flee the only home she has ever known and relocate to America with her family. These free-verse poems capture the lack of acceptance Ha and her family experienced as refugees during the Vietnam War.
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11. Esperanza Rising
Esperanza's wealthy family must abandon their ranch in Mexico for the United States. Their already unfortunate situation worsens, as they enter their new home during the Great Depression. Mad at the circumstances of being plunged into a new life of poverty, Esperanza realizes she must adapt to survive.
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12. The Wednesday Wars
Set during the turmoil of the 1960s, this historical fiction novel focuses on life lessons that can be learned from history. Holling is less than thrilled when he is forced to take weekly Shakespeare lessons with Mrs. Baker. Will Holling understand what Shakespeare has to offer his world?
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13. Wonderstruck
Two deaf children, born 50 years apart, begin their journeys in search of absent parents that lead them to their meeting. As Rose and Ben realize what has happened, they seek to unravel the truth as their family history reveals itself.
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14. A Long Walk to Water
Salva was separated from his family during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He must now brave the dangerous journey to the nearest refugee camp if he is to survive. Years later Nya faces similar dangers.
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15. The Magic in Changing Your Stars
Ailey is crushed when he doesn't get the lead in the play. To help cheer him up, his grandfather shows him a pair of tap shoes he was given by a famous dancer when he was a boy. Ailey secretly tries on the shoes and is transported to 1930s Harlem.
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16. Like Vanessa
The year is 1984 and Vanessa Williams has just been crowned Miss America. Vanessa Martin fanaticizes that she too can be like the new Miss America until she realizes she is too chubby, not tall enough, and not rich enough. When Vanessa is convinced to enter a school beauty pageant by her teacher, she learns that what she is, is more important than how she looks.
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17. Paperboy
In 1959, “Little Man," otherwise known as Victor, takes over his best friend Rat’s paper route while he is visiting his grandparents. Little Man has some interesting encounters with Rat’s paper route customers. He has to overcome his challenges and societal prejudice so that he doesn't lose the paper route for his friend.
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18. The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel
Eel scrounges for goods he can sell to stay alive. All the while, being taunted by one of the evilest men to ever walk the streets of London. He can usually stay out of harm's way until the day the "Blue Death" comes to Broad Street.
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19. Al Capone Does My Shirts
Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to Alcatraz Island so that his father can take a job as a prison guard. Moose misses playing baseball and struggles with fitting in. He soon finds out the hard way that life isn't fair.
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20. My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood
To Dino, 1950s Havana has so many wonderous things he needs to capture: vibrant color, music, and festivities. When Fidel Castro and the Communist Party take over the Cuban government, Dino's family is forced to relocate to New York. Longing for his home, Dino tries to bring Harlem to New York.
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21. Some Kind of Courage
Joseph Johnson experienced great loss at only twelve years old. He lost his pa in an accident, his ma and his little sister were taken by sickness, and now his faithful pony was stolen. He knows he can get her back. He has to. She is all he has left.
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22. A Year Down Yonder
Can Mary Alice bear another summer with Grandma Dowdel? The little Illinois town was fun when she was little, but at fifteen she dreaded spending the year with her Grandmother who is known for drama!
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23. Navigating Early
Jack and Early set out for the Appalachian Trail determined to find a black bear. As they travel deeper into the mountains, they meet some interesting characters. But, as they encounter more difficult circumstances, they become increasingly concerned if they will make it back alive.
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24. One Came Home
Georgie is known for her sharpshooting and ability to speak her mind. When Georgie blurts out a secret about her sister, Agatha, she runs off. Later as an unidentifiable body, wearing one of Agatha’s fancy dresses turns up, everyone assumes the worst.
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25. Oceanology
A sixteen-year-old submarine assistant who was the sole survivor of an ill-fated submarine accident describes his encounters with shipwrecks, dangerous oceanic sea creatures, and the legendary island of Atlantis.
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26. The Giant Slayer
After her friend Dickie contracts polio, Laurie visits him in the hospital. Frightened, her first reaction is to leave, but Dickie begs her to tell one of her stories. Laurie tries her best as she unfolds a magnificent tale of Collosso, a menacing giant, and Jimmy, a tiny giant slayer.
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27. The Star That Always Stays
When Norvia moves, her mother makes her swear to never tell anyone about her family history. Once she was proud of her heritage, but now they must try their best to "fit in." Despite this secret, she is determined to make 1914 the best year ever. But can she do it living a lie?
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28. The Daughter of the White Rose
Nell, the daughter of a butcher was raised as a playmate of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth's son Ned. When King Edward dies, Prince Ned is imprisoned in the Tower of Londen by his uncle in the hopes of securing the throne. Can Nell save Ned and the crown?
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29. Dragonfly Eyes
Political turmoil and war make 1960s Shanghai a hard place to live and Ah-Mei and her family struggle to keep the silk business alive. Can Ah-Mei and her grandmother devise a plan to help the family carry through?
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30. Daybreak on Raven Island
Tori, Marvin, and Noah would rather be anywhere than on the class trip to Raven Island prison. But when they discover a dead body in the woods they realize this is no ordinary field trip. Can they solve this mystery and make it home by daybreak?
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31. A Place to Hang the Moon
After the passing of their grandmother, William, Edmund, and Anna need a guardian or they could be separated forever. Could the wartime evacuation of children be their only hope of staying together? Check it out in the middle-grade historical fiction novel.
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32. Island of Spies
It's 1942, Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, where nothing exciting ever happens. But, times are changing. Newcomers have been seen on the island. Stick and his friends are about to embark on the mystery of a lifetime!
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