15 Historical Fiction Books for Kids 8+
Have you ever wished you could visit another time? Do you enjoy learning about historical events or famous people from the past? Then step back in time with these 15 historical fiction books for readers 8+!
Tangled in Time
When Rose goes to live with her grandmother, she discovers that she can time-travel from present day to sixteenth century England. There she meets a young princess Elizabeth and begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding her own family.
The Last Musketeer
All for one and one for all! On a family trip to Paris, Greg’s parents disappear, not just from the city — but from the century! Soon Greg discovers that his family history is tied to the legendary Three Musketeers and he must team up with them to rescue his parents and stop a powerful enemy.
Orange for the Sunsets
Two best friends living under Ugandan President Amin’s divisive rule must decide how to keep their friendship together when everything seems to be tearing them apart. But as tensions between Indians and Africans intensify and Amin expels all Indians from the country, the two friends might just discover that the bravest thing of all might be to let each other go.
The Upstairs Room
Based on the author’s own childhood during the Holocaust, this story takes place in Holland in the 1940s during the German occupation. Annie and her sister are offered refuge and for two years they hide in the cramped upstairs room of a remote farmhouse where they struggle to hold on to hope as a seemingly endless war rages outside their window.
Molly’s Pilgrim
During her first Thanksgiving, an immigrant girl comes to identify with the story of the Pilgrims as she herself seeks religious freedom and a home in a new land.
Flashback Four
Four modern-day kids are selected for a special project — they’ve been handpicked by a mysterious billionaire to travel through time and photograph some of history’s most important events. From Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address to the tragic sinking of the Titanic to eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and the infamous 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, the kids will bear witness to some of the world’s most historic moments.
One Crazy Summer
During the summer of 1968, three sisters travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California to meet the mother who abandoned them. Dreaming of spending the summer at Disneyland, the girls instead find themselves at a day camp run by the Black Panthers where they learn much about their family, their country, and themselves.
The Book of Boy
With a large hump on his back, a mysterious past, and a tendency to talk to animals, Boy is often mocked by others in his town. But when a pilgrim named Secondus arrives at his village and engages Boy as his servant, Boy is pulled into an expedition across Europe to gather the seven relics of St. Peter.
Makoons
Named for the Ojibwe word for little bear, Makoons and his twin, Chickadee, have traveled with their family to the Great Plains of Dakota Territory. There they must learn to become buffalo hunters and once again help their people make a home in a new land. But Makoons has had a vision that foretells great challenges — challenges that his family may not be able to overcome.
Orphan Train Girl
A young orphan helps a wealthy elderly woman clean out her attic and discovers that she and Vivian have more in common than she thought. Vivian was once an orphan, too. She was an Irish immigrant to New York City who was put on a so-called “orphan train” to the Midwest with hundreds of other children.
Little House on the Prairie
Based on the author’s own life, Laura Ingalls and her family leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, and head west for the open prairie skies of Kansas Territory. After traveling for many days, they find the perfect spot for Pa to build them a new home and settle into life on the prairie.
The Treasure of Mad Doc Magee
Set during the fever of New Zealand’s gold rush, Jenny and her best friend, Pandora, are determined to find the treasure of Mad Doc Magee — a legendary gold nugget that was supposedly hidden somewhere in the hills before Doc Magee disappeared.
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Set in the late nineteenth century, Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton travels from Maine to the prairie to answer an advertisement for a wife and mother, but before she arrives, Anna and her younger brother, Caleb, wait and wonder what their new mother will be like.
Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem
It’s 1883 — the Age of Invention! A time when great men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Nicola Tesla work to turn the country into a land of limitless opportunity. Unless, of course, you’re a woman. Molly Pepper is the daughter of brilliant but unknown inventor Cassandra Pepper and together they discover a mysterious plot to destroy New York and set out to stop it from occurring.
The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid
Set in 1960s Marseille, this book opens up on an ordinary Tuesday morning when Charlie Fisher witnesses something incredible. Right before his eyes, in a busy square, a group of pickpockets pull off an amazing robbery. Soon, Charlie finds himself caught up in the world of the Whiz Mob, an international band of child pickpockets who have all graduated from the mysterious School of the Seven Bells.
What other historical titles would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!
