Books & Authors

Nothing can bring the past to life like historical fiction, and the infinite possibilities of this genre offer something for every reader.  Unfortunately, the term “historical fiction” might not excite the average 10-year-old the way it would a grown-up history buff, but we found reading lists with tons of titles to choose from, including one dedicated exclusively  to pirates!  We also have recommendations for teens and adults, and reviews of today’s bestsellers.  If you want to learn more about the historical fiction genre, see this previous Books & Authors post.

YOUNG READERS

For classic children’s historical fiction, the Boston Public Library provides a nice compilation.  The list includes favorites like Number the Stars and Hiroshima and is sorted by historical time period.

To entice more hesitant readers into the genre, take a look at these lists of pirate picture books and chapter books created by  genius librarians at the Salt Lake City Public Library.  While most of these titles don’t meet the criteria for true historical fiction, they can be just the bridge reluctant readers need.

YOUNG ADULT

Many teens love getting lost in the worlds historical fiction creates, and these recommendations for teens include everything from classics to more recent works by Donna Jo Napoli and Caroline B. Cooney.  Even teens unfamiliar with the genre will find themselves identifying with the characters as they look at history in a new light.

ADULT

Booklist compiled a, well, booklist of the best historical fiction of the past year.  Authors include Salman Rushdie, Philip Roth, and Toni Morrison.  Enough said.

CURRENT BESTSELLERS

Right now there are a few historical fiction bestsellers on the NY Times list.  On the adult side, David Benioff’s City of Thieves (click on the title for review) has been riding high for eight weeks.  For young adults, both The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak are holding their own against Ellen Hopkins and Sarah Dessen on the paperback list.  It looks like teens will be taking some history lessons to the beach this summer, whether they realize it or not.

*************

Want to know more about us? Check out “What is Books & Authors and Why Should You Care?”

Tags: historical fiction

This entry was posted by BNA_Daily on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 pm and is filed under historical fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.