HISTORICAL FICTION GENRE REPORT
Historical Fiction Genre Report
Aimee M. Maranto
Linthicum, MD
LS 577.W01
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HISTORICAL FICTION GENRE REPORT
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Abstract
The genre of historical fiction for children is discussed. Three well-known titles in the genre
were summarized and appeal factors were identified for each. Information about finding titles in
the genre at a library was included. Three new titles in the genre were introduced.
Keywords: appeal factors, children’s literature, historical fiction
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Children’s historical fiction is a way to engage children with the past. They can learn
about what life was like in a different time period and how historical events could have shaped
the people who lived through them. As Hintz and Tribunella (2013) discuss, “In historical
fiction, history actually impinges on characters and scenes rather than simply serving as a
backdrop, and the historical period is rendered distinctively with concrete detail.”(p. 236). This
report will explore three classic examples of historical fiction for children, describe cataloging
and classification for children’s historical fiction, and present three new titles in the genre.
Classic Historical Fiction Books
The Witch at Blackbird Pond (Speare, 1986) is a story about a young lady, Kit Tyler, who
moves from Barbados to Puritan Connecticut in 1687. Life in Connecticut is a lot different from
life in Barbados. Kit cannot understand why people give her strange looks when she dives into
the water to save a child’s doll. They are surprised that she can swim. Kit has a difficult time
fitting in with her aunt, her family, and the community of Wethersfield, where they live. She
becomes friends with a Quaker woman who lives by herself by Blackbird Pond. The people in
the town believe the woman is a witch. Tension escalates when people in the town become sick.
Kit goes on trial because the townspeople believe she is a witch. The attitudes of the people
living during this time influenced the course of Kit’s life. Speare provides an author’s note at the
back of the book to tell readers which characters were real and which characters were fictional.
She also reveals which aspects of the setting were real or fictional (Speare, 1986, p. 251).
The book is appealing because of the setting and characters. Readers get a sense of the
different lifestyle of people living in the 1600s. There is always housework to be done, such as
spinning thread and making candles. In addition to how people spent their time, their attitudes
and beliefs were also different. There were strict expectations for behavior. For example, when
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Kit is teaching students at her house, the authorities who come to observe the school are appalled
that she is having the students act out part of the Bible. The character of Kit Tyler is also a draw
for this story. She comes from Barbados, where she can run free and wear pretty dresses, to the
strict life of the Puritans. Her character grows as she learns to think less about herself and more
about the well-being of others. She comes to care about her new family and the widow living
near the pond.
Another classic historical fiction title is Number the Stars (Lowry, 1989). In this story,
readers learn about life in Copenhagen in 1943, during World War II. Nazi soldiers have
occupied Denmark. The main character is ten-year-old Annemarie. She is friends with Ellen,
who is Jewish. The characters must deal with food shortages and the constant presence of Nazi
soldiers. When the families learn that the Jews of Denmark will be relocated, Annemarie’s
family takes Ellen in as if she were part of their family. Annemarie’s family works with the
Danish Resistance to assist Jews to escape. The author provides an afterword to inform readers
about which aspects of the book were fact and which were fiction (Lowry, 1989, pp. 133-137).
Number the Stars won the Newbery Medal in 1990 (American Library Association, n.d.).
The appeal characteristics of this book are the setting, characters, and story. Readers
experience not only a different time period, but also the setting of a different country. Goods and
supplies are scarce, as evidenced by Annemarie’s sister receiving a pair of shoes made from fish
skin. Denmark is a boat’s ride away from Sweden, a neutral country in World War II. The
character of Annemarie is a draw for this book. She grows from a girl whose concerns expand
from athletic races at school to helping with the Danish Resistance. She learns that sometimes
people have to lie to protect their loved ones and think about the well-being of others. The story
is engrossing because it is suspenseful. Towards the end of the story, a mock funeral is arranged
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to help some of the Jewish people escape from Denmark on a boat. There are tense moments as
the Nazi soldiers come to the house where the funeral is being held. Annemarie plays an
important role in ensuring the fugitives are able to leave Denmark.
The American Revolution is the setting of another well-known historical fiction title:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party
(Anderson, M. T., 2006). This unique story is told from the viewpoint of Octavian for the first,
second, and fourth sections of the book. Events are described in the third section through letters
that other characters have written. Octavian is an African slave who is being studied by the
“Novanglian College of Lucidity” in Massachusetts (Anderson, M. T., 2006, p. 8). This was a
fictional group of philosophers, musicians, painters, and others who were interested in
performing experiments and other lines of inquiry to learn about the world. Octavian is provided
a classical education so the college can discover if there is an intellectual difference between
Africans and Europeans. Octavian’s food and waste are measured. Octavian lives at the college
with his mother, Cassiopeia. After she dies from being infected with small pox at a pox party,
Octavian escapes and falls in with part of the Revolutionary army. The experimentation on
Octavian was only feasible during a time and place when slavery was part of the culture. Slavery
is a major theme of the book. The author’s note at the back of the book informs the reader about
how the author incorporated facts into the story. (Anderson, M. T., 2006). For example, The
College of Lucidity was fictional, but there were experiments on education of non-Europeans.
This book was the winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2006
(National Book Foundation, n.d.). It was also named a Michael Printz Award Honor Book in
2007 (American Library Association, n.d.)
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This book is appealing because of the setting, story, and language. The setting of the
American Revolution in Massachusetts is interesting itself, but the more specific setting of the
Novanglian College of Lucidity is unusual. It provides a glimpse of how intellectual pursuits
were carried out in a different era. The story of an African youth being used for
experimentation, and then escaping into a war is a unique perspective from which to observe the
war. The language used in the book contributes to the setting, story, and character. Because
Octavian was being educated in the classical tradition, his vocabulary is excellent. While the
language would be appealing for some readers, it could discourage younger readers. The
language is beautifully written and humorous at times. For example, when Dr. Trefusis, one of
the philosophers, wanted to test his theory that matter only existed when it was perceived, he
would open the door to a room suddenly to see if the furniture was still there: “He found,
always, that matter had retained its dubious solidity in his absence” (Anderson, M. T., 2006, p.
60). This title would be most appropriate for readers who are high school aged or older.
Finding Children’s Historical Fiction in a Library
Historical fiction titles can be found in the children’s fiction and young adult fiction
section. In many libraries, children’s fiction is arranged by the author’s last name. Young adult
fiction is also often arranged in this manner. Some libraries use genre stickers on the spines of
books for browsing purposes. In the library system in my area, young adult fiction is arranged
first by genre, then by author. For example, all of the historical fiction titles are shelved
together. Other genres include adventure, fantasy, realistic fiction, supernatural and others. The
drawback to this system is that often books by the same author are shelved in different genres.
Libraries that use the Library of Congress classification system may file the titles in the PZ
section for juvenile belles letters (Library of Congress, n.d.).
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When using the online catalog, library users can search by title, author, keyword, or
subject to find relevant historical fiction titles. I located examples of subject headings in the
catalog for Anne Arundel County Public Library (www.aacpl.net). Subject headings could
include the main topic, such as “Puritans -- Juvenile fiction” for The Witch at Blackbird Pond.
Geographic terms could also be searched, such as “Massachusetts -- History -- Revolution, 17751783 -- Juvenile fiction” for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation,
Volume 1: The Pox Party. Some subject headings include the time period further subdivided by
location, such as “World War, 1939-1945 -- Denmark -- Juvenile fiction” for Number the Stars.
The subject term historical fiction could be used; however, I noticed that not all historical fiction
titles in www.aacpl.net included historical fiction as a subject term. An example of this was The
Witch at Blackbird Pond.
New Children’s Historical Fiction Titles
Newer titles in the children’s historical fiction genre were selected by using the catalog of
the Anne Arundel County Public Library (www.aacpl.net). I conducted a keyword search using
the term “historical fiction” and narrowed the results to by material type “children’s fiction”,
“children’s paperback”, “young adult fiction”, and “young adult fiction paperback”. The results
were further narrowed by selected the years 2013-2014. The search returned 80 results. I used a
keyword search in order to retrieve items that included “historical fiction” anywhere in the item
record. I selected books from three different time periods.
Bo at Ballard Creek was selected because is won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical
Fiction in 2014 (Sutton, 2014, January 22). It was also included on the 2014 Notable Children’s
Books assembled by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, n.d.). Bo at Ballard
Creek takes place in Alaska in the 1920s. In addition to the setting, the story is appealing
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because it is about a unique family situation. Bo is a little girl who is being raised by two burly
gold miners, Jack and Arvid. The people in the Eskimo village where they live also help in
raising Bo. Engaging drawings enhance the text by assisting the reader to visualize action in the
story. This book was reviewed in The School Library Journal:
Writt, H. (2013). Bo at Ballard Creek. School Library Journal, 59(10), 1.
Better to wish: The first generation was selected because the story is about the Great
Depression, a subject that I have not read many books about. The story takes place in Maine in
1930. Abby is the oldest child in her family. Her family does well during this time period
because her father is a skilled carpenter. He starts his own business and the family is able to
move to a large house in town. Her life is not perfect. She must deal with her strict father, who
is prejudiced against Irish people and Catholics. Her younger brother, Fred, has developmental
delays that her father has a hard time accepting. The story is appealing because Abby
experiences life events that the reader is likely to relate to. Abby is a strong character that is not
afraid to stand up for what she wants to do. In the acknowledgements in the back of the book,
the author relates how her family history influenced the story (Martin, 2013, pp. 227-229). This
is book one of a series that explores four generations of one family. The second story is set in
New York City in the 1950s. This book received a recommended review from Library Media
Connection:
Mooney, M. (2013). Better to wish. Library Media Connection, 32(3), 67.
I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 was selected because of the popular subject of
the book. This title is part of a series. Other subjects in the series include the San Francisco
earthquake of 1906 and the attacks on September 11, 2001. Enticing a reader with a subject he
or she is interested in could keep them reading if he or she enjoys one of the books in the series.
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Thomas is a slave who is able to escape from his master. He saves the life of a Union soldier.
Thomas and his sister, Birdie, travel with the Union army to the Battle of Gettysburg. This story
is appealing because it is full of action and suspense. Thomas is shot at in the first chapter and
the second chapter starts three weeks earlier, leaving the reader wondering if Thomas was hurt.
The story is also appealing because of the close relationship between Thomas and Birdie. This
book was reviewed in Booklist:
Anderson, E. (2013). I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. Booklist, 109(16), 67.
Conclusion
Reading historical fiction allows children a glimpse into their own country’s history.
Titles such as the ones discussed in this paper reveal that not only was daily life different in
previous eras, but that people had different attitudes and beliefs. Some of the characters in these
books judged others because of their station in life, their gender, their religion, or their cultural
heritage. When children have the opportunity to read about and discuss these attitudes and
beliefs, they may be able to better appreciate the more tolerant society in which they live. Anne
Scott MacLeod (1998) comments on the shift toward different viewpoints in historical fiction:
The traditional concentration on boys and men has modified; more minorities are
included, and the experience of ordinary people — as opposed to movers and shakersgets more attention. American historical literature, including children's, takes a less
chauvinistic approach to American history than it once did, revising the traditional
chronicle of unbroken upward progress. (para. 4).
While this is certainly a good thing, MacLeod cautions against imposing modern standards on
historical time periods. Quality children’s historical fiction should tell the stories of famous and
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ordinary people, while retaining the prevailing attitudes and beliefs held in the time period the
books are about.
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References
Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center (2004). Dewey
Decimal Classification System. Retrieved from www.nova.edu
American Library Association (n.d.). Caldecott Medal & Honor books, 1938-present.
Retrieved from www.ala.org
Anderson, E. (2013). I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. Booklist, 109(16), 67.
Anderson, M. T. (2006). The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, traitor to the nation, Volume
I: Pox party. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Association for Library Service to Children (n.d.). 2014 notable children’s books.
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Hill, K. (2013). Bo at Ballard Hill. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
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Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
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Martin, A. M. (2013). Better to wish: The first generation. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
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Mooney, M. (2013). Better to wish. Library Media Connection, 32(3), 67.
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