Children's Literature Basics
Course
Historical Fiction [6:17]
In this lesson, we will discuss historical fiction.
If you really want to get into the past and understand what life was like for children especially in days gone by, a novel can do it so much better than just strict textbook or dry instruction. I'm a big fan of historical fiction for social studies instruction or history instruction, and I personally find it very rewarding as recreational reading, too, and even did as a child. So what is a historical novel? That is always a tricky question.
We think of it as set in the past, but that definition varies depending on your own age. So for me, when I was a little girl, reading about World War II was the past. Well that's ancient history to young readers today, so it's always a moving date and you have to be sensitive to the age of the children and students you're working with and what might be the previous generation for them. Even Vietnam as a war marker of history would be very old for them. It's typically 20 years ago. It's historical to a young person, a child.
So that's depressing but also important to keep in mind as we're selecting and sharing historical novels with children. The good news is it doesn't really matter what the date or the historical setting is, as long as, it's a good book with compelling characters. Because honestly, the children in these books are dealing with the same things that kids today are, only through a completely different lens and in a different setting. Quite often. Not always, but quite often.
So for example, some great historical novel, The Witch of Black Bird Pond, is a very old book, 1958, and it's set in US history, which is probably the dominant category for historical fiction for children today. Almost all of our books are set in the US, which makes sense because it's the U.S. publishing industry. But The Witch of Black Bird Pond is about a young girl growing up in early America and she is accused of being a witch. Now that's not something today's readers could necessarily identify with. But she feels very different from the rest of her family because she grew up in the Caribbean Islands in Barbados. And because her family has died, she's had to relocate to New England. So it's all about moving and fitting in, and, "Who am I?" And that is something that young readers can identify with.
So sometimes that's the hook we need to find to get kids excited about reading novels set in the past. And some kids just naturally take to learning more about the past like Island of the Blue Dolphins, or Sarah, Plain and Tall, or even Dead End in Norvelt, the hilarious novel by Jack Gantos about his own growing up. But we can also find some great historical novels about other parts of the world, too, especially if you cast a wide net and look for translated novels from other countries. That's a great resource for getting good children's novels that are set outside the United States. But we've had a fair number of authors from the U.S. write about characters and times and places beyond our borders.
For example, Karen Cushman won the Newbery for her book, The Midwife's Apprentice. This was set in the Middle Ages. So if you're doing a world history unit on this era, her short and rich novel about a poor homeless girl who ends up working for a midwife and finding out she's not worthless after all, is a great introduction to some of the details of the Middle Ages. Or Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, a powerful story of a Jewish girl in Denmark during World War II. Or Linda Sue Park'sA Single Shard that makes 12th century Korea seem vivid and real.
There's nothing like a great novel to really give you a sense of the past and it's a perfect tool for history or social studies instruction, whether to read out loud, to supplement a lesson, or to use as a novel to study. You'll also find historical fiction in a variety of other formats. Not as often, but there are some historical series, for example, for those avid readers who really enjoy historical fiction, The American Girl Series or Dear America.
There's some historical picture books, too, so they're shorter and very visual but they give us a slice of history in just a few pages, like The Wall by Peter Sis. And some authors are blending genres, combining history and fantasy, or history and poetry, which is very interesting and something that kids will also enjoy experimenting with. For example, Margarita Engle has written many historical novels in verse that are poetic and historical, and hers are primarily set in Cuba, so they give us a view of a completely different place.
Using historical novels is a natural for linking with museum exhibits, primary sources, costumes and drama, guest speakers, games and simulations, movies and videos. A great opportunity to look at history and gender, and culture and stereotyping, all through the lens of a great book that is fun reading but all set in the past.
Historical fiction stories are set in the past, though the notion of "the past" has what Vardell describes as a moving date, meaning that what qualifies as history for students is always changing. In terms of classroom and library applications, Vardell recommends connecting historical fiction with social studies topics for reading aloud, supplementing classroom lessons, and studying a novel. She also notes two other aspects of historical fiction with strong possibilities for roles for the school librarian. First is the natural link to special activities and events to tie in with the reading of historical fiction, including museum exhibits and primary sources (which could be face-to-face or digital), costumes and drama, and guest speakers. Next, she describes genres of books that blend historical fiction with other genres, such as poetry or fantasy, for which a librarian's knowledge of the collection and current titles could be most valuable for suggesting books to students and teachers.
This activity explores books that blend historical fiction with other genres.
1. Find examples of historical fiction "mash-ups," which merge historical fiction with other genres of fiction.
- Use the professional review sources described in the Lesson 1's resource, "A Guide for Choosing Good Books."
- Browse book blogs, library journals, and GoodReads (goodreads.com) for additional ideas. See some additional resources below to get started.
2.) Curate a list of titles, authors, and useful links using a curation tool such as Pinterest or Padlet (https://padlet.com).
3.) Read and share a few of your examples with students and teachers.
"Bloggers in Children's and Young Adult Literature." Kidlitosphere. http://kidlitosphere.org/bloggers/.
This robust listing of bloggers is part of the Kidlitosphere Central website, "a community of reviewers, librarians, teachers, authors, illustrators, publishers, parents, and other book enthusiasts who blog about children's and young adult literature."
Rabey, Melissa. "Historical Fiction Mash-Ups: Broadening Appeal by Mixing Genres." Young Adult Library Services 9, no. 1 (October 2010): 38-41.
This article offers sample titles, organized by subheadings that may also serve as good search terms (e.g., Historical Fiction and Fantasy and Historical Fiction and Science Fiction).
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Children's Literature Basics: Create a Mini Collection." School Library Connection, November 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1960211?learningModuleId=1960216&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2122873
About the Author
MLA Citation
Vardell, Sylvia M. "Children's Literature Basics. Historical Fiction [6:17]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, September 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1960211?learningModuleId=1960216&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1960211?learningModuleId=1960216&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 1960211