Historical Fiction Archive - Staff Picks 4 Kids

Staff Picks 4 Kids

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

In The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, it’s 1899 in Texas and 11-year-old Calpurnia is expected to knit socks and study the proper use of a hankie, but instead she’d rather be a scientist. Together with her grandfather, she conducts scientific experiments and writes her observations in a notebook. Her experiments lead to many surprises such as when sweet, woolly Petey the Caterpilllar turns into a giant (and frighteningly creepy) moth. Wasn’t he supposed to be a beautiful butterfly? Or when the Smithsonian Institute officially declares that she and her grandfather have discovered a new species of plant. Whether she is cutting off her hair an inch at a time so her mother won’t notice or getting her brother in trouble for having a new girlfriend, tomboy Calpurnia is sure to make you smile. (For grade 5 and up)

Book reviewed by Mary S., Youth Services Department Head

By MPPL on May 10, 2010 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Mary S., Realistic Stories

Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess by Hilary McKay

If you enjoyed reading A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, you will probably like Wishing for Tomorrow: The Sequel to A Little Princess by Hilary McKay also! I always wondered what happened to the girls in Miss Minchin’s School after Sara Crewe left. Now you can find out too! Lavinia, Ermengarde, and Lottie all have numerous adventures. Good for third grade and up.

Book reviewed by Anne W., Youth Services Assistant

By MPPL on April 26, 2010 Categories: For Grades 2-4, Historical Fiction, Picks by Anne W.

The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo

Stories of the Holocaust can pull at your heart, and that is certainly true of The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo. Even as a very young boy in post World War II Venice, Paoli Levi was drawn to play and study the violin. He knew his parents would never approve though–but why? Slowly, gently, he learns the reason that lay hidden for many years in his parents’ memories of their imprisonment in a concentration camp. A story told through words and drawings, this book looks not only at the cruelty and sadness of war, but also at the healing power of music and family. I recommend it to 4th through 7th graders who would like to read a heartfelt, sensitive book.

Review by Mary Ann S., Assistant Head of Youth Services

When young journalist Lesley is sent to Venice to interview world-renowned violinist Paolo Levi, she is warned not to ask the forbidden “Mozart Question”. As she meets Paolo, it is the musician himself who decides to speak about his mysterious background. Paolo heartfully reveals the truth about his haunting past, and the journalist begins to see how one group of musicians were kept alive by playing their music. This story reveals the beauty of music to bring people together, and inspire the heart even through the most difficult times.

Review by Darice C., Youth Services Assistant

By MPPL on August 11, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Darice C., Picks by Mary Ann S.

The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick

Recently I started reading about the legendary magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, and I think he’s fascinating. The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick is about a boy who wants to be just like Houdini. Victor attempts to perform tricks like escaping from a locked trunk and walking through a wall. Then by a VERY lucky coincidence, Victor actually gets to meet Houdini! What happens next might show Victor just what he’s been looking for his whole life– the keys to performing Houdini’s magic. If you’re a fan of Hugo Cabret, definitely check this one out!

Book reviewed by Erin E., Youth Programming Coordinator

By MPPL on April 21, 2009 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Erin E.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a story about three girls working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory during the horrible fire there in 1911 that killed almost 200 people. People were unhappy with the poor pay and terrible working conditions and had gone on strike. One thing the owners of the factory would do was lock the girls in because they were worried they might steal things and run away. The first girl is Bella, from Italy, who is trying to send money home to support her mother and siblings. The second girl is Yetta, a Jewish girl from Russia who is living with her sister and is active in the strike movement. The third girl is Jane, a rich widower’s daughter, who is tired of having a governess and having to deal with silly social engagements. Who survives the fire and who does not?

Book read by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison

By MPPL on September 2, 2008 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Julie D., Realistic Stories

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

In A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz, eleven-year-old Maud was thrilled when the Hawthorne sisters chose her to adopt over all the other little girls in the orphanage. She was given new clothes, her own books and her own room – so what did it matter that she was supposed to be a “secret child,” never to be seen by anyone outside the family, never to go out of the house? When eventually Maud learns what her role in the “family business” is, she eagerly joins in. Until she understands how she’s part of a scam, and actually hurting people she cares about. How much does Maud owe the Hawthorne sisters? And what will it cost Maud to do what she knows is right?

Book reviewed by Loreen S., Youth Services Library Assistant

By MPPL on May 29, 2008 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Loreen S., Realistic Stories

The Last Rider: The Final Days of the Pony Express by Jessica Gunderson

The Last Rider: The Final Days of the Pony Express by Jessica Gunderson is a great book.

Matt Edgars longs for his life the way it used to be when he lived in Kansas and helped his dad with the horses and the farm. Since his dad had died, he and his Mom moved to San Francisco, but as he got older, he eagerly watched for ways to fill his life with new adventures. When he saw a poster advertising for boys his age to become riders on horseback to carry the mail between San Francisco, California and St. Joseph, Missouri, he was thrilled to get a job as a Pony Express Rider. He worked hard getting the mail delivered, with the added challenges of wild animals, dangerous snakes, and desert heat — even keeping ahead of someone who was setting fire to the Express stations! Delivering President Abraham Lincoln’s Inaugural Address took seven days and seventeen hours — the fastest piece of mail delivered by the Pony Express riders. If you like historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this story about the last days of the Pony Express, which helped make quick communication possible between the new Western States and the East before the telegraph was invented.

Book reviewed by Jan P., Preschool and Child Care Liaison

By MPPL on May 6, 2008 Categories: Historical Fiction, Picks by Jan P.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Could you ever imagine yourself living in 14^th century England, in a land oflords and bishops, knights and pilgrims, a strange place eloquently landscaped with medieval castles and cathedrals, small towns and….devastated by The Plague? Avi’s mystery, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, begins with a 13 year-old boy who lives in a poor peasant village. Soon after his mother’s death, the evil village steward, John Aycliffe, falsely accuses the young orphan of stealing and even murder. Afraid and alone, Crispin flees for his life, through the vast wilderness to a nearby town, where he meets a large, gruffy street jugglerwho calls himself “Bear.” Crispin, in fear for his own safety, reluctantly swears to become Bear’s servant. The mystery grows, as Crispin learns his friend is involved with an underground society and this digs them into a more dangerous plot. Off they go together, anxiously in pursuit of freedom: Crispin, searching for his real identity, and Bear, defending his new friend and his own life as well. Terror at every corner, filled with complicated turns and twists, this adventure story is guaranteed to be a page turner for all ages.

Book reviewed by Darice C., Library Assistant

By MPPL on October 30, 2007 Categories: For Grades 4-6, Historical Fiction, Picks by Darice C.

Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman

Did you ever wonder what it was like for kids during the civil rights movement in 1964? In Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman, a white sixth-grader named Alice Ann Moxley moves to Mississippi from Chicago. She is surprised and dismayed at how she is treated by the people in the South because of her accent and her ideals. It is very difficult for her to make friends. When the first of two black students at her school arrive, she ends up in the midst of racial turmoil, especially because her dad is an FBI agent sent to Mississippi to help keep peace. She has a hard decision to make—whether to follow the crowd or to follow her heart. As you’re reading the book, see if you would make the same decisions that Alice did.

– Book reviewed by Mary Lou H., Youth Library Assistant

* * *

Accents and Southern custom, it turns out, are the least of Alice Ann Moxley’s troubles in her new Mississippi hometown in the novel Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman. The year is 1964, and Alice’s FBI-agent father has been reassigned from Chicago to Jackson to protect black people who are registering to vote. Alice knows from the news that down South the Ku Klux Klan has burned down Negro churches and that civil right workers have been murdered. She is torn between reaching out to the one black girl in her class in a newly-integrated school and doing what it takes to hang out with the popular crowd. And when you’re finished reading the book, I’m sure you’ll be wondering, “What would I have done in her place?”

–Book reviewed by Julie D., Elementary School Liaison

By MPPL on September 17, 2007 Categories: Historical Fiction, Picks by Julie D., Picks by Mary Lou H.