Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes

Most historical fiction novels are quite enjoyable. We can learn more about a period of history without having to stutter our way through a 700-page Social Studies textbook. Because it’s not that we don’t want to learn about the past, it’s that the resources available to us are long and tiring. Which is where great historical fiction stories come into play, complete with both information and a story line.

JohnnyTremain is not one of those great books.

In the 5th grade, the entirety of both classes was forced to read this book. Our teacher had never read it before but from the reviews, she was convinced that the book would go over nicely and would allow for intellectual discussion. We talked about it every week, slowly reading it chapter by chapter. And every time, our opinion would of the story would go down.

The summary doesn’t sound that horrible, just, you know, a book you read for class. Not all that great, but tolerable. The book is about a 14-year old apprentice living in Boston during the American Revolution. While making a plate or something out of silver for John Hancock, he injures his hand and is crippled for the rest of his life. Thus begins his journey of self-discovery, a cliché that apparently also applies to 18th century silversmiths.

This book features characters that nobody particularly cares about with problems that nobody cares about either. It’s an attempt to involve the reader in issues that just aren’t that relevant anymore. Nobody wants to read a book when they don’t understand the character’s motivation for doing something.

All I’ve got to say is that readers of Johnny Tremain, I’m so sorry. I sympathize. This book is a perfect example that even if you love to read and absorb every word around you, you have to (T)remain critical of what you’re reading.

Maja (Teen Blogger)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

In our modern times, we often forget about the past. Primarily the last century or so. We choose to ignore the great and horrible deeds past generations have committed, maybe because we think they’re no longer relevant; they don’t affect us.

This might come as a shock, but what our ancestors did in times past has built the world we live in today. We don’t know what our lives would look like with a single historic event missing, but what we often discuss is the impact of World War II and the Holocaust. The Book Thief centers around the struggles of a young German girl who, as the title suggests, harbors a love for books and words. She recognizes the fact that words are more powerful than any gas chamber or concentration camp could ever be. Words are what allow Adolf Hitler to convince the German population to carry out the horrible things that they do. Words are a burden, but they are necessary to our survival.

The book follows the story of the girl through a unique perspective: literally the character Death. This allows for insightful observations to the story written in bold that completely transforms the voice of the story. The combination of Death's commentary throughout and the  intelligent voice of the girl (which tends to run off on tangents) make the book a notable narrative.

I found that the most shocking part is that as much as Liesel, the girl, loves books and words, at the beginning of the story is unable to read. Through hard work with her adoptive father in the middle of the night, she becomes an expert at the subject, going as far as stealing books (you know, being the book thief and all) from a burning bonfire and from the library of the mayor's home.

This book delves into the depths of the human mind spectacularly, exploring the thoughts of a young girl and how they relate to adult characters and even Death. It proves how even when we don't actively realize it, words are such an essential part of every single person's life.

Maja (teen blogger)

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

Emilia and Teodros are essentially brother and sister, even though he's black, she's white and they have different biological parents. There mothers are flying partners (and best friends) in the 1930s when Delia, Teo's mother, is killed during a freak accident. Rohda, Emilia's mother, decides to fullfill a dream of Delia's (for her son to be raised in a place where he isn't looked down upon) and moves the family to Ethiopia, which is the only African country to never have been colonized. However, 1930s Ethiopia is on the brink of war with Ethiopia and not only is Teodros a half Ethiopian of military age, but he discovers unfortunate information about his family's past.

Black Dove White Raven doesn't have the same spark as Wein's other two works (Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire), but it's still an interesting story taking place in the midst of serious precursor to World War II that is generally overlooked.

Lisa

Historical Fiction

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Mattie Cook is ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother. Mattie has plans of her own. She wants to turn the Cook Coffeehouse into the finest business in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States. But the waterfront is abuzz with reports of disease. As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic, and thousands flee the city. Then tragedy strikes the coffeehouse, and Mattie is trapped in a living nightmare. Suddenly, her struggle to build a better life must give way to something even more important -- the fight to stay alive.

Others Like This:
The Pox Party by MT Anderson


Annexed by Sharon Dogar
What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank?  To know you're being written about in Anne's diary, day after day? What's it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting. As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them? Anne's diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter's story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps.

Others Like This:
The War Within These Walls by Aline Sax
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene



Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
An angry, grieving seventeen-year-old musician facing expulsion from her prestigious Brooklyn private school travels to Paris to complete a school assignment and uncovers a diary written during the French revolution by a young actress attempting to help a tortured, imprisoned little boy--Louis Charles, the lost king of France.

Others Like This:
In Darkness by Nick Lake



Willow by Tonya Hegamin
In 1848, an educated slave girl faces an inconceivable choice -- between bondage and freedom, family and love. On one side of the Mason-Dixon Line lives Willow, her master's favorite servant. She's been taught to read and has learned to write. She believes her master is good to her and fears the rebel slave runaways. On the other side of the line is Cato, a black man, free born. It's his personal mission to sneak as many fugitive slaves to freedom as he can. Willow's and Cato's lives are about to intersect, with life-changing consequences for both of them.


The Extra by Kathryn Lasky
Is the chance to serve as an extra for Hitler's favorite filmmaker a chance at life -- or a detour on the path to inevitable extermination? One ordinary afternoon, Lilo and her family are suddenly picked up by Hitler's police and imprisoned as part of the "Gypsy plague." Just when it seems certain that they will be headed to a labor camp, Lilo is chosen by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to work as a film extra. Life on the film set is a bizarre alternate reality. The surroundings are glamorous, but Lilo and the other extras are barely fed, closely guarded, and kept in a locked barn when not on the movie set. And the charming Riefenstahl is always present, flaunting the power to assign prisoners to life or death.

Others Like This:
Bird with the Heart of a Mountain by Barbara Mariconda


A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and panic. When the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?

Others Like This:
Deadly by Julie Chibbaro
Between Two Worlds by Katherine Kirkpatrick


Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated from the Khmer Rouge, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier.


Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld.


Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously-and at great risk-documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

More Like This
A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury


The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But to the bullies at his school in Nazi era Berlin, it doesn't matter. Demoralized by relentless attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth to everyone around him. So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, Karl sees it as the perfect chance to reinvent himself.  But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. Karl longs to ask his new mentor for help, but with Max's fame growing, he is forced to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, leaving Karl to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie.

Others Like This:
Fade by Robert Cormier

 
Flygirl by Sherri L Smith
Ida Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy's gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her. When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Women's Airforce Service Pilots--and Ida suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP won't accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of pretending to be white. Hiding one's racial heritage, denying one's family, denying one's self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be.



Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Others Like This:
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson


Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbruck, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that's in store for her?

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Rose Justice is an American pilot who is working with the ATA (a British organization) as World War II is coming to an end. D-day has already happened and the Allies are taking back France, but when Rose is ferrying a fighter plane from Paris back to England she does something maybe a little bit brave, but definitely a bit reckless that gets her caught by German forces. From there she is taken to Ravensbrück, a women's concentration camp. Here she faces horrors of death, brutality, and starvation; she meets first hand those who were operated and experimented on, also known as the Rabbits. However, these women find ways to get things they need (though never enough), hide prisoners whose numbers have been called, and come away with bits of hope in their rebellions (no matter how small) and camaraderie. While the reader knows that Rose makes it out alive her situation is no less bleak or tense and many of those she comes to think of as family do not make it to the allies liberation.

Rose Under Fire is a powerful book that shows the horrors that people can commit on one another, but also the resilience that people can have. At times it can be a difficult book to read, but still one that you don't want to put down.

Especially recommended for those who enjoyed Code Name Verity.

Other readalikes:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Annexed by Sharon Dogar
The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb

Lisa

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Maude Pichon has recently run away from her provincial home in Brittany, and the life her father had planned for her (which included marriage to a middle age butcher) to Paris.  It's 1888 and Paris is getting ready for the Exposition Universelle, and its most well known landmark (the Eiffel Tower) is in the process of being built.  However, the city is more expensive (and less dream-like) than Maude anticipated and soon she is out of money and food.  Desperate for work, she becomes a repoussoir, an unremarkable or ugly woman who is hired out to beautiful socialites in order to make the socialites stand out and "become" more desirable by comparison.  Maude is humiliated, but without any other options she is hired by a Countess.  Unfortunately, the Countess has hired Maude to be a repoussoir for her daughter, Isabelle, who not only has no idea Maude is more than a poor relation, but also has no interest in society events or marriage.  This bought friendship begins to develop into a real one, but the closer Maude grows to Isabelle the more she begins to deceive both Isabelle and her employer.

Maude and Isabelle are both young woman who want more than the life that has been planned out for them by others, but they have grown up worlds apart.  Belle Epoque is a novel about friendship, the future, and Maude figuring out who she can be.  Being hired for being ugly has shaken her grasp on her own self worth, but it is the girl she has been hired to accentuate that helps her get a hold of who she is and what she wants again.

At times there is some awkwardly placed French ("...repousser? To push away, to repel or repulse" - general this type of breakdown of a word in your own language is saved for the ACT) as it's what they should already just be speaking, but not enough to be truly annoying, and much of it is smooth enough to not get in the way.

An entertaining historical fiction novel, that is a lighter read, filled with smart and interesting characters.

A Morris Award Finalist

Looking for more Parisian historical fiction?  Check out Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.

Lisa

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters (a Morris Award Finalist) takes place at the end of 1918, as young men were going off to fight and die in World War I and the Spanish Influenza was raging and killing millions at home.  Mary Shelley Black (yes, she was named after the famous author) has just left her home in Portland (due to her father being jailed and tried as a traitor), for her Aunt's in San Diego.  War and disease have taken countless loved ones and spiritualism and seances are a growing trend.  Mary Shelley has no time for such superstitions; she prefers things that are based in fact.  Then Stephen, her childhood friend, and first love, is killed overseas and his spirit starts visiting Mary Shelley, complaining about blackbirds torturing him.  She is desperate to help Stephen, but where do you start in helping someone who is already dead?  This historical fiction read gives fascinating insights to life in 1918, with a ghost story that fits the tone of the time period, and the mystery surrounding Stephen's tragic death keeps the pages turning.

Another historical fiction, supernatural, murder mystery is The Diviner's by Libba Bray.  Check out the review.

Lisa

Read-a-thon!

We're having a Read-a-thon at the library on Saturday, July 28, at 1pm! Come and bring whatever book you're reading or we'll match you up with a great new book. We'll also have pizza and giveaways. Come hang out with your friends and other teens and discuss your favorite books or just enjoy some food and a good book.

I thought that I would share with you some of the books that I've enjoyed recently.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Charlie Bucktin is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie's help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night. Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. Jasper Jones is a 2012 Printz Honor Book and  it's one of the best books I've read so far this year and features some unforgettable characters--especially Charlie's best friend, Jeffrey Lu.

The Académie by Susanne Dunlap
I love French history so this book instantly intrigued me. Eliza Monroe-daughter of the future president of the United States-is devastated when her mother decides to send her to boarding school outside of Paris. But the American teen is quickly reconciled to the idea when she discovers who her fellow pupils will be: Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine Bonaparte, and Caroline Bonaparte, youngest sister of the famous French general. It doesn't take long for Eliza to figure out that the two French girls are mortal enemies-and that she's about to get caught in the middle of their schemes. Loosely drawn from history, The Académie provides a scintillating glimpse into the lives, loves, and hopes of three young women during one of the most volatile periods in French history. 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
I loved Divergent and couldn't wait to read the sequel! As unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves as well as herself. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but haunted by grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. Now that I've finished Insurgent, I'm dying to read the last book in the trilogy!

Chi's Sweet Home by Kanata Konami
This is my favorite manga series! Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Overcome with loneliness she breaks into tears in a large urban park but is suddenly rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada family apartment...where pets are strictly not permitted. This is such a cute and silly manga series and it's a favorite of several Anime & Manga Club members. Chi is just so adorable and reminds me of my own cat!

I am also currently in the middle of two excellent books:

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
I've had trouble putting this one down! When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn't last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative Aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship--one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to "fix" her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self--even if she's not exactly sure who that is. 

Legend by Marie Lu
Yes, it's another novel about a dystopian America but the story and characters are so addicting! What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, Day is the country's most wanted criminal--but his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths--until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

So what are you currently reading?

Kimberly

Avast! Here be books on pirates!

Arrrr! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. First, check out the official TLAPD website to learn exactly how to talk like a pirate and then check out one of these great books!

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Steampunk Pirates! Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious. In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, this is an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Desperate to escape a life of poverty on the streets of London, twelve-year-old Jacky Faber joins the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy. Looking forward to daring adventures and riches galore, Jacky soon discovers that surviving life at sea requires more than quick feet and hard work. Being shot at from all directions, taking on a fully-grown toothless pirate, or being washed up on a desert island demands courage and a lot of luck. But Jacky loves it. There is just one problem - Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every ounce of cunning she has if she is to keep the crew from discovering her secret.This is the first book in the Bloody Jack series.


Pirates! The True and Remarkable Adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates by Celia Rees

Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family's plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother's willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates. For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position.

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to sword fight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other? First in the Vampirates series.

Piratica by Tanith Lee
Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she's sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother's crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art's memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art's infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren't large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother's title--and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore.

Pirate Curse by Kai Meyer
The Pirates of the Caribbean have a name for kids who walk on water: polliwogs. Fourteen-year-old Jolly believes that she's the last polliwog still alive and this special talent makes her invaluable to the pirate captain who raised her. When someone sets a trap for Jolly's ship, she alone escapes. Washed up on a tiny island, she meets Munk, a polliwog who has been raised in hiding. Evil forces are stirring in the Caribbean, and a demon from the sea attacks and murders Munk's parents. Was the demon really after Munk? And Jolly, too? Why are the polliwogs so valuable, and who's willing to kill to possess them? Jolly and Munk must sail with a strange crew of outcasts, led by the mysterious Ghost Trader, to avenge their loved ones and try to stop an ancient, malevolent force known as the Maelstrom. First in the Wave Walkers series.

Kimberly

A Midsummer Knight's Read

Our Summer Reading Club starts today!  In honor of this year's theme, A Midsummer Knight's Read, here are some medieval-themed literature:

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. "Asta's son," as he's always been known, learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents' origins--and fates--might be more perplexing than he ever imagined.

The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

Johanna is a servant girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned medieval holy woman. Dame Margery feels the suffering the Virgin Mary felt for her son but cares little for the misery she sees every day. When she announces that Johanna will accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome, the suffering truly begins. After walking all day, Johanna must fetch water, wash clothes, and cook for the entire party of pilgrims. Then arguing breaks out between Dame Margery and the other travelers, and Johanna is caught in the middle. As the fighting escalates, Dame Margery turns her back on the whole group, including Johanna. Abandoned in a foreign land where she doesn’t even speak the language, the young maidservant must find her own way to Rome.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man--any rich man, no mater how awful.  But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call--by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all.
Unfortunately, he is also the richest. Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannared, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father?  Not if Catherine has anything to say about it!  Also by Cushman: Matilda Bone about an apprentice bonesetter


The Legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone
Ilena, daughter of Moren and Grenna, has lived in the Vale of Enfert for all of her 15 years, but it is not her true home. Her parents refused to speak about the place they came from or their lineage. After the deaths of both of her parents, her questions remain unanswered. Her father’s final words to her provide the single clue: “Go to Dun Alyn. Find Ryamen.” Ilena sets out alone on the dangerous trip across Britain, certain only that Dun Alyn is a fortress somewhere in the East. Her skills as a warrior are tested against raiders from the West and Painted Ones from the Far North, but her most formidable challenge awaits her at Dun Alyn. Will she be able to accept her true identity and fulfill her destiny?

The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris

Growing up an orphan in an isolated cottage in the woods, young Terence never expected much adventure. But upon the arrival of Gawain, his life takes a surprising turn. Gawain is destined to become one of the most famous knights of the Round Table. Terence becomes Gawain's squire and leaves his secluded life for one of adventure in King Arthur's court. In no time Terence is plunged into the exciting world of kings, wizards, knights, wars, magic spells, dwarfs, damsels in distress, and enchanters. As he adjusts to his new life, he proves to be not only an able squire but also a keen observer of the absurdities around him. His duties take him on a quest with Gawain and on a journey of his own, to solve the mystery of his parentage. 

Viking Warrior by Judson Roberts

Despite being the son of a chieftain and a princess, fourteen-year-old Halfdan lives as a slave in Denmark in A.D. 845 but through a tragic bargain he gains his freedom and sets out to claim his birthright. Halfdan must suffer a grave loss in order to grasp what he most desires: to be a great warrior. Bloody, furiously paced, heart-wrenching, and unflinching, this is a story of a land where the destinies of boys and men are forged in the heat of battle. Young Halfdan shall come to know the glories of true brotherhood and the unspeakable horrors of true evil. 

Edge on the Sword by Rebecca Tingle
AEthelflaed is King Alfred's eldest daughter and her royal blood makes her a target and vulnerable to those who would wish to hurt the king. Suddenly betrothed to the king's ally, AEthelflaed finds herself constrained by the presence of Red, a gruff new bodyguard assigned to protect her and deliver her to her new home. Soon she learns that Red has much more than protection to offer her. He begins teaching her how to battle like a man. And when enemies threaten the borderlands, Flaed turns first to her guardian, and at last to her own inner resources and battle skills to save her life and protect the lives of her men. AEthelflaed was an actual noblewoman who seized power in central England a thousand years ago and became the greatest heroine in Old English medieval history.

The Royal Wedding

Excited about Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding?  Here's some royal romantic and historical fiction to set the mood for this weekend.
Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me by Holly-Jane Rahlens
Nelly Sue Edelmeister knows exactly who she is: a skinny, nerdy thirteen-year-old Berlin schoolgirl with thick glasses but that's before she develops a hopeless crush on the handsome and newly bereaved Prince William. And it's definitely before she meets the odd but oddly attractive Maximilian Minsky who is klutzy Nelly's last hope for making the school team before it heads off to Eton, England, and virtually into Prince William's arms.

Calypso Chronicles by Tyne O'Connell
When Calypso returns from Los Angeles to her English boarding school for the summer term, she is determined to fit in with the popular crowd. She makes a whole batch of new friends, and even finds herself winning the unwritten contest to woo the prince at the boys' school next door. But when Calypso and Prince Freddy end up in the tabloids, everything seems set to go down the drain. A humorous series about life in an English boarding school and the ups-and-downs of dating a prince.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Having recently discovered she is the sole heir to the throne of the tiny European principality of Genovia, Mia Thermopolis tries to live a normal teenaged life and finish high school while coming to terms with her new role and preparing to become a proper princess.  This series follows Mia's misadventures on her way to claim her throne.

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
Recently orphaned and destitute, seventeen-year-old Liza Hastings earns a position as a lady's maid to sixteen-year-old Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace in 1836, the year before Victoria becomes Queen of England. Liza steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In this continuation of the Cinderella story,  Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, and acting like "a proper lady."  Worst of all, Prince Charming is not the least bit interesting and certainly not charming.  But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat.  For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk -- and no ladylike behavior allowed.  By the same author: Palace of Mirrors.
     
Carolyn Meyer writes historical fiction focusing on the turbulent lives of young queens and princesses such as Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Elizabeth I.

Kimberly

Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

There are two parallel stories in this book. The modern story serves as a segway for the legendary story of the rum running ship called the Black Duck. The story begins with David Peterson, a boy who wants to be a reporter; however he will be unsuccessful unless he can report on a good story. Determined, David sets off to find and interview, Ruben Hart, an elder man rumored to have been a rumrunner. This interview takes the reader back to Ruben’s youth when Ruben and his best friend Jeddy find a dead body on the Rhode Island shore. They are certain it has something to do with smuggling liquor. The timeline is set in the 1920s and Prohibition is in full swing, and almost everyone in the shore community is involved. The dead body turns out to be an important gang member, and as Reuben and Jeddy pursue answers, they are trapped in a web of deceitful activities, ending in a Coast Guard shooting. The author explores the historical subject of Prohibition as well as various underlying social themes. She shows the difficulty of staying honest when everyone else is breaking the law including the local authorities. The framing device of having the modern day boy listening to the story provides a surprise twist at the end. The characterization and suspenseful plot make this an entertaining, accessible historical mystery for middle school teens.

Recommended for Grades 6-8

Mary Beth

Historical Fiction

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
When orphaned sixteen-year-old Hattie learns that her uncle has left her his land in Montana, she leaves her Iowa small town without a worry to settle in the west. On arriving, she learns that “proving the claim” is not so easy. In order to stay on the land she must plant crops, fence the land, and learn to live in the harsh wilderness. Some of her neighbors are friendly and helpful, but others are waiting for her fail. Meanwhile the men are being sent to World War I and a flu epidemic is raging. This novel is based on the true story of the author’s great-grandmother.
KSP