History Repeats Itself: 13+ Historical Fiction Titles for Ages 13 and up

Summer is here! And that means loads of time for kids to experience books in all their glory. This is also a great time to encourage kids to read the books they choose (without having to worry about school assignments) and to try out new genres that they might be interested in learning more about. This series will offer titles for toddlers to teens and include a variety of formats. Each week will focus on a different genre and will follow the same format:

• Mondays – Titles for Ages 3-7
• Tuesdays – Middle Grade Titles for Ages 8-12
• Wednesdays – Young Adult Titles for Ages 13+
• Thursdays – Nonfiction pairings
• Friday – Recap of the Week

Young Adult
Audacity By Melanie Crowder
A novel in verse inspired by real-life woman, Clara Lemlich, a Russian Jew who immigrated to New York in the early 1900s and fought against substandard working conditions.

Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
Karl may not think of himself as Jewish, but the Nazis do and so when the opportunity presents itself to take up boxing, Karl jumps at the chance. When he learns of his hero’s alliance to the Third Reich, Karl must re-think everything he knows.

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
“Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
Artemisia Gentileschi must choose between entering a convent or spend her life mixing her father’s paints. Soon she becomes a talented painter at a time when women were not expected to do such things. But when the unthinkable happens, will she stand up for herself or continue hiding in the shadow?

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
A graphic novel duology of the Boxer Rebellion in China during the late 1800s.

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
“Award-winning author Meg Medina transports readers to a time when New York seemed about to explode, with temperatures and tempers running high, to discover how one young woman faces her fears as everything self-destructs around her.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Isabel and her sister Ruth may have become property of a New York couple in a sick twist of fate, but Isabel spies on them, giving the Patriots knowledge of the British plans during the American Revolution.

Cleopatra Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Selene grew up under her parents’ rule of Ancient Egypt, but when a Roman Emperor takes over the country and takes her back to Rome, she must fight for her future.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
“Oct. 11th, 1943 – A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Death Coming Up the Hill by Chris Crowe
It’s 1968 and Ashe is caught between his dogmatic father and peace-activist mother all while going to school learning about the politics behind the war and getting to know a beautiful new student with a brother mission in action.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
Ida Mae feels closest to her father when she is flying, but during World War II, even the Women Airforce Service Pilots aren’t interested in having a Black woman in the cockpit. Ida Mae makes the difficult decision to pass in order to be able to fly – what follows is her search for her future while denying who she really is.

The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller
Elodie is the oldest of ten sisters living in 1861 England when her father, a plant hunter sets off to China to find the mysterious orchid. Elodie sneaks aboard the ship even though everything in her mind and gut are telling her not to – and soon begins her adventure!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Monty’s last hurrah comes during his Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend and crush Percy and sister Felicity before he is expected to return home and take over the family business, but Monty is anything but tame and ensures that this adventure will be one for them all to remember.

Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship by L.M. Elliott
“When a flirtatious aide-de-camp to General Washington named Alexander Hamilton writes an eloquent letter to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy is skeptical but finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. Thus begins her own journey into the Revolution! ” (Taken from Goodreads)

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz
Inspired by the heroines in the novels she reads, Joan leaves her family’s small farm to work as a hired girl in the city making $6 a day to earn herself not only a living wage, but a future in 1911.
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
Based on the true story of 14 year old Dita Kraus as she is sent to Auschwitz with her family during World War II and takes charge of eight precious books snuck past the guards and so becomes the Librarian of Auschwitz.

The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle
“Opposing slavery in Cuba in the nineteenth century was dangerous. The most daring abolitionists were poets who veiled their work in metaphor. Of these, the boldest was Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, nicknamed Tula.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Joana, Emilia, and Florian are among the thousands of refugees in East Prussia, hoping for a way to escape the terror that World War II has caused on their lives. These three characters must band together, hold on to hope and fight for survival as they reach the Wilhelm Gustloff.

The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
In 1970, Alaska is like nowhere else and four teens’ stories collide and intersect in a way none of them expected.

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon
“X follows Malcolm from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.” (Taken form Goodreads)