Historical Fiction (8-12)

True story of a young black woman, Sojourner Truth, called by God to preach the gospel in pre-Civil War America. Traces Sojourner Truth's life from slavery in New York State, winning a court case concerning her son, becoming a traveling speaker and activist for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. Excellent introduction for middle-schoolers to the abolitionist movement.

New England is ripe for revolution in the fall of 1773, and young Jeremy and Deliverance Winthrop are eager to play their part. The brother-and-sister duo join the conspiracy against the red-coated British "lobsterbacks," carrying messages from Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and other patriots to set the stage for the famous event in Boston Harbor. The We Were There series brings history to life for young readers with engaging, action-packed entertainment. These illustrated tales combine fictional and real-life characters in settings of landmark events from the past. All of the books are reviewed for accuracy and approved by expert historical consultants.

In this spirited tale of adventure, Vincent Wingfield, who is not yet sixteen, returns home to Virginia after four years of school in England to find conditions in America greatly unsettled. When war breaks out in 1861, Vincent staunchly supports the rights of slaves but joins Lee's cavalry to fight for the Confederacy. Henty's gripping story, written several decades after the war, weaves the spirited teenager's adventures with real-life events, while providing an acute glimpse of the conflict from a Southern perspective. A prolific 19th-century author, G. A. Henty celebrates family, honor, loyalty, bravery, and determination in the face of adversity. Set against the backdrop of an exciting historical era, this story, recently rediscovered by young readers, will excite the imaginations of today's youngsters as much as it thrilled readers when first published.  

Return to the days of the Norman invasion of England and fight alongside a nobleman serving the last of England's Anglo-Saxon monarchs. Wulf of Steyning, a Saxon thane loyal to King Harold Godwinson, boldly captures a castle in the Welsh wars, risks his life to rescue his shipwrecked sovereign, and combats Norsemen at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Wulf and his comrades resolutely stand by King Harold in a series of adventures that climax at the Battle of Hastings. Generations of readers have thrilled to this tale of loyalty and courage in eleventh-century Britain and Normandy. Author G. A. Henty created it in conjunction with his popular series of storybooks in which young characters, inspired by their encounters with real-life figures, perform heroic deeds. Historical fiction at its very best, Wulf the Saxon offers boys and girls an exciting adventure in the medieval world.