Historical Fiction for Teens

I have loved historical fiction since I was a teen.  In particular, I read everything I could find that was based on a real historical figure.  The idea that this was something that might have really happened was so romantic to the teenage me, and I ate it up.  In that way Angelmonster by Veronica Bennett was almost nostalgic for me when I read it last year because it reminded me so much of what I actually read as a teen.  Plus, I happen to be a bit of a poetry geek as I’ve mentioned before, so the story of Mary Shelley’s life with her poet husband Percy was fascinating to me.

Fans of this week’s Book of the Week, No Shame No Fear, might be interested in Alice Hoffman’s book for teens, Incantation, in which a young girl in Spain learns that her family are secretly still practicing the Jewish faith despite the fact that it was highly dangerous to do so at the time.  She is forced to make a choice about what she will do: uphold her family’s religious traditions or give in to pressure from the Inquisition.

But historical fiction isn’t just for girls.  The Strongbow Saga is Judson Roberts’ new series that begins with Viking Warrior in which Halfdan, who has been a slave his entire life, is given his rightful place as the son of the chieftain.  He begins his training as a warrior, and soon he finds a need to use his newly acquired skills.  This action-packed book is full of details about life in a Viking village, and the story is engaging from the very beginning.  Dragons From the Sea continues Halfdan’s story, and fans will want to know what happens in this saga.

There are many more options in this growing genre.  Here are a few more that might be of interest to your teens.