Speaking of historical fiction (as per the pervious post), what are some of your favorite historical fiction books? What are some historical fiction titles that circulate well in your library?
Historical fiction books don't circulate much in my library unless I talk about them and get the kids excited. Some of my favorites are Fever, Riding Freedom, A Single Shard, Hugh Glass Mountain Man. I love having the "Midas Touch"--every book I touch in my library (introduce to the kids) becomes very popular for a time. :)
My favorites have also included Hugh Glass, Single Shard, as well as some of the more "Picture Book" Kind such as The Great Hinkley Fire, Outlaw, and Snowflake Bentley. I also recommend Thin Wood Walls, any Sherlock Holmes, Christmas Carol, the Mr. Tuckett series, and for adults - Snow Falling on Cedars. I'm sure there are more, but I'll have to cogitate about it.
Between Shades of Gray, Code Named Verity, Berlin Boxing Club (sometimes it gets returned because students don't realize what it's about), Saving Zasha, The Book Thief, Code Talker, Time of the Witches, Ashes, An Elephant in the Garden, The Boy Who Dared, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (this one gets checked out mostly because of the movie), Forge. These are the ones I have seen lately. You can see most of them are holocaust, WWII.
I love to share Luba, The Angel of Bergen Belsen by Michelle R. McCann, and Boxes for Katja by Candace Fleming. They are wonderful books to share with my 6th graders when we study WWII and Europe.
There are a couple that seem to get read over and over Esperanza Rising, Someone Name Eva and Number the Stars but there are so many great historical ficiton.
I find that most of the picture books I choose to share with my older students are historical fiction. I find these books are a great way to introduce students to an event or time of history they are unfamiliar with. And what they are unfamiliar with sometimes surprises me, like when an entire 4th-grade class could not link the Civil War to the issue of slavery.
I read a lot of historical fiction so I tend to order historical fiction as well. I just looked at my shelves and found some authors that my kids read. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Christipher Paul Curtis' Bud, not Buddy, The Watsons go to Burmingham and Elijah of Buxton. Jennifer Holm wrote Our Own May Amelia, The Boston Jane series and Penny From Heaven. Gary Paulson wrote Nightjohn, Sarny and Soldier's Heart. Richard Peck (one of my personal favorite authors) wrote A long Way From Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, Season of Gifts (all featuring Grandma Dowdel), Fair Weather, Teacher's Funeral, Here Lies the Librarian, River Between Us, and Wings of Heroes. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Patricia Wrede wrote a fantasy series - but historical - about the expansion of the West (with magical elements) 13th Child, Far West and Across the Great Divide. There are some really good historical fiction books out there.
My favorite picture book is Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. But, have you read Chris Van Alsburg's book Queen of the Falls? About the 60 year old woman who went over the falls in a barrel and survived?!?! Fantastic story...
Historical fiction and biographies are my favorites genres to read. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book that I just love and so do all my kids. At one time I had 8 copies circulating with a waiting list. Number the Stars is another of my favorites that kids always love. I think it may be because I love historical fiction so much but when classes have a free choice for their book reports many will take historical fiction books.
I enjoyed reading Between Shade of Gray because I had no idea about Stalin's "holocaust". That's why I like reading historical fiction, to gain a different perspective on historical events. I, like Marianne, do well with historical fiction if I sell them through booktalks. It has to be a good story and sometimes the students need help making the connection to the real event. Needless to say, I look at what the Social Studies teachers are teaching and make fiction tie-ins.
I live in Historical Fiction, since that is the novel I am slowly writing. I eat up everything that has happened in England and the US between 1854 and 1862. I think the historical events the kids are most interested in, is the Civil Rights movement and 9/11. I have plenty on Martin Luther King, but I need to find more kid-friendly books about 9/11.....or write one myself!
I love Sarah Plain and Tall so much! I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie series as a kid. I can't say that this is the most circulated genre in the library, not when Scooby Doo magazine is available and the Star Wars graphic novels.......
The Book Thief is a fabulous ADULT historical fiction book set in Nazi Germany. "March", is a fabulous book about the father in Little Women. (Adult) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks... (Fantastic, Adult) I think I like this genre more that I realized.
I want to do something to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg address this week and the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, but haven't figured out what...
Historical fiction books don't circulate much in my library unless I talk about them and get the kids excited. Some of my favorites are Fever, Riding Freedom, A Single Shard, Hugh Glass Mountain Man. I love having the "Midas Touch"--every book I touch in my library (introduce to the kids) becomes very popular for a time. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorites have also included Hugh Glass, Single Shard, as well as some of the more "Picture Book" Kind such as The Great Hinkley Fire, Outlaw, and Snowflake Bentley. I also recommend Thin Wood Walls, any Sherlock Holmes, Christmas Carol, the Mr. Tuckett series, and for adults - Snow Falling on Cedars. I'm sure there are more, but I'll have to cogitate about it.
ReplyDeleteBetween Shades of Gray, Code Named Verity, Berlin Boxing Club (sometimes it gets returned because students don't realize what it's about), Saving Zasha, The Book Thief, Code Talker, Time of the Witches, Ashes, An Elephant in the Garden, The Boy Who Dared, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (this one gets checked out mostly because of the movie), Forge. These are the ones I have seen lately.
ReplyDeleteYou can see most of them are holocaust, WWII.
I love to share Luba, The Angel of Bergen Belsen by Michelle R. McCann, and Boxes for Katja by Candace Fleming. They are wonderful books to share with my 6th graders when we study WWII and Europe.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple that seem to get read over and over Esperanza Rising, Someone Name Eva and Number the Stars but there are so many great historical ficiton.
ReplyDeleteI find that most of the picture books I choose to share with my older students are historical fiction. I find these books are a great way to introduce students to an event or time of history they are unfamiliar with. And what they are unfamiliar with sometimes surprises me, like when an entire 4th-grade class could not link the Civil War to the issue of slavery.
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of historical fiction so I tend to order historical fiction as well. I just looked at my shelves and found some authors that my kids read. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Christipher Paul Curtis' Bud, not Buddy, The Watsons go to Burmingham and Elijah of Buxton. Jennifer Holm wrote Our Own May Amelia, The Boston Jane series and Penny From Heaven. Gary Paulson wrote Nightjohn, Sarny and Soldier's Heart. Richard Peck (one of my personal favorite authors) wrote A long Way From Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, Season of Gifts (all featuring Grandma Dowdel), Fair Weather, Teacher's Funeral, Here Lies the Librarian, River Between Us, and Wings of Heroes. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Patricia Wrede wrote a fantasy series - but historical - about the expansion of the West (with magical elements) 13th Child, Far West and Across the Great Divide. There are some really good historical fiction books out there.
ReplyDeleteI love Christopher Paul Curtis, Richard Peck's books are some of MY personal favorites - Wings of Heroes and Grandma Dowdel are the best!
DeleteI have loved reading your recomendations for historical fiction. I think my favorite picture book is Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnel.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite picture book is Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. But, have you read Chris Van Alsburg's book Queen of the Falls? About the 60 year old woman who went over the falls in a barrel and survived?!?! Fantastic story...
DeleteHistorical fiction and biographies are my favorites genres to read. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a book that I just love and so do all my kids. At one time I had 8 copies circulating with a waiting list. Number the Stars is another of my favorites that kids always love. I think it may be because I love historical fiction so much but when classes have a free choice for their book reports many will take historical fiction books.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Between Shade of Gray because I had no idea about Stalin's "holocaust". That's why I like reading historical fiction, to gain a different perspective on historical events. I, like Marianne, do well with historical fiction if I sell them through booktalks. It has to be a good story and sometimes the students need help making the connection to the real event. Needless to say, I look at what the Social Studies teachers are teaching and make fiction tie-ins.
ReplyDeleteI live in Historical Fiction, since that is the novel I am slowly writing. I eat up everything that has happened in England and the US between 1854 and 1862. I think the historical events the kids are most interested in, is the Civil Rights movement and 9/11. I have plenty on Martin Luther King, but I need to find more kid-friendly books about 9/11.....or write one myself!
ReplyDeleteI love Sarah Plain and Tall so much! I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie series as a kid. I can't say that this is the most circulated genre in the library, not when Scooby Doo magazine is available and the Star Wars graphic novels.......
ReplyDeleteThe Book Thief is a fabulous ADULT historical fiction book set in Nazi Germany. "March", is a fabulous book about the father in Little Women. (Adult) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks... (Fantastic, Adult) I think I like this genre more that I realized.
ReplyDeleteI want to do something to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg address this week and the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, but haven't figured out what...
ReplyDelete