Kids: Historical tales

Browse this list for stories from times gone by in different periods of history, including some specific time periods and events.

Updated July 28, 2025
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The wolves of Willoughby Chase
Aiken, Joan
Paper Book
Can you go a little faster? Can you run? Long ago, at a time in history that never happened, England was overrun with wolves. But as Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia discover, real danger often lies closer to home. Their new governess, Miss Slighcarp, doesn't seem at all nice. She...
Rebellion 1776
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Paper Book
Three starred reviews! From New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson comes an "thoroughly researched, emotionally resonant" (Booklist, starred review) historical fiction middle grade adventure about a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox...
The war that saved my life
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.
Paper Book
* Newbery Honor Book * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public...
1914 : riding into war
Brocker, Susan
Paper Book
Itll be over by Christmas... Young Billy Bowman and his mate Jack get caught up in the excitement when war is declared in August 1914 and leave their jobs on the farm to rush off and enlist in the Mounted Riflesbecause the war would 'probably be over by Christmas'. We follow their journey from the...
The bakehouse
Cowley, Joy
Paper Book
An Atonement for children-one of New Zealand's bestloved children's writers tells a morally complex story with a powerful ending. Bert wants nothing more than to be old enough to fight in the war- to handle weapons, defend his country, and have a life filled with adventure. Little does he know that...
The Beatryce prophecy
DiCamillo, Kate
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times bestseller From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall comes a fantastical meditation on fate, love, and the power of words to spell the world. We shall all, in the end, be led to...
Heroes
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Refugee, Ground Zero, and Two Degrees comes this heart-pounding, inventive, and powerful new novel about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor... as only Alan...
Journey to Tangiwai : Tangiwai, 1953
Hill, David
Paper Book
When Peter Cotterill begins his diary in 1953, little does he realise that something is happening elsewhere in New Zealand that is going to have a huge impact on his life. As he tells of his day-to-day life in Napierschool, paper round, Scouts, as well as the lasting effects of World War II on his...
Two sparrowhawks in a lonely sky
Lim, Rebecca
Paper Book
After their family encounters terrible hardship in rural China, siblings Fu and Pei must draw on all their resilience and courage as they embark on a dangerous journey towards a better life. A compelling and poignant children's novel from the CBCA award-winning author of Tiger Daughter.
Iceberg
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel¿s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet. But Hazel harbors a...
The wolf wilder
Rundell, Katherine
Paper Book
A girl and the wolves who love her embark on a rescue mission through Russian wilderness in this lyrical tale from the author of the acclaimed Rooftoppers and Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms. Feo's life is extraordinary. Her mother trains domesticated wolves to be...
The silver sword
Serraillier, Ian
Paper Book
Although the silver sword was only a paper knife, it became the symbol of hope and courage which kept the Balicki children and their orphan friend Jan alive through the four years of occupation when they had to fend for themselves. And afterwards it inspired them to keep going on the exhausting and...
The eagle of the Ninth
Sutcliff, Rosemary.
Paper Book
Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth is the classic story of a young Roman centurion sent out to recover the infamous Ninth Legion's missing symbol of honor. Over a million copies sold worldwide, it was adapted to a major motion picture (The Eagle) starring Channing Tatum...
Little house on the prairie
Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Paper Book
Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie is the third book in the award-winning Little House series, which has captivated generations of readers. This edition features Garth Williams' classic art in vibrant full-color. Laura Ingalls and her...

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