Historical Fiction for Middle Schoolers

Looking for Historical Fiction to read before it's back-to-school? Check out these titles at your local branch!

Updated May 7, 2026
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Magnitude
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iceberg and The Free State of Jax comes the harrowing story of the fight for survival during the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the desperate race to find survivors. San Francisco, 1906. When...
The lions' run
Pennypacker, Sara
Paper Book
A New York Times and Indie Bestseller * Six starred reviews "A page-turning and ultimately triumphant tale of heroism."** "Thrilling and gut-punching."*** An orphan during WWII discovers unexpected courage within himself when he joins the...
The Road from Nowhere
Avi
Paper Book
Inside one of America's most troubled periods of economic crisis, The Road From Nowhere, from master storyteller and Newbery medalist Avi, is both a tightly plotted adventure and a big-hearted tale of boyhood that explores what it means to put a name to the feelings we're taught to push down...
The secrets of Lovelace Academy
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
"A charming tale weaving in historical events, epic adventure, and a coming-of-age story that readers will devour." --Gayle Forman, bestselling author of Not Nothing From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel comes a historical...
War games
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller! A USA Today bestseller A Publishers Weekly bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Refugee and Heroes comes this heart-pounding, high-stakes take on...
The Bletchley Riddle
Sepetys, Ruta/ Sheinkin, Steve
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A thrilling mystery and collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin! This historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding...
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...
Show me a sign /
LeZotte, Ann Clare
Paper Book
Don't miss the companion book, Set Me Free CRITICS ARE RAVING ABOUT SHOW ME A SIGN Winner of the 2021 Schneider Family Book Award * NPR Best Books of 2020 * Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020 * School Library Journal Best Books of 2020 *...
The luminous life of Lucy Landry /
Johnson, Anna Rose
Paper Book
Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers--and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking... Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor's...
Sophia's war : a tale of the Revolution
Avi
Paper Book
Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery Medalist. In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and...
Blood on the river :
Carbone, Elisa Lynn.
Paper Book
Twelve-year-old Samuel Collier is a lowly commoner on the streets of London. So when he becomes the page of Captain John Smith and boards the Susan Constant, bound for the New World, he can't believe his good fortune. He's heard that gold washes ashore with every tide. But beginning with the stormy...
Allies /
Gratz, Alan,
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller!Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee, weaves a stunning array of voices and stories into an epic tale of teamwork in the face of tyranny -- and how just one day can change the world.June 6, 1944: The Nazis are terrorizing Europe, on their evil quest to...
Miracles on Maple Hill
Sorensen, Virginia
CD
A loving family regroups in the wake of war in this Newbery winner.
Forge
Anderson, Laurie Halse.
Paper Book
"One of the best novels they have ever read." --Kirkus Reviews Curzon navigates the dangers of being a runaway slave in this keenly felt second novel in in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy from acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson. ...
Snow treasure /
McSwigan, Marie,
Paper Book
In the bleak winter of 1940, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lundstrom's tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated-until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine...
Iceberg /
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Paper Book
As disaster looms on the horizon, a young stowaway onboard the Titanic will need all her courage and wits to stay alive. A thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen! Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard...
Ground Zero /
Gratz, Alan,
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Acclaimed storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present. September 11, 2001, New...
Light and air /
Wendell, Mindy Nichols
Paper Book
It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it? When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned--and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis...
Willow Run /
Giff, Patricia Reilly
Paper Book
1944 Meggie Dillon’s life has been turned upside down by World War II. Her older brother Eddie enlisted and was shipped off to fight in Europe. And people say that anywhere else Grandpa would be turned in because he’s German, and people might think he’s a spy. Is it true? Could...
The war that saved my life /
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.
Paper Book
* Newbery Honor Book * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public...
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...
The button war :
Avi,
Paper Book
Renowned, award-winning author Avi pens a stark, unflinching tale of ordinary boys living in wartime as tensions -- and desperations -- mount among them. Twelve-year-old Patryk knows little of the world beyond his tiny Polish village; the Russians have occupied the land for as...
Johnny Tremain
Forbes, Esther.
Paper Book
A classic of children's historical fiction--now with a freshly designed cover! Johnny Tremain is a thrilling Newbery Medal-winning novel about the Revolutionary War. Fourteen-year-old Johnny Tremain, an apprentice silversmith with a bright future ahead of him, injures his hand in a tragic...
How high the moon /
Parsons, Karyn,
Ebook
To Kill a Mockingbird meets One Crazy Summer in this powerful, bittersweet novel about one girl's journey to reconnect with her mother and learn the truth about her father in the tumultuous times of the Jim Crow South. "Timely, captivating, and lovely. So glad this book is in...
Barefoot dreams of Petra Luna /
Dobbs, Alda P.,
Paper Book
2022 Pura Belpré Honor Book NYPL Best Book of 2021 Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection NPR Best Book of 2021 Based on a true story, the tale of one girl's perilous journey to cross the U.S. border and lead her family to safety during the Mexican...
Inside out & back again /
Lai, Thanhha.
Paper Book
Inside Out and Back Again is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! Inspired by the author's childhood experience as a refugee--fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama--this coming-of-age debut novel told...
A long walk to water
Park, Linda Sue.
Paper Book
Cherished by millions of readers, this #1 New York Times bestselling novel is a powerful tale of perseverance and hope. Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park interweaves the stories of two Sudanese children who overcome mortal dangers to improve their lives and the lives of others. A Long Walk...
A night divided /
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Paper Book
From NYT bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a stunning thriller about a girl who must escape to freedom after the Berlin Wall divides her family between east and west. With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her...
All the greys on Greene Street /
Tucker, Laura,
Paper Book
"A dazzling debut novel about resilience, courage, home and family."--Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me SoHo, 1981. Twelve-year-old Olympia is an artist--and in her neighborhood, that's normal. Her dad and his business partner Apollo bring...
Arch of bone /
Yolen, Jane
Paper Book
Continuing the story from where Moby Dick left off, this compelling boyhood adventure, penned by beloved author Jane Yolen (Owl Moon), hearkens to timeless coming of age tales of yore. Lovingly illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, the journey of a boy and his dog comes to life on the page, renewing the...
The Windeby puzzle :
Lowry, Lois
Paper Book
Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world through the suspenseful dual narrative of a boy and girl both battling to survive. In an utterly one-of-a-kind blend of fiction and history, a master storyteller explores the mystery and life...
The lost year /
Marsh, Katherine.
Paper Book
*A National Book Award Finalist* From the author of Nowhere Boy - called "a resistance novel for our times" by The New York Times - comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that...
The lucky ones /
Jackson, Linda Williams
Paper Book
Award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell the story of Ellis Earl, who dreams of a real house, food enough for the whole family--and to be someone. It's 1967, and eleven-year-old Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams. He's...
Eureka
Chang, Victoria
Paper Book
For fans of Inside Out and Back Again, Other Words for Home, and A Place to Hang the Moon -- Eureka is a gorgeous and emotionally resonant novel-in-verse by multiple-award-winning poet Victoria Chang that sensitively and lyrically renders the tragic events...
Titanic: April 1912
Duey, Kathleen
Paper Book
Two kids from different walks of life fight to survive the sinking of the Titanic in this gripping entry in the historical fiction middle grade Disaster series. It's April 14, 1912, Gavin Reilly is working in the Titanic's galley to earn his passage from Ireland to...
Earthquake: San Francisco, 1906 (Reissue)
Duey, Kathleen
Paper Book
Two strangers must trust each other if they want to survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in this gripping entry in the historical fiction middle grade Disaster series. Brendan O'Connor is delivering pastries to the bustling businesses and elegant hotels of San Francisco,...
Danilo was here
Burgess, Tamika
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of Sincerely Sicily, Tamika Burgess, comes a timely coming-of-age story about a young boy's fight to save his family and his dreams in the aftermath of the US military invasion of Panamá. Perfect for fans of Janae Marks, Adrianna Cuevas, and Chrystal D....
Will's race for home : a western
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
★ Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award! ★ ★ A New York Times bestseller! ★ ★ "Rhodes deftly captures a unique ­aspect of this historical event, with a perspective...
A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez
Aguila, Maria Dolores
Paper Book
This Newbery Honor-winning book is based on the true story of Roberto Alvarez and the Lemon Grove Incident. Vivid and uplifting, this middle grade debut novel-in-verse follows one young child's courage to stand up for what is right, and the determination of the Mexican community. Perfect for...

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