Children's Historical Fiction Books

Historical Fictions books for Grades 1-6

Updated January 26, 2026
C
City of Mission Viejo Library
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Farmhouse
Blackall, Sophie
Paper Book
Two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall invites readers to peek through windows that shine like real glass on this lavish book's cover, and explore the dollhouse-like world of a beloved farmhouse where twelve children were born and raised. Over a hill, at the...

AR: 5.6

Lexile: N/A

They call me Teach : lessons in freedom
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
In this stirring and powerfully illustrated story, an enslaved young man uses his ability to read and write to educate others in the pursuit of freedom. Back inside the store I write up receipts for Master's deliveries for Master's orders...

AR: 4.5

Lexile: N/A

Yellow Dog blues
Duncan, Alice Faye
Paper Book
The New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award (2022) A lyrical road trip through the Mississippi Delta, exploring the landmarks that shaped one of America's most beloved musical traditions. One morning Bo Willie...

AR: 3.0

Lexile: 580

Anne arrives
George, K.
Paper Book
Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert need help on their farm, so they've adopted what they hope will be a sturdy, helpful boy. Instead, Matthew finds Anne awaiting him at the train station - imaginative, brash, redheaded Anne-with-an-e. With her place at the Cuthberts' at risk - particularly if nosy...

AR: 2.8

Lexile: 530

Build a house
Giddens, Rhiannon
Paper Book
Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens celebrates Black history and culture in her unflinching, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated picture book debut. I learned your words and wrote my song. I put my story down. As an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter,...

AR: N/A

Lexile: N/A

The gift of the great buffalo
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award Winner In this beautiful and dramatic story, bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Aly McKnight show readers how life was lived by Indigenous communities,...

AR: N/A

Lexile: N/A

Noodles on a bicycle
Maclear, Kyo
Paper Book
A vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, or demae, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets. A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK . A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book . A BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS,<...

AR: 3.2

Lexile: 670

One big open sky
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer...

AR: 4.8

Lexile: N/A


We dream of space
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book * BookPage Best Books * Chicago Public Library Best Fiction * Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee * Horn Book Fanfare * New York Times Notable Children's Book * School Library Journal Best Book * Today Show Pick * An ALA Notable Book ...

AR: 4.6

Lexile: N/A

Safiyyah's war
Khan, Hiba Noor
Paper Book
Inspired by the true story of how the Grand Mosque of Paris saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War II, this breathtaking tale of suspense, compassion, and courage stars an extraordinary young heroine readers will never forget. "A riveting read for children and adults alike." -...

AR: 7.0

Lexile: N/A

Indian no more
McManis, Charlene Willing
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.<...

AR 4.4

Lexile: 720

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...

AR: 3.6

Lexile: N/A

The Night Raven
Rundberg, Johan
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year Shortlisted for the Global Literature in Libraries YA Translated Book Prize A USBBY Outstanding International Book Mika is not your average twelve-year-old--and she's about to prove it. It's 1880, and in...

AR: 4.8

Lexile: 680

The Bletchley riddle
Sepetys, Ruta
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...

AR: 4.1

Lexile: 540

Operation: Happy : a World War II story of courage, resilience, and an unbreakable bond
Walsh, Jenni L.
Paper Book
Club Tome Book Award Winner, 2025-2026 2025 Children's Book Council Teacher's Favorites Winner As World War II enters her backyard, a young girl tries to cope with the war and keep her family together by completing a bucket list with her best friend: her dog Happy. Featuring a dog's...

AR: 4.0

Lexile: N/A

Echo Mountain
Wolk, Lauren
Paper Book
★ "Historical fiction at its finest." -The Horn Book "There has never been a better time to read about healing, of both the body and the heart." -The New York Times Book Review Echo Mountain is an acclaimed best book of 2020...

AR: 4.3

Lexile: 690

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...

AR: 5.8

Lexile: 810

Across so many seas
Behar, Ruth
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR WINNER SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD HONOR WINNER "As lyrical as it is epic, Across So Many Seas reminds us that while the past may be another country, it's also a living, breathing song of sadness and joy that helps define who we are." --Alan Gratz, New York...

AR: 5.3

Lexile: 830

Light comes to shadow mountain
Buzzeo, Toni
Paper Book
Cora Mae Tipton is determined to light up her Appalachian community in this historical fiction novel from an award-winning author and former librarian. It's 1937 and the government is pushing to bring electricity to the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It's all Cora can think...

AR: 5.5

Lexile: N/A

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 *...

AR: 5.1

Lexile: 730

The Windeby puzzle : history and story
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...

AR: 6.0

Lexile: N/A


The swallows' flight
McKay, Hilary
Paper Book
"A triumph." --Philip Pullman, bestselling author of the His Dark Materials saga Four young lives are forever changed at the dawn of World War II in this "stirring and unforgettable" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel from award-winning author Hilary McKay.

AR: 5.4

Lexile: 780

Prairie lotus
Park, Linda Sue
Paper Book
Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered novel about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father's shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian...

AR: 5.2

Lexile: 730

Pearl
Smith, Sherri L.
Paper Book
With five starred reviews and numerous accolades, a beautifully crafted and captivating graphic novel from award-winning writer Sherri L. Smith and Eisner-nominated artist Christine Norrie about a Japanese-American girl who must survive years of uncertainty and questions of loyalty in Hiroshima...

AR: 2.6

Lexile: 510

The door of no return
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes a searing and breathtaking story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family. In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves...

AR: 5.9

Lexile: N/A

Chains
Anderson, Laurie Halse.
Paper Book
From acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual. As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old...

AR: 5.2

Lexile: 780

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...

AR: 4.1

Lexile: 580

Max in the house of spies
Gidwitz, Adam
Paper Book
An acclaimed Best Book of 2024! Instant New York Times bestseller . Wall Street Journal Best Books of the Year . Booklist Editors' Choice . Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year . School Library Journal Best Books of the Year . Common Sense Best Books...

AR: 4.8

Lexile: 680

The Lincoln project
Gutman, Dan
Paper Book
"History can be hilarious, at least in the hands of author Dan Gutman." --Washington Post In New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman's all-new series, which blends fascinating real history with an action-packed and hilarious adventure, four very different kids are picked by a...

AR: 4.8

Lexile: 700

The race to Chimney Rock
Wiley, Jesse
Paper Book
Go west, young pioneer--your journey begins here! In this first leg of your trek on the Oregon Trail, you need to find your way to Chimney Rock--but not without unpredictable challenges ahead. This is the first installment of four books that will take you all the way to Oregon Territory--if you make...

AR: N/A

Lexile: 690

One crazy summer
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading--take this book along on a family road trip or...

AR: 4.6

Lexile: 750

Front desk
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book
Four starred reviews and over ten best-of-year lists!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Front Desk joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive...

AR: 4.5

Lexile: 640


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