Historical Fiction: Blending the past with a vivid imagination.

Historical fiction has long been one of my favorite genres to read, both as child and adult.  In this genre authors write in a way that creates a sense a realism for the reader. They due this by remaining authentic to the time period. This can be in ways of events surrounding the plot, the scenery, the language and appearance of characters as well as the layout of the land or country they are creating the story in. The ability of the author to create this "world" for the reader allows the mind to fully emerge in the created surrounding and feel as if they are experiencing it for themselves because of the authentic tone. Our text, The Joy of Children's Literature states that historical fiction "transports readers to places, times, and cultures not otherwise possible." This experience gives our students a platform to broaden their perspectives on a variety of events.

As with all good fiction books the story must be interesting and engaging for the reader to stay motivated to read the story. You can use the following criteria when choosing a good historical fiction book:

• Does it have a strong character development?
• Does it have a credible plot that is also engaging? 
• Did the author use an effective writing style? 
• Is the scene detailed and believable? 
• Does the story contain a relevant theme? 
• Does the historical facts overwhelm the story as a whole?

Here are some good sites for learning more about and finding historical fiction books:

5000 Historical Fiction

Book worm


Here is one of my most FAVORITE historical fiction books: