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My name is Torey and I am pursuing an Elementary Education degree. My goal is to work with upper elementary students so this site might be most useful if you are looking for that same age group.
I love history and reading historical fiction books! I feel like historical fiction is a somewhat under-utilized genre that could really help make history exciting for our young readers. I will include links to preview or purchase where I am able to for reference if you're interested.
Think back to your most boring history lesson. Now, imagine being able to read a book from the perspective of someone your own age in a conversational, active story. Would that help pique your interest? Come along as I share some of my favorite historical fiction and nonfiction books, along with some new ones I discovered this semester:

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A snapshot of a few of the Ranger in Time books

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Ranger in Time is a series that follows a golden retriever named Ranger as he travels through time. Each book portrays a different event in history where Ranger finds a child who needs him. Ranger went through training to work as a search and rescue dog but is a pet instead because he is not certified. The bit of science fiction of time travel I feel is negated by the benefits students receive seeing a historical event through the eyes of someone their own age. Ranger in Time consists of 12 books at this time:

Rescue on the Oregon Trail

Danger in Ancient Rome

Long Road to Freedom

Race to the South Pole

Journey Through Ash and Smoke

Escape from the Great Earthquake

D-Day: Battle on the Beach

Hurricane Katrina Rescue

Disaster on the Titanic

Night of Soldiers and Spies

Escape from the Twin Towers

Attack on Pearl Harbor

I recommend these books for mid to upper elementary students. Ranger in Time books are adventurous while also being educational in accurately representing historical events. While the characters are fictional, the events are real. Kate Messner does her best to capture the emotions of living through a catastrophic event without being overwhelming or frightening for children.

Amazon link: Ranger in Time (12 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)

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I Survived is another historical fiction series that brings readers a first-hand account of children living through a catastrophic event. At this time, there are 22 chapter books, six graphic novels, and four nonfiction I Survived books. Each book follows a single child leading up to, through, and concluding an event. There is no tie of a main character through the series. Each book features its own cast of fiction characters through a nonfiction event. I recommend these books for upper elementary students. These would be a great tie-in to a history lesson or for a reader who loves adventure.

Chapter books:
1. The Sinking Of The Titanic, 1912
2. The Shark Attacks Of 1916
3. Hurricane Katrina, 2005
4. The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
5. The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
6. The Attacks of September 11th, 2001
7. The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
8. The Japanese Tsunami, 2011
9. The Nazi Invasion, 1944
10. The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 A.D.
11. I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871
12. I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011
13. I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937
14. I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980
15. I Survived the American Revolution, 1776
16. I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888
17. I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967
18. I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
19. I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919
20. I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018
21. I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900
22. I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910

Amazon link: I Survived: Ten Thrilling Books (Ten-Book Set) - Kindle edition by Tarshis, Lauren. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
(This link leads a 10-book set but if you scroll down, you will see more of the books listed.)

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The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

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The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

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Who doesn't dream of meeting their sports hero? Imagine you not only get to meet him, but he moves in just two doors down! That is the case in this book for Stephen Satlow, who is just 8 years old when his hero, Jackie Robinson, moves into his neighborhood in 1948. As we all know, times were different then. Jackie Robinson was breaking barriers as an African-American baseball player in a world that was not always friendly to the idea of welcoming others into a previously all-white sport. This historical fiction book follows the true story of the friendship that develops between Stephen and Jackie. Some characters and circumstances are fictional, but the racial tensions and the friendship are true. Children are introduced to the world of segregation and the challenges faced in interracial, multi-generational friendships. I would recommend this book to upper elementary students interested in sports. Written by Jackie Robinson's daughter, though she was not yet born at the time the story takes place, this book carries a clear first-hand account of life for Jackie as well as pictures and a description of how Stephen and Jackie's family have stayed friends.

Amazon link: The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend - Kindle edition by Robinson, Sharon. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

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The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

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The Watsons Go to Birmingham is told through the eyes of 10-year-old Kenny. Kenny's brother, Byron, has been falling in with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble. Their parents decide it is time for Byron to go live with his grandparents for a while in Birmingham. We don't see a lot of racism in Kenny's life at home, though he is bullied at school for his lazy eye, but we do hear about it when his mother is planning their drive to Birmingham. She plots out their stops and where they will stay the night according to where she deems it will be safest for them. While in Birmingham, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing occurs just down the block, where Kenny believes his sister, Joetta, is attending church. He runs down the street and into the church where he encounters devastation as never before. Believing his sister dead, Kenny returns to the house, stunned. The rest of his family does not know he entered the church. Joetta was not in the church. Kenny is forever changed by that day. We see Kenny's adventurous spirit, his curiosity which sometimes leads to trouble, then his PTSD after the events in Birmingham. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 is a book that takes readers on an emotional roller coaster while immersing us in the heart of the civil rights movement. I would recommend this book for upper elementary as it does describe the death of children in the four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Students reading this book may need guidance or support as they read through Kenny's ordeals.

Amazon link: The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963: Curtis, Christopher Paul: 9780385382946: Amazon.com: Books

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My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List by Rena Finder with Joshua M. Greene

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My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List by Rena Finder with Joshua M. Greene

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My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List is a nonfiction book written by Rena Finder with help from Joshua M. Greene to tell Rena's story through the Holocaust in WWII. Illustrations in the book are actual photos, such as a portion of Schindler's List with Rena's name visible. Rena's story starts in her home in Krakow. She tells of the antisemitism already present. Jewish businesses and families were taken away, treated as less than human, and even killed for the most minor transgressions. Although this book is written for grades 3-7, I would exercise caution in having it on an open bookshelf for as low as third grade as there are very difficult concepts for kids, especially reading about the brutality faced by Jews at the hands of the Nazis. Rena tells about witnessing murders and hearing the gunshots from a certain direction after all the younger children were gathered in that direction. For children who are ready to learn about WWII and the Holocaust specifically, this is a good book to use as they may find a mirror with Rena's age at the time. My Survival:  A Girl on Schindler's List is a short book, but thorough in its telling. The authors have included historical facts beyond what Rena saw with her own eyes to help clarify the story for those who may not have a deep understanding yet.

Amazon link: My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List - Kindle edition by Greene, Joshua M., Finder, Rena. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson

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The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson

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The Boy on the Wooden Box is a nonfiction book by Leon Leyson (with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson) that follows Leon from his birthplace of Narewka, Poland to after the war when he settled in California. Anti-Semitism only appeared to Leon in childhood during Holy Week leading up to Easter when Christians would become angry toward Jews. WWII was not the first time Poland was invaded by Germany; they had done so in the first World War (the Great War) as well, but at that time German soldiers had been respectful and thankful for the hospitality and grace shown by the Poles. This played a role in the initial response Polish citizens had to German soldiers invading. People had no reason to expect this invasion to be different than the first. Leon was 10 years old when the Nazis came and began implementing restrictions on the Jewish people of Poland. Nazis spread anti-Semitic propaganda featuring Jews as dirty, lesser people who hoard wealth. Nazis seized Jewish businesses, homes, belongings, bank accounts, beating or arresting any they chose for any reason. Leon's story tells of his journey through Krakow, into the ghetto, Plaszow, Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp, and Brunnlitz as a Jew suffering through the whims, evils, and occasional mercies of Nazi soldiers. Leon's father found favor with Oskar Schindler early on when Schindler only had seven Jews on his "payroll". I put that in quotes because Jewish workers were not paid in money; instead, he was able to bring home minimal food and coal for his family. Over time Schindler became sympathetic to the plight of the Jewish people, adding more and more to his list. Leon's father was able to add Leon, David (Leon's brother), and Leon's mother to Schindler's list for them to be reunited toward the end of the war. It is incredible and devastating to read about the cruelties inflicted upon so many people, the tragedies witnessed by Leon from age 10 through his teenage years. The epilogue tells of Leon's life in the US after the war until the book's publication in 2012. This book is rated for grades four and up. Again, I would recommend caution in the lower levels, depending on the child. The Holocaust was full of evils that need to be shared, but some children may have difficulty reading some of the horrors.

Amazon link: The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible . . . on Schindler's List (No Series) - Kindle edition by Leyson, Leon. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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Lost in the Pacific, 1942 is an especially interesting story for me to include on my bookshelf because sources cannot agree if the book is fiction or nonfiction. It is meant to be part of a nonfiction series; however, the author acknowledges that there may be some minor fictionalizations as the men lost at sea were so dehydrated that memories may not be entirely accurate. Five of the seven survivors told their stories, all of which varied slightly. The author details his research and lists sources used at the end of the book for readers to follow up and judge for themselves. Lost in the Pacific, 1942 follows eight men who survive a plane crash into the ocean only to have a harrowing ordeal ahead of them - surviving at sea with little to no resources. Their story is very well-told with details of what happens to a body and a mind in such desperate conditions. The survivors spent 23 days at sea. I would recommend this book to the intended readers ages 10-12 that are interested in WWII, the military, or survival.

Amazon link: Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink: Olson, Tod: 9780545928113: Amazon.com: Books

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Hitler's Daughter is a fiction story told as a story by the granddaughter of Hitler's daughter to her friends as a made-up story. While we are never blatantly told that the story is true, it is heavily implied at the end of the book. Anna tells the story of her grandmother's childhood as Hitler's daughter, Heidi, hidden away from the world. The lengths Hitler and his select few who knew of Heidi's existence went to in order to keep her a secret. During the story, questions are raised as the kids wonder how being a child of such a monster would affect said child. Heidi lives a very sheltered life. At the end of the war, she is believed to be an abandoned orphan. Someone takes her in and she grows up never revealing her true identity until one day when she tells her story to one person, her granddaughter. I would recommend this book to upper elementary students interested in exploring historical speculative fiction. After all, who's to say Heidi didn't exist in secret?

Amazon link: Hitler's Daughter: French, Jackie: 9780060086527: Amazon.com: Books

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The Friendship is a short book, a single chapter, only 53 pages. Those 53 pages tell the story of what it means to be a black man in the south in 1933. There is a large gap between white and black in Mississippi. The Friendship between a white shopkeeper (John) and a black man (Tom) developed when they were young when Tom saved John's life. At that time, John vowed Tom could always call him by name. The book takes place one afternoon when Tom came into John's shop for some tobacco. There were some other men in the store that called John out for being called by name by a "nigger". The story is told through the eyes of three children witnessing this encounter along with illustrations by Max Ginsburg. I would recommend this story to upper elementary as it does require some understanding of the publicly acceptable, and expected, brutality shown through racism in the 1930s.

Amazon link: The Friendship (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition): Mildred Taylor: 9780613068673: Amazon.com: Books

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The Secret School is a fourth-grade level fiction book that takes place in 1925. Eight children attend a one-room schoolhouse in Elk Valley, Colorado. When the schoolteacher is called away to care for her mother, the school board opts to close the school rather than seek a replacement teacher for the rest of the year. The children decide to continue their learning under 14-year-old Ida Bidson. Ida is in eighth grade with dreams of attending high school the following year to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Now she is a teacher to her peers. The children keep this schooling a secret, which they can do since the board never informed the parents of the teacher's leaving. Eventually, the situation comes to light. Ida is allowed to continue teaching, but every child will be given an exam at the end of the year to determine if they have completed their studies well enough to move forward the following year. Different opinions on education for children are addressed throughout the book with emphasis on children needed to work at home and women not needing the schooling men might. I would recommend this book to the age level intended. The book is easy to read, easy to follow, and with problems that children could relate to. Diversity isn't addressed in this book, but it is a good reprieve from the seriousness of the situations addressed in this list thus far.

Amazon link: Amazon.com: The Secret School: 9780152046996: Avi: Books

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Medal of Honor, Jack Montgomery, WWII: Gallantry at Anzio by Michael P. Spradlin

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Medal of Honor, Jack Montgomery, WWII: Gallantry at Anzio by Michael P. Spradlin

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Medal of Honor, Jack Montgomery, WWII: Gallantry at Anzio is the nonfiction telling of Jack Montgomery, a US Army Lieutenant in 1944. Besides covering Lieutenant Montgomery's unit as they fight through Italy, the book reveals behind-the-scenes information the men on the ground didn't have at the time. The entire campaign through Italy is explained. Lieutenant Montgomery was part of the 45th Division, a Cherokee Native American, as were many in his unit. The attack on Pearl Harbor inspired him to re-enlist to go fight. Throughout the book, you will read of his bravery that earned him the Medal of Honor, Silver Star Medal for valor, and two Purple Hearts. I would recommend this book to readers of the recommended age of 12, interested in learning more about military strategy and campaigns. Someone with special interest in Italy specifically, would find this book intriguing, especially with the bibliography in the back to gain more sources of information from.

Amazon link: Medal of Honor: Jack Montgomery, World War II, Gallantry at Anzio: Spradlin, Michael P.: 9781338575934: Amazon.com: Books

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kira-kira is a historical fiction book featuring Katie Takeshima as her family travels from Iowa to Georgia. Katie's family is Japanese. There are only 31 Japanese citizens in the town of 4000 they move to. Jobs are very limited, children are treated as outcasts at school, race is a very clear factor in life in Georgia in the 1950-1960s. Katie's older sister, Lynn, becomes ill. Her parents must work much more than the 40 hour work week we have come to expect today. Her father puts in 90 hours each week at the hatchery. Even her mother works as much overtime as possible to keep Lynn, Katie, and Sam fed and in their home. As Lynn's health deteriorates, everybody's roles shift. I would recommend this book to upper elementary as themes of racism and childhood death could be difficult for younger readers. The glimpses into Japanese culture, from favorite foods to holidays to beliefs are a great addition to the story that students can learn from.

Amazon link: Kira-Kira: Kadohata, Cynthia: 9780689856402: Amazon.com: Books

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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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The War That Saved My Life is the story of Ada, beginning in 1939 when she was 10 years old. Ada and her brother Jamie lived in London with their mother, who was abusive to Ada because Ada had a clubfoot. Jamie heard of the children being evacuated from London to keep them safe from Hitler's bombs. He and Ada sneaked out to the train to leave London with the other children. Miss Susan Smith takes them in, reluctantly at first. Over time, Susan, Jamie, and Ada become a family. The war seems far away, not quite real to them early on. It becomes real when Susan and Ada treat soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk. Susan helps Ada realize her clubfoot doesn't define her. Ada becomes more confident in herself. Their mother comes back for them because she is being billed for them being away. Ada figures out a way their mother can be rid of them without paying. Before Ada and Jamie can get back to Susan, London is bombed. Ada and Jamie get to safety in a bomb shelter. When they come out, they find Susan, who has come to find them and bring them back home with her.

Amazon link: The War That Saved My Life: Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker: 9780147510488: Amazon.com: Books

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No booklist for middle school students is complete without Gary Paulsen. For this list, I've chosen The Cookcamp. The Cookcamp is the story of a five-year-old boy sent to live with his grandmother during WWII. The book opens with the boy home with his mother. His father is away fighting in the war. His mother works at a factory and has a boyfriend. This is the reason the boy is sent to live with his grandmother in Minnesota. She is a cook for a crew of nine men building a road to Canada. The crew takes the boy in as their own little sidekick. We experience the new sounds and strange surroundings through the innocence of a young child. I would recommend this book to the recommended reading age of ten and up. Students who are interested in machinery and work that moves such as logging or building roads will find themselves captivated by the descriptions the boy shares of riding with the men and seeing how the machines operate.

Amazon link: The Cookcamp: Paulsen, Gary: 9780439523578: Amazon.com: Books

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Trailblazers of the Wild West: Cowboys and Cow Towns of the Wild West by Jeff Savage

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Trailblazers of the Wild West: Cowboys and Cow Towns of the Wild West by Jeff Savage

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Trailblazers of the Wild West: Cowboys and Cow Towns of the Wild West is a nonfiction book that will fascinate students interested in cowboys or the Wild West. This collection holds facts that I have not come across anywhere else. Students will learn where the first cowboys came from, routes they take and how they choose those routes, why they wear the clothing they do, as well as sort fact from fiction from common cowboy beliefs and stories. Hear from cowboys James McCauley, Charles Goodnight, and Jim Daugherty first-hand as they share their experiences. Maps and illustrations help paint a clear picture for students. At only 43 pages, this is a quick read packed with more facts than many books three times the size (or more).

Amazon link: Cowboys and Cow Towns of the Wild West (Trailblazers of the Wild West): Savage, Jeff: 9780894906039: Amazon.com: Books

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History is full of lessons, not just about the past, but for the future as well. Everything we know now started somewhere in the past. From the computer I am typing this on, to the appliances I used to make supper, to the car I drove earlier today, to the schooling my children receive, all of this started somewhere in time and developed to what we know today. It is fascinating to think of what we are doing and learning today that will help shape the future.
Historical fiction is a tool that can draw students into history in a way a history textbook just can't. Sometimes that little motivation can help students develop more interest in a lesson. Even on this list, there are nonfiction books written in a more conversational tone that can serve the same purpose. If you're one of those that doesn't think much of history or thinks it is all a bore, I implore you to pick up a book from this list. Maybe it will lead to a change of heart. Maybe not. Either way, hopefully, you will learn something new while enjoying a new book as well.
This collection is just a brief glimpse of what is out there. I encourage you to explore history with your students in a way that draws them into the lessons. Perhaps one of these stories will make its way into your classroom library.