SCPL Kids: Reading Lists: American Historical Fiction

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Reading Lists: American Historical Fiction

1898 - 1929

Adler, Susan. Meet Samantha, an American Girl. 1986. 61p.
In 1904, nine year old Samantha, an orphan living with her wealthy grandmother, and her servant friend Nellie, have a midnight adventure when they try to find out what has happened to the seamstress who suddenly left her job.

Alter, Judy. After Pa was Shot. 1978. 189p.
A 13 year old girl's life in turn-of-the-century Texas is drastically altered when her father is killed.

Armer, Laura A. Waterless Mountain. 1931.
Story of a young Navajo boy who feels keenly the beauty and power of his heritage, although he lives on the fringe of white civilization. This book was the 1932 Newbery Award Winner.

Beatty, Patricia. Behave Yourself, Bethany Brant. 1986. 172p.
A preacher's daughter with lots of curiosity and a penchant for getting into trouble has an eventful year and a half, as all the predictions of a fortune-teller at an 1898 Texas county fair come true.

Bland, Celia. The Conspiracy of the Secret Nine. 1995. 90p.
In 1898 in Wilmington, NC, on the verge of elections that will determine the course of local segregation and the fate of black residents, Troy and Randy encounter a mystery that could tear the city apart.

Buchanan, Jane. Gratefully Yours. 1997. 117p.
In 1923, nine-year-old Hattie rides the Orphan Train from New York to Nebraska, where she must adjust to a strange new life with a farmer and his wife, who is despondent over the loss of her two children.

Duey, Kathleen. Alexia Ellery Finsdale: San Francisco, 1905>/u>. 1997. 158p.
In san Francisco near the beginning of the twentieth century, Alexia faces a moral dilemma when her con man father tries to cheat the widow who has been like a mother to Alexia. For ages 8 and up.

Farley, Walter. Man O' War. 1962. 326p.
A fictionalized biography of the American race horse who won twenty of twenty-one races, told by a stable boy who grew up with the great horse.

Felder, Deborah. Changing Times. 1996. 112p.
Now that Lucy's father has bought a new Model T car, he insists that the family no longer needs a horse. Unless Lucy can convince her father otherwise, Clipper will be sold.

Henry, Marguerite. Black Gold. 1957. 172p.
Based on the true story of a too-small but great-hearted stallion who overcame the experts' doubts and derision to win the Kentucky Derby in 1924.

Henry, Marguerite. Brighty of the Grand Canyon. 1953. 222p.
Based on a true story of a shaggy little burro that blazed the original trails through the Grand Canyon, long before it became a National Park.

Hooks, William H. A Flight of Dazzle Angels. 1988. 169p.
In a small southern town in 1908, fifteen-year-old Annie Earle, though afflicted with a club foot and surrounded by a sick mother and brother, gains a new insight into herself and the possibilities of her life through her relationship with a young black woman and a new man in town with whom she falls in love. Best for 7th grade and up.

Houston, Gloria. Littlejim. 1990. 172p.
Twelve year old Littlejim, a bookish boy living in a rural North Carolina community in the early years of the 20th century, hopes to win a newspaper essay contest and thus gain the respect of his stern father. Don't miss the other books about Littlejim.

Lasky, Kathryn. Dreams in the golden country: the diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish immigrant girl. 1998. 188p.
Twelve-year-old Zippy, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, keeps a diary account of the first 18 months of her family's life on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1903-1904.

Lenski, Lois. Strawberry Girl. 1945. 193p.
A fine regional story about the "Florida Crackers" in the early 1900s. Get a taste of a bygone era. If you can handle the dialect, this would be a wonderful read aloud for the entire family.

Lovelace, Maud Hart. Betsy-Tacy. 1940. 112p.
After Tacy Kelly moves into the house across the street from Betsy Ray, the five year olds become inseparable friends. A wonderful read aloud, especially for girls. If you like this story, Lovelace wrote many more books about Betsy and her friends, up until Betsy gets married and has a home of her own.

Lovelace, Maud Hart. Emily of Deep Valley. 1950. 257p.
A love story about Emily, who, in 1912, decides not to leave her grandfather to go to college like many of her friends.

Malcolm, Jahnna N. Spirit of the West. 1996. 116p.
This story is about a young Nez Percé girl who has difficulty in adjusting to ranch life after living on the reservation.

Morey, Walt. Year of the Black Pony. 1976. 152p.
A boy growing up in the Oregon country in the early 1900's experiences the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and the ultimate attainment of a dream.

Murphy, Robert. The Pond. 1964. 254p.
It is in the summer of 1917 that Joey and his best friend, Bud, drive the family Model T out to the pond for the first time. This book is similar to Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's The Yearling and Sterling North's Rascal. Winner of the 1964 Dutton Animal Book Award. Recommended for 6th grade and up.

Myers, Walter Dean. The Glory Field. 1994. 375p.
Follow a family's 241 year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendents, as their dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina they call the Glory Field.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Maudie in the Middle. 1988. 161p.
Maudie, one of a large family growing up in Iowa in trouble when all she wants is to be noticed for herself; and when a crisis hits the family she finally accomplishes this in the best way possible.

Nelson, Theresa. Devil Storm. 1987. 212p.
A brother and sister living on the Texas Gulf Coast befriend Tom the Tramp who becomes a hero during the Great Storm of 1900.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. Land of Hope. (Ellis Island Series) 1992. 171p.
Rebekah, a fifteen-year-old Jewish immigrant arriving in New York City in 1902, almost abandons her dream of getting an education when she is forced to work in a sweatshop.

Oneal, Zibby, A Long Way to Go. 1990. 54p.
An 8 year old girl deals with the women's suffrage movement that rages during World War I.

Peck, Robert Newton. A day no pigs would die. 1994. 150p.
To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who cannot produce a litter. Best for 4th grade and up.

Peck, Robert Newton. Justice Lion. 1981. 243p.
Fifteen-year-old Muncie Bolt thinks he's lost Hem Lion's friendship forever when his father prosecutes Hem's father for operating a still in Liberty, VT., during the days of Prohibition. Best for ages 12 and up.

Rappaport, Doreen. Trouble at the Mines. 1987. 96p.
Each day Rosie Wilson and her cousin Mary watch their fathers and brothers go off to work in the coal mines, never knowing if the men will return home. This is an exciting story of courage in the face of hardship, based on the true events of the miners' strike in Arnot, Pennsylvania, in 1898. Written at a third grade reading level.

Schroeder, Alan. Ragtime Tumpie. 1989. 32p.
Tumpie, a young black girl who will later become famous as the dancer Josephine Baker, longs to find the opportunity to dance amid the poverty and vivacious street life of early 1900's St. Louis. Don't miss Bernie Fuchs's gorgeous illustrations.

Sebestyen, Ouida. Words by Heart. 1978. 162p.
A young black girl struggles to fulfill her papa's dream of a better future for their family in the southwestern town where, in 1910, they are the only blacks.

Selznick, Brian. The Houdini Box. 1991. 56p.
A chance encounter with Harry Houdini leaves a small boy in possession of a mysterious box--one that might hold the secrets to the greatest magic tricks ever performed.

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. And Condors Danced. 1987. 211p.
The year Carly turns eleven, 1907, is filled with playing detective, watching condors, observing a fierce feud involving her family's southern California ranch, and coping with unexpected tragedies.

Taylor, Sydney. All-of-a-Kind Family. 1951. 188p.
This realistic, yet cosy novel is about a close-knit family living in New York City's Lower East Side. If you like Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Series, you'll probably like this series too. This would make a wonderful read aloud for the entire family. First of a series.

Taylor, Theodore. Teetoncey. 1974. 153p.
In this first novel of a trilogy, eleven year old Ben rescues an English girl from a shipwreck off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and, though she becomes part of his family, she never speaks.

Terris, Susan. Nell's Quilt. 1987. 162p.
Urged at the age of 18 to marry a man she doesn't want, Nell delays the event by working on a quilt, slowly starving herself, and observing the unhappy lot of many women in turn-of-the- century Massachusetts before arriving at a decision to rescue herself from the brink of death and take charge of her life. Best for ages 14 and up.

Thesman, Jean. The Ornament Tree. 1996. 232p.
When fourteen-year-old Bonnie moves to her cousin's boardinghouse in Seattle in 1918, she learns about life from the boarders and progressive women who live and work there.

Voigt, Cynthia. Tree by leaf. 1988. 192p.
A father's return home following World War I creates problems for his family, especially for twelve-year-old Clothilde, who struggles to accept his horrible disfigurement and opposes her mother's plan to sell Clothilde's land, a peninsula off the coast of Maine, to help pay the family's expenses.

Wallace, Bill. Aloha Summer. 1997. 168p.
In 1925 fourteen-year-old John, an Oklahoma farm boy, has to accept many changes in his life when his father takes a job on a pineapple plantation in Hawaii and the family moves there. For 6th grade and up.

White, Ellen Emerson. Voyage on the Great Titanic; the Diary of Margaret Ann Brady: R.M.S. Titanic, 1912. 1998. 196p.
In her diary in 1912, thirteen-year-old margaret Ann describes how she leaves her lonely life in a London orphanage to become a companion to a wealthy American woman, sails on the Titanic, and experiences its sinking.

Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings. 1975. 248p.
In the early 20th century, a young Chinese boy joins his father in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.

Yep, Laurence. The Star Fisher. 1991. 150p.
Fifteen year old Joan Lee and her family find the adjustment hard when they move from Ohio to West Virginia in the 1920s.

If you enjoyed reading these books at the library, you may enjoy looking for the following books!

Blanc, Esther Silverstein. Berchick, my mother's horse. 1989. [28]p.
Homesteading in Wyoming in the early 1900's, a Jewish mother develops an unusual relationship with a colt she adopts named Berchick.

Brink, Carol Ryrie. Two Are Better Than One. 1968. 181p.
Two best friends, Chrystal and Cordelia, experience the pleasures and fears, privileges and responsibilities, of growing up in early 1900's Idaho.

Cohen, Barbara. Queen For a Day.
Set in 1913 Brooklyn, Twelve-year-old Gertie's difficult life with her stern grandmother and two selfish, young aunts is eased when a new boarder comes to stay.

Corbin, William. Me and the End of the World. 1991. 222p.
After reading in the newspaper that the world will end May 1, 1928, fourteen-year-old Tim sets out to accomplish four goals.

Hamilton, Sue L. San Francisco Earthquake: April 18, 1906. 1988. 32p.
One policeman's story of that disastrous day when San Francisco crumbled under nature's uncontrollable fury.

Hurmence, Belinda. Dixie in the big pasture. 1994. 168p. In 1908 thirteen-year-old Dixie's new life on the Oklahoma frontier is complicated by a war of nerves between her and John Three, a young Kiowa Indian who insists that his pony was sold to her without his permission.

Kudlinski, Kathleen V. Hero Over Here. 1990. 54p.
A young boy must look after his sick mother and sister while his father and brother fight in World War I. Recommended for ages 7-11.

Miles, Miska. The Pieces of Home. 1967. 60p.
A young boy in San Francisco in 1906 enjoys Chinatown's New Year and is one of those left homeless by the great earthquake and fire.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Justice for Emily. 1997. 138p.
When she refuses to let her friend's death be called an accident, eleven-year-old Emily, an orphan, encounters the ingrained prejudices of the "best" families in town.

Ross, Rhea Beth. The Bet's on, Lizzie Bingman! 1988. 186p.
Fourteen year old Lizzie's bet with her oldest brother about women deserving equal rights kicks off a summer of unprecedented adventure for her as she experiences things rare for a young lady of 1914.

Rostkowski, Margaret I. After the dancing days. 1986. 217p.
A forbidden friendship with a badly disfigured soldier in the aftermath of World War I forces 13-year-old Annie to redefine the word "hero" and to conventional ideas of patriotism.

Saunders, Susan. Kate's Secret Plan. 1996. 114p.
Ten-year-old Kate is sure that she and her horse can win the cutting contest at this year's fair, but the contest is for boys only. No girl has ever entered the cutting contest. Kate's aiming to change that.

Snyder, Carol. Ike and Mama and the once-a-year suit. 1978. 47p.
Ike wants night-time blue for his once-a-year suit but when Mama takes him and thirteen neighborhood boys shopping, he figures the chances of getting it are pretty slim. There several other stories about Ike and his Mama.

Thayer, Marjorie. The Youngest. 1982. 143p.
Margie finds life as the family's youngest both frustrating and fun as she waits her tenth birthday on August 25, 1918.

Wallace, Bill. Eye of the Great Bear. 1999. 161p.
Eleven-year-old Bailey has the reputation for being a coward until the prophecy given him by an Indian medicine man in 1899 in Texas comes true when Bailey encounters a bear in the mountains of Montana.

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