2014-04-20

This is our newest list of forthcoming historical novels, covering children’s and young adult titles from mainstream and small presses – the same books we solicit and hope to review in our print magazine. Details are compiled by Fiona Sheppard.  This is a work in progress; many more listings will be posted soon!

January 2014

Gigi Amateau, Come August, Come Freedom: The Bellows, the Gallows and the Black General Gabriel, Candlewick Press, Age 12 +

In post-Revolutionary Virginia, a slave plots a rebellion involving thousands of African-American freedom seekers.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted, The Twin’s Daughter, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Ages 14 – 18

The child of a wealthy family in Victorian London is surprised by a visit from her mother’s long lost twin.

Joseph Bruchac, On This Long Journey, the Journal of Jesse Smoke, a Cherokee Boy, the Trail of Tears, 1838, Scholastic Paperbacks, Ages 8 – 12

Set in 1838, this heartbreaking story follows Jesse’s family on the Cherokee Nation ‘Trail of Tears’ journey west.

Nicholas Christopher, The True Adventures of Nicolo Zen, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Ages 12 +

Set in 1700s Venice and Vienna, historical noel about a young clarinet virtuoso.

Jennifer Dance, Red Wolf, Dundurn, Ages 12 – 15

A novel about the impact of the Indian Act of 1876 and the residential schools system upon indigenous cultures.

James Dashner, Infinity Ring Book 7: The Iron Empire, Scholastic, Ages 8 – 12

Dak, Sera and Riq make their stand in Ancient Greece alongside Alexander the Great.

Kristy Dempsey, A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream, Philomel, Ages 5 – 8

A young black girl living in Harlem in 1951 longs to attend an all-white ballet school.

William Durbin, Blackwater Ben (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage), Univ Of Minnesota Press, Ages 10 – 14

In the winter of 1898, Ben leaves school for a job as cook’s assistant at the Blackwater Logging camp.

Patricia Reilly Giff, Gingersnap, Yearling, Ages 8 – 12

When her brother is listed as MIA in 1944, Jayna sets out for Brooklyn in the hopes of finding family there.

Jane Hardstaff, The Executioner’s Daughter, Egmont, Ages 12 +

A fantasy adventure set amid the glamour and grime of Tudor London during the last months of Anne Boleyn’s life.

Alyxandra Harvey, A Breath of Frost: The Lovegrove Inheritance, Walker Children’s

Ages 12 – 17

In 1814 London, young debutantes, weary of balls and tea parties, discover that they are witches.

Tonya Cherie Hegamin, Willow, Candlewick Press, Ages 14 +

In 1848 an educated slave girl faces a choice between bondage and freedom, family and love.

Kirby Larson, Hattie Ever After, Ember, Ages 12 +

Set in San Francisco in 1919, Hattie sets out to become a reporter.

Nick Lake, In Darkness, Bloomsbury USA Children’s, Ages 14 +

The story of Toussaint Louverture, a rebellious slave in Haiti 1791, runs alongside that of a boy injured in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Caroline Lawrence, P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man, Puffin, Ages 8 +

Second in series returns to the Wild West in another action-packed adventure.

Katherine Longshore, Manor of Secrets, Point, Ages 12 +

A ‘Downton Abbey’ upstairs-downstairs drama for teens, set in 1911 Britain.

Kathy Lowinger, Shifting Sands, Life in the Times of Moses, Annick Press, Ages 12 – 18

Stories of three young people who experience the tumult as new religions are about to be born.

Chris Lynch, World War II Book 1: The Right Fight, Scholastic, Ages 10 – 14

A young man joins the US Army in World War II and is posted to North Africa where desert warfare proves brutal.

Barbara Mariconda, Bird with the Heart of a Mountain, Skyscape, Ages 12 +

Set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War, 16-yr-old Drina yearns to dance flamenco.

Michael Morpurgo, A Medal for Leroy, Feiwel & Friends, Ages 10 – 14

A moving story of a boy who discovers the truth of his family history that spans from World War I to present day.

Heather Munn, Lydia Munn, Defy the Night, Kregel Publications, Ages 12 +

A coming-of-age story surrounding the rescue of Jewish children from French internment camps in 1941.

Wendy McClure, Wanderville, Razorbill, Ages 8 – 12

An adventure story rooted in early 20th century American history.

Patricia Polacco, Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln, Puffin, Ages 7 +

A museum keeper’s ‘history game’ begins a journey for two boys back to the Civil War in 1862.

Leila Rasheed, Diamonds & Deceit (At Somerton), Disney Hyperion, Ages 12 +

Romance, mystery and scandal combine in this Edwardian drama for teens.

Ransom Riggs, Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, Quirk Books, Ages 14 +

In 1940, Jacob journeys to London and encounter new allies and unexpected surprises along the way.

Laura Amy Schlitz, Splendors and Glooms, Candlewick Press, Ages 9 – 12

Clara invites a master puppeteer to entertain at her birthday; a gothic tale set in Victorian London.

Megan Shepherd, Her Dark Curiosity (Madman’s Daughter), Balzer + Bray, Ages 12 +

A gothic suspense novel inspired by The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 +

From present day 1960, 13yr old Sophie makes a trip back to an 1860 Louisiana sugar plantation.

Martha Bennett Stiles, Sailing to Freedom, Square Fish, Ages 8 – 12

Adventure abounds in the 1850s when a young boy discovers his uncle’s ship is smuggling a slave north.

Laurel Snyder, Seven Stories Up, Random House Books for Young Readers, Ages 8 – 12

After traveling through time to Baltimore 1937, Annie wonders if she’s changed the past a little too much to return home.

Amy Timberlake, One Came Home, Yearling, Ages 10 +

A young woman’s physical and emotional odyssey woven around two significant events in Wisconsin in 1871.

A.L Waddington, Essence (The EVE Series, Vol. 1), Booktrope Editions, Ages 12 +

First in series about a girl who has black outs into which she is transported to another life in the 1880s.

Sharon Biggs Waller, A Mad, Wicked Folly, Viking Juvenile, Ages 12 +

In 1909 London, after shunning an arranged marriage, Vicky Darling befriends a group of suffragettes and romantically connects with a lower-class man.

February 2014

Avi, The Barn, Scholastic Paperbacks, Ages 8 – 12

Set in Willamette Valley in 1855, young Ben and his siblings take over the family farm when their father falls ill.

Kristin Bailey, Legacy of the Clockwork Key (The Secret Order), Simon Pulse, Ages 14 +

An adventure romance set in Victorian London.

M.P. Barker, Mending Horses, Holiday House, Ages 10 +

A young indentured servant is taken under the wing of a peddler but encounters hostility from others in the group, even though they must learn to work together.

Jennifer Anne Davis, Red (The True Reign Series, Book 2), Clean Teen Publishing, Ages 12+ Second in the series where kingdoms rise and fall, heroes are born and made, but love conquers all.

A.C. Gaughen, Lady Thief: A Scarlet Novel, Walker Children’s, Ages 12 – 17

Scarlet’s forced marriage to Guy of Gisbourne threatens the love between her and Robin.

Philippa Gregory, Fool’s Gold, Simon Pulse, Ages 14 +

Third in the Order of Darkness series, set in 1454 Venice, Luca and Isolde are tasked with exposing a coin counterfeiting scheme.

Sonya Hartnett, The Silver Donkey, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 +

Two sisters stumble upon a wounded soldier in World War I France and help him to get home.

Philip Kerr, The Winter Horses, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Ages 10 – 14

Winter in the Ukraine, 1941, a young girl sets out on a treacherous journey to save the only two surviving horses.

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, A Taste of Freedom: Ghandi and the Great Salt March, Walker Children’s, Ages 6 – 9 A great man’s vision for a better world, as seen through the eyes of a child.

Kathryn Lasky, Blazing West, the Journal of Augustus Pelletier, the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804, Scholastic Paperbacks Ages 8 – 12

After tracking them for 200 miles, the ability to read and write makes 14yr old Augustus useful to explorers Lewis & Clark.

Sasha Morton, Oliver Twist, Ticktock Books, LTD, Ages 7 +

A retelling of the classic tale for young readers.

Donna Jo Napoli, Storm, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, Ages 14 and up

Themes of family, loss and survival in a timeless story reimagined, as sixteen-year-old stowaway, Sebah, survives life aboard Noah’s ark.

Barbara Kathleen Nickel, The Secret Wish of Nannerl Mozart, Sumach, Ages 6 – 12 Overshadowed by her famous brother, Nannerl dares to dream, against the odds, of becoming a famous composer.

J. Nelle Patrick, Tsarina, Razorbill

In early 20th century Russia a girl must find the mysterious Faberge egg in order to save her homeland.

Gayle Rosengren, What the Moon Said, Putnam Juvenile, Ages 8 – 12

When the Depression takes her father’s job, young Esther sees their move from the city as a pioneering adventure

Kay Winters, Voices from the Oregon Trail, Dial, Ages 7 – 9

In 1848 a number of brave families band together in covered wagons to head west.

March 2014

Tracy Barrett, King of Ithaka, Square Fish, Ages 12 – 18

A YA retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, told from the point of view of Telemachos, Odysseus’s son.

Karen Bass, Graffiti Knight, Pajama Press, Ages 12 +

In war-torn Leipzig, just after World War II, sixteen-year-old Wilm fills his life with danger and excitement.

Laura Best, Flying with a Broken Wing, Nimbus, Ages 10 – 14

Abandoned by her mother, and her father a casualty of World War II, a blind girl is raised by her aunt in Nova Scotia.

John Boyne, Stay Where You Are and Then Leave, Henry Holt, Ages 9 – 12

At the end of World War I a young boy is determined to rescue his father from a hospital where he is being treated for shell shock.

Amber Castle, Mary Hall, Evie: The Swan Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Introducing young readers to familiar characters from the Arthurian legend.

Amber Castle, Lily: The Forest Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

An Arthurian series for young readers with a feisty, likeable heroine.

Amber Castle, Isabella: The Butterfly Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Introduces young readers to the legends of Arthur and Dark Ages Britain.

Amber Castle, Amelia: The Silver Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Gwen and Flora’s adventures in Arthurian England.

Amber Castle, Grace: The Sea Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Gwen and Flora’s adventures in Arthurian England.

Amber Castle, Chloe: The Storm Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Gwen and Flora’s adventures in Arthurian England

Amber Castle, Olivia: The Otter Sister, Simon & Schuster UK, Ages 7 – 9

Gwen and Flora’s adventures in Arthurian England

Fern Schumer Chapman, Is It Night or Day?, Square Fish, Ages 10 – 14

A haunting, empathetic historical novel of the Holocaust based upon a true story.

Becky Citra, Finding Grace, Second Story, Ages 9 – 12

Growing up in the 1950s a lonely girl learns that her imaginary friend is real – her twin sister.

Kevin Crossley-Holland, Bracelet of Bones: The Viking Sagas Book 1, Quercus, Ages 10 + Explores friendship and betrayal and the father-daughter relationship.

Jane Cutler, Susan Marcus Bends the Rules, Holiday House, Ages 8 – 12

During the war in 1943, Susan moves from New York City to Clayton, Missouri where she encounters prejudice for the first time.

Kathleen Duey, Karen A. Bale, Titanic: April 1912, Aladdin, Ages 8 – 12

Two children are among many on the Titanic that fateful night, one working in the galley, one on her way home to the United States.

Kathleen Duey, Karen A. Bale, Fire: Chicago, 1871, Aladdin, Ages 8 – 12

Two children are thrown together to survive on the streets of Chicago the night of the great fire.

Patricia Elliott, The Devil in the Corner, Hachette Children’s, Ages 12 – 17

Set in Victorian England, as story of a governess seeking to escape the brutal households in which she has worked.

Jennifer Gold, Soldier Doll, Second Story, Ages 12 +

A doll found at a garage sale leads back to WW I England, through Nazi Germany and 1970 Vietnam to the aftermath of 9/11.

Amy Gordon, Painting the Rainbow, Holiday House, Ages 8 – 12

In 1965 two cousins accidentally discover family secrets no one has spoken of since World War II.

Sonya Hartnett, The Children of the King, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 +

Cecily and Jeremy find two mysterious boys after they are sent to live with their uncle during World War II.

Ann Hood, Amelia Earhart #8: Lady Lindy, Grosset & Dunlap, Ages 8 – 12

A time-slip historical series for young readers continues with one of America’s greatest heroes.

Victoria Lamb, Witchfall (The Tudor Witch Trilogy), Harlequin Teen, Ages 12 +

Set in Tudor England 1555, nowhere is safe from the Inquisition during the reign of the fanatical Queen Mary.

Caroline Lawrence, P.K. Pinkerton and the Pistol-Packing Widows, Putnam Juvenile, Ages 8 – 12

A blend of Wild West and classic detectives.

Amanda West Lewis. September 17, Red Deer Press, Ages 12 +

Inspired by the true events of the sinking of the ‘City of Benares’ in 1940, the luxury liner was transporting children away from the Blitz.

Eve Marie Mont, A Phantom Enchantment (Unbound), K-Teen, Ages 12 + A story inspired by Gaston Leoux’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’.

Marissa Moss, A Soldier’s Secret: The Incredible True Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero, Harry N. Abrams, Ages 12 +

Masquerading as a man during the Civil War, Sarah Edmonds narrates her adventures spying for the Union Army.

Burleigh Muten, Miss Emily, Candlewick Press. Ages 8 – 12

Discover the mischievous and affectionate side of a revered poet in this adventure.

Michaela MacColl, Nobody’s Secret, Chronicle Books, Ages 12 +

15-year-old Emily Dickinson meets a mysterious, handsome young man who turns up dead in her family’s pond.

Jane Nickerson, The Mirk and Midnight Hour, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Ages 14 + Set in the Civil War South, seventeen-year-old Violet finds a severely injured Union soldier in an abandoned lodge in the woods.

Jane Nickerson, Strands of Bronze and Gold, Ember, Ages 14 +

A reimagining of the Bluebeard legend that weaves together elements of gothic romance and pre-Civil War-era American history.

Fiona Paul, Starling (Secrets of the Eternal Rose, Book 3), Philomel, Ages 14 + Conclusion to the historical romantic trilogy.

Margi Preus, Shadow on the Mountain, Harry N. Abrams, Ages 10 – 14

The adventures of a 14-year-old Norwegian boy during World War II.

Alison Rattle, The Madness, Hot Key, Ages 14 +

A psychological drama set in the early Victorian era when propriety, modesty and repression were the rule.

Imogen Rossi, The Dark City, Hot Key Press, Ages 14 +

Imagine an Italy where Casanova wanders the streets and then imagine a plucky 12 yr old heroine called Bianca.

Susan Goldman Rubin, Freedom Summer, Holiday House, Ages 10 +

The story of the 1964 Civil Rights struggle to bring about a new political order in the American South.

Marisabina Russo, I Will Come Back for You, Dragonfly Books, Ages 5 – 9

An incredible story of bravery during the Holocaust.

Ruta Sepetys, Out of the Easy, Speak, Ages 14 +

A literary and compassionate look at the life of a teenage girl in 1950 French Quarter, New Orleans.

Jack Schaefer, Shane, HMH Books for Young Readers, Ages 12 + Classic Western novel.

Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, A Less than Perfect Peace, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Ages 10 – 14

Four years after the end of World War II, America is in the grip of the Cold War as Annie tries to help her father recover from his traumas.

A.L. Waddington, Enlightened (EVE series), Booktrope Editions, Ages 12 +

A continuation of the series about Jocelyn, who has strange dreams about herself living in the 1880s.

Jill Paton Walsh, Fireweed, Hot Key Press, Ages 14 +

Two teen-age runaways, who refuse to be evacuated from London, struggle to survive the blitz of 1940.

April 2014

Gary Blackwood, Curiosity, Dial, Ages 9 – 11

Philadelphia 1835; a young chess prodigy is recruited by a shady showman to operate a mechanical chess player.

Anne Blankman, Prisoner of Night and Fog, Balzer + Bray, Ages 13 +

Blends the terrifying facts of Hitler’s rise to power with a murder mystery in which Gretchen has to investigate the very people she considers friends.

Brock Booher, Healing Stone, Cedar Fort, Ages 12 +

Set in 1950s Kentucky, a 17-year old boy finds out he has the gift to heal.

Teri Brown, Born of Illusion Balzer + Bray, Ages 12 +

A historical suspense novel about a teenaged illusionist set in Jazz Age London.

Rachel Caine, Prince of Shadows, Allison & Busby, Ages 14 +

In 16th century Verona the fate of boys (to fight and die) and girls (as chattel) is written on the day they are born.

Edward Carey, Heap House (Iremonger Trilogy), Hot Key Press, Ages 14 +

Heap House tempers memories of Dickensian London into a creepy tale of agreeable misfits.

Eoin Colfer, WARP Book 1 The Reluctant Assassin, Disney-Hyperion, Ages 12 +

A breathless ride through modern and Victorian London as two resourceful teens struggle to stay one step ahead of their pursuer.

Andrea Cremer, The Inventor’s Secret, Philomel, Ages 12 +

An alternate 19th-century North America poses the question: what if the Americans had lost the Revolutionary War?

Melissa de la Cruz, The Ring and the Crown, Disney-Hyperion, Ages 14 +

A new alternate history fantasy series packed with royal politics, forbidden affairs, shocking betrayals and uneasy alliances

L.M. Elliott, Across a War-Tossed Sea, Disney-Hyperion, Ages 10 – 14

Two British brothers adapt to life in Virginia after being evacuated to escape the Blitz in 1943.

Kiri English-Hawke, The Handkerchief Map, Glass House Books, Ages 12 +

During World War II, three characters reveal their most intimate thoughts on the conflict.

Matt Faulkner, Gaijim: American Prisoner of War, Disney-Hyperion, Ages 8 – 12

Novel about a Japanese American boy’s internment during World War II.

Magali Favre, 21 Days in October, Baraka Books, Ages 12 +

Set in 1970, this historical fiction deals with the Army occupation of Quebec and the imprisonment of French-speaking artists and trade unionists.

Esther Friesner, Deception’s Princess (Princesses of Myth),  Ember, Ages 12 +

A fiery heroine’s fight for independence in first-century Ireland.

Esther Friesner, Spirit’s Chosen (Princesses of Myth), Ember, Ages 12 +

A mixture of historical and mythical with a strong Asian female protagonist.

Marthe Jocelyn, What We Hide, Wendy Lamb Books, Ages 14 +

Teenagers in a 1970s boarding school tell very different stories of their experiences.

Katherine Kirkpatrick, Between Two Worlds, Wendy Lamb Books, Ages 14 +

Set in Greenland in the early 1900s, a coming of age story set amid breathtaking beauty and danger.

Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, Shadow Grail #4: Victories, Tor Teen, Ages 13 – 18

Last installment of the dark ages inspired fantasy, Spirit White and her friends must take on the reincarnated remnants of Mordred’s army.

Robin LaFevers, Dark Triumph: His Fair Assassins, Book II, HMH Books for Young Readers, Ages 14 +

Sybella’s duty as assassin in 15th century France forces her to return home to a personal hell she thought she had escaped.

Lindsey Leavitt, Going Vintage, Bloomsbury USA Children’s, Ages 12 – 17

Live like it’s 1962.

Rebecca Lisle, Brightling, Hot Key Press, Ages 14 +

A fantastical reworking of Oliver Twist with reimagined characters.

C. Alexander London, Dog Tags #4: Divided We Fall, Scholastic Paperbacks, Ages 10 – 14

Too young to join the Confederate Army, Andrew and his hound dog, Dash, are welcomed into the Home Guard.

Ann M. Martin, Family Tree Book One: Better to Wish, Scholastic, Ages 8 – 12

Four girls, four generations, one family – the first in a 4 part series beginning in 1930.

Ann M. Martin, Family Tree Book Three: Best Kept Secret, Scholastic, Ages 8 – 12

Third in series follows Francie to Princeton, New Jersey in the 1980s.

Saundra Mitchell, The Elementals, HMH Books for Young Readers, Ages 12 +

In this part historical, part supernatural story, two teens set out for Los Angeles in 1917.

Robert Murphy, A Certain Island, M. Evans & Company, Ages 10 – 14

The story of a sixteen-year-old boy who finds his way to manhood during a great and memorable adventure in the world of nature.

Maureen McCarthy, The Convent, Allen & Unwin, Ages 14 +

Follows the lives of four women as they face difficult, life-changing choices during the 1920s, 1960s and present.

Val McDermid, Northanger Abbey, Grove Press, Ages 12 +

A witty updated suspense version of the Austen classic novel.

Sylvia McNicoll, Revenge on the Fly, Pajama Press, Ages 8 +

In 1912, as the world begins to blame the fly for the spread of disease, a young boy uses ingenuity to become the best of the fly-catchers.

Richard Platt, Egyptian Diary:  The Journal of Nakht, Young Scribe, Candlewick Press, Ages 9 – 12

Young readers can witness firsthand what life was like for a boy in Egypt in 1464 BC.

Richard Platt, Roman Diary, The Journal of Iliona, Young Slave, Candlewick Press, Ages 9 – 12 Readers can view the wonders of Rome through Iliona’s eyes – the luxury, the excess and the politics.

Robin Price, Beowuff and the Horrid Hen, Mogzilla, Ages 7 – 9

Introduces medieval fictional history to young readers.

Robin Price, Cleocatra’s Kushion, Mogzilla, Ages 7 – 9

Introducing the ancient world of Cleopatra’s Egypt for young readers.

Chris Priestley, Through Dead Eyes, Bloomsbury USA Children’s, Ages 12 – 17

Alex finds himself sucked into sinister centuries-old Amsterdam after trying on an ancient-looking mask.

Alicia Potter, Jubilee! One Man’s Big, Bold and Very, Very Loud Celebration of Peace, Candlewick Press, Ages 7 – 10

Bandleader Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore keeps up his spirits during the Civil War in 1849 Boston.

Amy Carol Reeves, Resurrection (A Ripper Novel), Flux, Ages 12 +

A rash of gruesome murders has the citizens of London spooked.

Rachel Shukert, Starstruck, Ember, Ages 12 +

Set in Old Hollywood, Starstruck follows the lives of three teen girls as they claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters.

Lindsay Smith, Sekret, Roaring Brook Press, Ages 12 – 18

Set in 1960s Russia, a young woman is forced into a program for children who will work as spies once their training is complete.

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, One Step at a Time, A Vietnamese Child Finds her Way, Pajama Press, Ages 8 – 12

This sequel continues the story of Tuyet, an orphan rescued from war-torn Vietnam.

Tim Tingle, Danny Blackgoat; Rugged Road to Freedom, 7th Generation, Ages 12 – 16

Danny has escaped the Civil War prison camp he was taken to during the Long Walk of 1864 but he faces many obstacles in trying to rescue his family.

Lea Wait, Uncertain Glory, Islandport Press, Ages 10 – 14

On the brink of civil war in 1861, a white boy aids his black assistant in a world torn apart by colour.

Gloria Whelan, All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, Ages 9 – 12

English-born and -bred Rosalind inhabits two worlds in her home in 1920s India but as her worlds collide she comes to resent British rule.

Marcia Williams, Lizzy Bennet’s Diary, Candlewick Press, Ages 8 – 12

Second oldest sister Elizabeth Bennet tells the story of Pride and Prejudice in her own words in an illustrated diary.

Dianne Wolfer, Light Horse Boy, Fremantle Press, Ages 9 – 12

A historical account set in 1914, telling of the fate of horses during World War I.

May 2014

Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Homework, Hot Key Press, Ages 14 +

It’s 1936 and Matthew Flanagan lives on Alcatraz because his father has just been promoted to deputy warden.

Maggie di Vries, Hunger Journeys, Harper Collins, Ages 13 +

In Holland, during World War II, two girls go on a “hunger journey” to the outlying countryside, in search of food.

Michael Foreman, War Game: Village Green to No-Man’s Land, Pavilion, Ages 8 – 10

Based on the account of a soccer game played between the German and English troops in No-Man’s Land on Christmas Day 1914.

Laurie Gray, Just Myrto, Luminis Books, Ages 12 +

Set in Ancient Greece this is the story of a woman who, cursed with having been born female, discovers the joy of just being herself.

Jacqueline Guest, The Comic Book War, Coteau, Ages 13 – 15

In 1943 Robert Tourond sees a meteorite fall to earth and is convinced something supernatural has happened.

Marianne Malone, Greg Call, The Pirate’s Coin: A Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure, Yearling, Ages 8 – 12

Time-slip story that takes the reader from modern-day Chicago to Cape Cod circa 1753 and 1830s Charleston.

L.A.Meyer, Viva Jacqueline: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away, HMH Books for Young Readers, Ages 14 +

Jacky is sent to Spain to spy for the Crown during the early days of the nineteenth-century Peninsular War.

Page Morgan, The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed), Hot Key Press, Ages 12+ Welcome to Victorian Paris with its murder and romance and gargoyles…

Chris Mould, Pirates ‘n’ Pistols: Ten Swashbuckling Pirate Tales, Hodder & Stoughton, Ages 9 – 11 A collection of short stories based on traditional classic tales.

Vicky Alvear Shecter, Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii, Arthur A. Levine Books, Ages 12 + Star-crossed lovers Tag and Lucia are thwarted in an attempt to escape Pompeii before the volcano blows their world apart.

June 2014

Sam Angus, Soldier Dog, Square Fish, Ages 9 – 12

A 14-year-old boy joins the army, trains a Great Dane and is sent to France where he hunts for his lost brother.

Eoin Colfer, WARP Book 2: The Hangman’s Revolution, Disney-Hyperion, Ages 12 +

Second in series, FBI agent Chevie arrives back from Victorian London and when pursued by secret service police, finds her escape by again returning to the past.

Laura Golden, Every Day After, Yearling, Ages 9 – 12

Set in Depression era Alabama, this reflective story reveals the life of a family abandoned by the head of the household.

S.E. Grove, The Glass Sentence, Viking Juvenile, Ages 10 +

Boston, 1891; 13-year-old Sophia lives with her uncle, a cartologist but his kidnap sends her on a remarkable adventure.

Katherine Longshore, Brazen, Viking Juvenile, Ages 12 +

Married off to Henry Fitzroy, Anne Boleyn’s cousin Mary Howard finds herself at the centre of King Henry’s case against his Queen.

Roseanne Parry, Written in Stone, Yearling, Ages 9 – 12

In the Pacific Northwest of the 1920s, this historical shines a light on the cultural upheaval of the Native American tribes of the area.

Robin Price, Beowuff and the Dragon Raiders, Mogzilla, Ages 7 – 9

Using the familiar ancient tale of Beowulf, historical facts are introduced to young readers.

Jewell Parker Rhodes, Sugar, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Ages 8 – 12

Slavery is over on the Mississippi sugar plantation, and Sugar is a spirited young girl who inspires others to work towards a brighter future.

Shonna Slayton, Cinderella’s Dress, Entangled: Teen, Ages 12 – 17

In the war-torn 1940s one girl must deal with the sexist nature of the world in order to secure her spot as a window dresser.

Show more