Historical fiction for 8-10... long shot I know.

[TerriPray]

Yes, I know that's a little young, but she's an avid reader and eager to learn more about history. Are there actual chapter books for this age range that would be classed as historical fiction. She's torn through the 'magic tree house' series where they go from one time period to the next, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[MLE]

'The Borrowers' series is set in Victorian England, although it has a little-people fantasy element, it's not magical.
Also, you can't go wrong with the Little House series, graduated in age range according to the age of Laura Ingalls. I read that one aloud to the kids and they kept listening right up to the end, even though they were around that age and by the last book it is written at a Jr. High reading level.
There is a series of books out that are fictional autobiographies of Princesses. I read the one on Elizabeth, and it was quite entertaining.

Catherine, called Birdie, is excellent, also the other books by the same author.

Even better, go look up Sid Fleishman. The Whipping Boy is both funny and touching, although it uses historical ambiance more than any particular era. But he does the California Gold Rush in By the Great Horn Spoon, an excellent read, and a traveling magic show in Mr. Mysterious and Company. He has some others based in the American West, can't remember their names, but my kids devoured all of them.

[TerriPray]

Thank you! Will see what the local library has. I'd forgotten about The Borrowers, I read those as a child.

[Ash]

Oh yes; I loved HF at that age. One of my favorites was One of a Kind Family, a series about a Jewish famiy started in the early 1900s. I also remember reading a fascinating novel about Daniel Boone and Marie Antoinette (actually it was about her daughter) but this was back in the 60s and I am sure there are others out there.

There is also the American Girl series, tho I have heard them disparged for one reason or another. But I think thats the target audience.

My neice is just a little older and probably has read some others, I'll check with her.

[diamondlil]

There was a HF book that won the Whitbread prize last year. Not sure what age it was aimed at thought. I will see if I can find what it was called.

Found it! Good Masters, Sweet Ladies, Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Ladies-Voices-Medieval-Village/dp/0763615781/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219917953&sr=8-1)


There are also a series of books that Scholastic puts out written in the form of diaries - check the different series out here (http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/books/series.htm)

[Melisende]

"The Gryphon Quest" by Margaret Greaves

[diamondlil]

I saw this series mentioned on a blog this morning and thought I would mention it here. There does seem to be quite a few books in the series so there could be something that would interest everyone.

The Young Patriot series (http://www.patriapress.com/)

[Kveto from Prague]

i liked "the door in the wall" when i was that age. set in about 1351 (black plague) england. cant recall the author at the moment. french female i think.

[Eigon]

What about the Green Knowe books, by Lucy Boston? The young hero goes to stay with an aged relative in a wonderful old house, and learns about the history of the house by meeting the ghosts of children who have lived there. Wonderful series, and the house is real - it's really called Hemingford Greys and Lucy Boston lived there and renovated it shortly before the Second World War.

[Forskande]

I think that "Freedom Crossing" by Margaret Goff Clark is age appropriate and really good. You should check it out!

[rebecca191]

Here are some ideas, not sure of her reading level so some of these may be too hard or too easy. They all are somewhere in the 7-12 age range but I read many of them years ago so I don't remember the specifics of each one.

American Girls series
History Mysteries series
Girls of Many Lands series
Hoofbeats series by Kathleen Duey if she likes horses (they are about young girls and their horses and set in the 1700-1800s)
Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Dear America, Royal Diaries, and My America series
The Little House books
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Bound for Oregon and Hannah of Fairfield by Jean Van Leeuwen
Dancing through Fire by Kathryn Lasky
Soft Rain by Cornelia Cornelissen
Journey to Nowhere by Mary Jane Auch
I Remember the Alamo by D. Anne Love
American Sisters series by Laurie Lawlor
The Puppeteer's Apprentice by D. Anne Love
The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed by Heather Vogel Frederick
The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz
Saddles, Stars, and Stripes series
The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Hope this helps!

[SusannaG]

Has she read Caddie Woodlawn?

[zsigandr]

My daughter was 9 when she started to read The Royal Diaries and she loves them. Here is some info http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/royaldiaries.
Andrea

[Anna Elliott]

I second the Caddie Woodlawn recommendation! One of my favorites!

Also Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
After the Dancing Days by Margaret Rostkowski

I loved all of them when I was 8-10 and love them still!

[Chatterbox]

Late to the game, but...

Geoffrey Trease wrote wonderful HF books; some are for younger readers, some teeter on the children/YA market. Check out Cue for Treason. I'm a girl, and I adored them at that age.

Henry Treece & Rosemary Sutcliffe; most set during the Roman occupation of Britain or 'ancient' times generally.

If you can find them, Jean Plaidy wrote two books for young readers -- The Young Elizabeth (about Elizabeth I) and The Young Mary Queen of Scots. Both great for that age.

Eloise Jarvis McGraw wrote several excellent HF novels for younger readers. My favorite is The Golden Goblet, set in ancient Egypt, which I read at 8 or 9. (Some of them, like Mara, Daughter of the Nile, are probably for ages 10-13 or thereabouts).

A couple of writers whose books are set in pre-revolutionary Russia: E.M. Almedingen -- Katia, Fanny, Ellen, etc. (Some of hers are YA to adult, so keep an eye out, but these are very good.) And Mara Kay, Masha, and The Youngest Lady in Waiting. Both are surreally expensive to buy, but they are in many library collections.

[Carla]

Try Theresa Tomlinson. She writes books for children and young adults, and there's a list of titles on her website: http://www.theresatomlinson.com/

[Veronica]

Has anyone mentioned Sue Reid? Her books seem really good for that age. Reckon I could read them now!

[parthianbow]

Late to the game, but...

Henry Treece & Rosemary Sutcliffe; most set during the Roman occupation of Britain or 'ancient' times generally.

Thanks, Chatterbox - I couldn't second these more.
Eagle of the Ninth, an iconic book by Rosemary Sutcliffe, is one of the reasons I write Roman HF. It's currently being adapted to film by the director of Dog Soldiers, starring Dominic West (The Wire) and Michael Fassbender (Hunger). The loosely linked sequel was The Silver Branch, and the third book was The Lantern Bearers, about when the Romans leave Britain.

Treece's books were about Vikings and Crusaders, if I remember correctly.

I read both sets from about the age of 9.

[SusannaG]

The Rosemary Sutcliffe I had was The Armourer's House, which has a Tudor setting. I loved it at 9 or so.

At 12 I adored A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, which is a novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine, by E.L. Konigsberger.

[Veronica]

Maria Gripe is swedish author who write somewhat historical novels. I absolutely loved her books when I was young and do consider to buy them and read again.

[Jack]

WELL OF SACRIFICE by Chris Eboch-maybe a year or two further down the road, but not if they're mature for their years.
It has an adolescent girl as the heroine.

[Suzanne Crowley]

Howabout Carolyn Meyer's earlier historicals? She does a series of Tudor Queen's - young chapter books.

[maggie anton]

Oh yes; I loved HF at that age. One of my favorites was One of a Kind Family, a series about a Jewish famiy started in the early 1900s. I also remember reading a fascinating novel about Daniel Boone and Marie Antoinette (actually it was about her daughter) but this was back in the 60s and I am sure there are others out there.

There is also the American Girl series, tho I have heard them disparged for one reason or another. But I think thats the target audience.

My neice is just a little older and probably has read some others, I'll check with her.
I loved the ALL OF A KIND FAMILY series when I was growing up in the 1950's. The author is Sydney Taylor. Readers who liked these books may appreciate RASHI'S DAUGHRTER: SECRET SCHOLAR, the YA adaption of my adult historical series. My publisher, JPS, suggests it's for ages 9-14.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

[rockygirl]

My daughter was 9 when she started to read The Royal Diaries and she loves them. Here is some info http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/royaldiaries.
Andrea

It's a good series, except for the one about Cleopatra, which is culturally and historically fraught with problems.

[rockygirl]

She could read "Radical Red" by Duffy.

[SGM]

Here is a link to a reasonable list of historical fiction for children. They are mostly about British history though and devised for the English curriculum.

http://sherbrooke.ndo.co.uk/s/h/sherbrooke.ndo.co.uk/web/bibliography/cont.htm

I am not sure if it mentions Cynthia Harnett's: A Load of Unicorn and The Woolpack but they are the ones I most remember.

I'll second the suggestion of A Cue for Treason by Trease - the characters from this novel appear again in later ones.

As far as Rosemary Sutcliff is concerned my favourite was always Flowers of Adonis but I didn't find it until I was in my mid-teens so it may be for an older child but it does cover aspects of ancient Greek history rather than Roman which makes a change.

There are also The Lady Grace Mysteries set in Tudor England

Tales of Robin Hood and the Myths told for children always tend to be good value.

[SGM]

I have discovered that a Cue For Treason is available free in PDF at archive. org.

Here is the link:

http://www.archive.org/details/cuefortreason00treauoft

I am surprised to find it because if I understand the copyright legislation (at least in the EU), copyright lasts for 70 years after the author's death -- in GT's case 1998 but I might have got that wrong.