Collection: Historical Fiction

Golden Kite Award Finalist
Washington State Book Award Winner
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
Notable Social Studies Reading List
CCBC Choices

Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth, He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants--especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse.

And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere--not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two white men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane--is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by.

His new friend Lenny, a fast-talking, sax-playing Jewish boy, who lives above the town's infamous (and segregated) Harlem Club, encourages Melvin to take some risks--to invite Millie to Homecoming and even audition for a local TV variety show. When they play music together, Melvin almost feels like he's talking, no words required. But there are times when one needs to speak up.

When his moment comes, can Melvin be as mighty on the outside as he actually is on the inside?

P R A I S E

★ "This powerful novel weaves strong characters into the tapestry of civil rights, treatment of people with disabilities, fallout fear from the war, and ever-changing cultural shifts that defined the 1950s."
--School Library Journal (starred)

★ "A well-constructed and movingly told story of a thoughtful Black boy making his place in his family and in 1950s America."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)

"A gentle historical novel about finding your voice."
--Kirkus

"Sundee Frazier once again flexes her masterful expertise in understanding the human heart, and the insurmountable will and capacity we have to press forward and persevere triumphantly."
--Kirkus Prize-winner Derrick Barnes

"One of those rare books I found myself reading more slowly as I got to the final pages. I didn't want it to end."
--Newbery Award-winner Christopher Paul Curtis

It's an honor to bring light to the dark. The nineteenth-century whaling village of Warbler is famous for its lucky ship figureheads--and infamous for people disappearing into the nightly fog. In this murky locale, the lamplighter is synonymous with safety and protection, and it's a position Temperance assumes when her father is found hanging from one of the lampposts. Though Tempe proves competent, the town is still hesitant to let a woman handle this responsibility. When a girl disappears after two lamps go out, Tempe's ability to provide for her mother and younger sister hangs in the balance. She scrambles for answers, hindered at every turn by the village authorities' call for her removal. As more villagers vanish under her watch, Tempe discovers unsettling truths about the famous Warbler figureheads and her own beloved father. But her warnings of a monster are ignored, even by her own family. Now she must follow the light out of her own fog of despair, as she faces the choice to look the other way or risk speaking out and possibly dooming herself and her sister to be among the lost.

A highly acclaimed novel from the author of Brooklyn and an "immensely gifted and accomplished writer" (The Washington Post), about an Irishwoman who creates a new life in post-war Spain.

In 1950, Katherine Proctor leaves Ireland for Barcelona, determined to escape her family and become a painter. There she meets Miguel, an anarchist veteran of the Spanish Civil War, and begins to build a life with him. But Katherine cannot escape her past, as Michael Graves, a fellow Irish émigré in Spain, forces her to reexamine all her relationships: to her lover, her art, and the homeland she only thought she knew.

The South is a novel of classic themes--of art and exile, and of the seemingly irreconcilable yearnings for love and freedom--to which Colm Tóibín brings a new, passionate sensitivity.

A strikingly original and absorbing mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian England and the secrets lurking on the estate where we she works, for fans of Fingersmith and The Confessions of Frannie Langton

The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.

1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame--and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester.

Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets--but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife.

Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realizes with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife-which may hold the clue to her fate...

Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England.

The culmination of Christopher Tilghman's great Chesapeake saga, a story spanning four centuries of an American family.

It is the Fourth of July 2019, and the Mason family is gathering at their historic Chesapeake farm, Mason's Retreat. It isn't everyone's favorite party, but Harry Mason has once again goaded his wife, Kate, and their children into hosting a celebratory dinner. Their oldest, Rosalie, is having trouble with her marriage; the youngest, Ethan, is in the throes of a fitful first relationship. In between, Eleanor despairs over her stalled novel, a fictionalized memoir of the wife of the first Mason settler who landed there in 1659.

Kate, recovering from a second round of chemotherapy, is at the center of this ritual of remembrance. Tart and candid, she asks her husband, "What crime against humanity did your family not commit on that land?" And so it is more or less inevitable that when the clan, joined by a cast of neighbors and cousins from France, sits down for dinner, the question of how they should think and feel about their past comes to the fore.

Told with irony and deep insight, On the Tobacco Coast is Christopher Tilghman's concluding meditation on the themes of his novels about this ancestral monument: the pride and shame in its long history, the persistence of family stories, race and privilege, the enigmas and customs of regions. It is a reflects on the state of America today, with its battles with its own history and efforts to reckon with the wrongs of the past while looking forward to an uncertain, more just future.

Seeking to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of Viking marauders, a young man named Finnian leaves his monastic school in Ireland to find a legendary sword rumored to have the extraordinary power to defeat evil. Will Finnian find the mythical sword and lead the way to victory? Or will the Vikings continue to destroy innocent villagers? Find out what happens in the first volume of this epic adventure series!

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes a sweepingly romantic tale of risk, redemption, and what happens when America's most famous outlaw falls in love.

When infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy decides to go straight, he discovers that too many of the powerful men he crossed won't let bygones be bygones. To have a chance at a new life, he'll have to become someone else entirely.

A brief, fateful encounter with the celebrated singer Jane Touissant on the eve of his escape offers a glimpse of what might have been, but Butch disappears, leaving her behind, until their paths unexpectedly converge again in Paris.

Despite having discovered his true identity, Jane trusts the outlaw and enlists his protection on her upcoming American tour. Although Butch is reluctant to agree, fearing his sordid past may put the woman and her young son in danger, the salvation she offers is too hard to resist.

As they set forth on their journey, Butch's past and Jane's secrets put them at risk from threats far greater than the law, and this legend of the American West will have to decide what matters most--his life, his legacy, or the woman he loves.

A new edition of this award-winning modern classic, with an introduction by Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), an excerpt from the never before seen follow-up, and discussion guide.

Pakersfield, Georgia, 1958: Thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae Quinn is the sixth of ten fatherless siblings. She is the darkest-skinned among them and therefore the ugliest in her mother, Rozelle's, estimation, but she's also the brightest. Rozelle--beautiful, charismatic, and light-skinned--exercises a violent hold over her children. Fearing abandonment, she pulls them from school at the age of twelve and sends them to earn their keep for the household, whether in domestic service, in the fields, or at "the farmhouse" on the edge of town, where Rozelle beds local men for money.

But Tangy Mae has been selected to be part of the first integrated class at a nearby white high school. She has a chance to change her life, but can she break from Rozelle's grasp without ruinous--even fatal--consequences?

In pursuit of happiness, a young woman's dreams extend beyond money and marriage in this aspirational historical novel by the international bestselling author of The Light After the War.

It's 1927, and Helen Montgomery is coming of age on Philadelphia's Main Line, where privileged young women are set for life. But Helen has desires of her own. Debutante balls, eligible bachelors, and marriage aren't among them...until her father is embroiled in a devastating scandal that jeopardizes the family's financial future and social standing, that is. Then it becomes up to Helen to repair both by marrying a man of wealth and connection.

Edgar Scott is as independent as Helen. The black-sheep scion of a railroad magnate, Edgar's aspirations of becoming an author go against the grain of his own family's expectations. For a time, Helen and Edgar's marriage grows from attraction and convenience to genuine loyalty and respect. But as Edgar's frustrations and rejections mount and Helen's personal dreams recede, the cracks in the perfect life Helen wants are beginning to show.

So begins Helen's journey of forgiveness, redefining the meaning of perfection--for herself and in others--and accepting with all her heart the mistakes humans make in the name of love.

The scandalous women of the USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Peckham's Society of Sirens are back with the final stage in their fight for female rights--and this time the battle is to be waged in bed...

She's the most infamous harlot in London...and she's up for auction.

Thaïs Magadalene is a legend. The nation's most notorious courtesan, she sells herself once a week, for one night only, and never to the same patron twice. Until now. To raise money for the cause of women's rights, she has auctioned herself off for one month as mistress to the highest bidder.

But the winner is not who he seems.

Lord Alastair Eden is an earl, a radical politician, and a perfectionist in all things--except one. His confidence belies an unexpected secret: he doesn't know how to please a woman in bed. He's determined to change that before he marries. And who could be better than the most skilled lover in the country to teach him?

And love is never for sale.

Thaïs dreams of finding a man who will love her unconditionally, never mind her past and reputation. Eden dreams of finding a perfectly bred young lady to be his wife and helpmeet. But when a steamy month in the countryside breeds a connection both in and out of the bedchamber, the two of them must decide how much can be sacrificed for love--one's dreams, or one's reputation.

INTO THE ABYSS OF DESPAIR

The fascination Gras found in the heliocentric theory is left in the hands of Oczy. Clinging to faint hope in heliocentric theory, Oczy visits the brilliant, aloof monk Badeni with the stone box newly in his possession. Oczy and Badeni seek a new collaborator to help prove the theory. They find a girl despairing of the world, crushed by an era that laughs at the notion of a female scholar.

Also entrusted with the research of Count Piast, a luminary of the geocentric theory, Badeni digs yet deeper into his efforts to prove the heliocentric theory. But even as they each pursue their respective hopes, overwhelming despair comes creeping up to them. Close your eyes. Plug your ears. Be ordinary. That's the only way to resist true knowledge.

Frightened by the strange noises emanating from the forest, Pierre takes off to find his friend, Michel. Despite the distractions of the school bully and the rising tension and violence leading up to World War II, Pierre and Michel are consumed by the mysteries that call to them from the forest surrounding their rural town of Château-de-l'Agly in the south of France. How far will they go to discover whether what awaits them in the darkness is friend or foe? Based on true historical events and written almost entirely in the present tense, it is the perfect easy reader for second or third year French students (A2 on the CEFR scale, or Intermediate-Low on the ACTFL scale.) Le labyrinthe secret is a compelling story written in comprehensible language for learners to develop reading fluency independently or in teacher-directed classes. Includes a glossary.

In the fourth book in the Asha and Baz series, readers learn about volcanoes from renowned volcanologist Katia Kraft!

Asha wants to win a super cool volcanic rock by solving the Great Volcano Challenge at school. So she and her best friend Baz use their magic stick to travel to Iceland in 1973 to learn from famous volcano researcher Katia Krafft.

She's sure to be able to help them with their project, but she's got an eruption to observe and data to record--and ash, lava, and smelly gases are a lot more scary than a classroom. With safety concerns rising, Asha and Baz will need to keep their cool to get back home and win the prize.

Amid the chaos of the Viking war for dominance over England, a boy has everything taken from him and vows revenge. But violent dreams bring no peace... The violent and complex action epic that inspired the hit anime returns, in premium, 3-in-1, collector's hardcovers!

Includes volumes 10-12 of the Japanese edition of Vinland Saga and new bonus content.

A throne room soaked in blood brings Prince Canute a crown and a purpose--the establishment of a paradise on Earth in defiance of God, at any cost--but deprives Thorfinn of everything he's built his life upon. Now a broken young man, Thorfinn labors far from the battlefield, clearing a forest for his slave master's farm alongside the amiable Einar. But a sudden and brutal tragedy will shock Thorfinn out of his apathy, and force him to answer the question, "Do I still want to live?" Meanwhile, Canute plots to become ruler of the entire Danish world...

This premium, hardcover edition presents the acclaimed action epic in hardcover, at a bigger size than ever before (7 by 10 inches), wrapped in a black leather-patterned cover with logo stamping. This new edition features all the content of the original release, plus new and exclusive bonus illustrations, interviews, and behind-the-scenes details never before translated.

It's 1918. The war in Europe grinds on, and the Spanish flu seems to be on an insatiable killing spree. In Parrsboro, a tiny fishing community in Nova Scotia, Elizabeth Frame murders her husband hours after their wedding and thrusts the revolver into the blowhole of a beached whale.

Toby Havenshaw covers the hearing for the Halifax Evening Mail and finds the people of the village delirious with unprecedented grief and bewilderment. His diary traces the details of Elizabeth's story of adultery and murder, as well as his own beautiful relationship with his wife, Amelia, just home from serving as a surgeon at the front lines in France and Belgium. Come to the Window explores a question both universal and timeless: how does one recover hope in a time of horror?

For fans of HBO's The Gilded Age, explore the dark side of the alluring world of America's 19th century elite in this gripping series of riveting mysteries... For Newport, Rhode Island's high society, the summer of 1896 brings lawn parties, sailboat races...and murder. Having turned down the proposal of Derrick Andrews, Emma Cross has no imminent plans for matrimony-let alone motherhood. But when she discovers an infant left on her doorstep, she naturally takes the child into her care. Using her influence as a cousin to the Vanderbilts and a society page reporter for the Newport Observer, Emma launches a discreet search for the baby's mother. One of her first stops is a lawn party at Mrs. Caroline Astor's Beechwood estate. But an idyllic summer's day is soon clouded by tragedy. During a sailboat race, textile magnate Virgil Monroe falls overboard. There are prompt accusations of foul play-and even Derrick Andrews falls under suspicion. Deepening the intrigue, a telltale slip of lace may link the abandoned child to the drowned man. But as Emma navigates dark undercurrents of scandalous indiscretions and violent passions, she'll need to watch her step to ensure that no one lowers the boom on her...