Collection: Historical Fiction

Canadian nurse Kick Cavendish has always wanted to make a difference, and she's hoping her new post as Paisley - Corners' new public health nurse will help her do just that. The rural Ontario hamlet instantly enamored Kick, who had also dreamed of living on an animal rescue farm. She soon discovers Paisley - Corners is as curious of a place as it is special. A community where the dot in its name is explicitly intentional, and its citizens are meddlesome and sometimes misunderstood but deeply caring despite their quirks and foibles.

In The Chronicles of Paisley - Corners, the author draws from her expertise as a public health nurse, a role she compares to the wind: rarely seen, yet a presence that's felt. With gentle nods to social issues and research around real historical events, an array of stories that focus on the wants, wounds, and secrets of the village residents will have readers rooting out loud for their favorite character. Much of the book is seen through Kick's observant eyes, from witnessing the trauma associated with being an outcast to discovering the lengths people will go to shroud a secret. The links she sees between her rescue barn and her nursing practice - like beauty from ugliness or hope from neglect - gives us pause to contemplate the true meaning of belonging.

The comings and goings of this friendly and compassionate public health nurse provide a window into endearing rural characters who just want to matter.

A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heart-warming picture book based on the author's childhood.

Many things are different for Ánh now that they've left Vietnam with their family. The weather is colder and they live in a communal barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warm-hearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with the foreign sounds of learning to speak English in class.

All Ánh wants is to be able to say "thank you" out loud to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother--as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal--Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.

Exquisitely illustrated by Bao Luu, Ánh's New Word by Hanh Bui is a hopeful story of finding your voice, inspired by true events from the author's childhood.

When a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her...

Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the "forgotten" Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel's search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues--including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.

As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy's confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it's clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can't resist.

Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country--even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...

Five children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Jenny Epstein and her family arrive on a steamship from Russia in the 1910s. Jenny writes letters in Yiddish to her grandmother, while practicing her English in her new neighborhood. By the 1930s, when Anna Cozzi and her Italian family move into the building, Jenny has become a teacher in Anna's school. Then José Marte moves in during the 1960s, Maria Torres in the 1980s, and Wei Yei in the Lower East Side of today.

Perfect for early elementary students, this cross section of American history celebrates themany diverse cultures that make up our nation--from the food we eat, to the ways we worship, and the families we love.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

All They Will Call You is the harrowing account of "the worst airplane disaster in California's history," which claimed the lives of thirty-two passengers, including twenty-eight Mexican citizens-farmworkers who were being deported by the U.S. government. Outraged that media reports omitted only the names of the Mexican passengers, American folk icon Woody Guthrie penned a poem that went on to become one of the most important protest songs of the twentieth century, "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)." It was an attempt to restore the dignity of the anonymous lives whose unidentified remains were buried in an unmarked mass grave in California's Central Valley. For nearly seven decades, the song's message would be carried on by the greatest artists of our time, including Pete Seeger, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez, yet the question posed in Guthrie's lyrics, "Who are these friends all scattered like dry leaves?" would remain unanswered-until now.

Combining years of painstaking investigative research and masterful storytelling, award-winning author Tim Z. Hernandez weaves a captivating narrative from testimony, historical records, and eyewitness accounts, reconstructing the incident and the lives behind the legendary song. This singularly original account pushes narrative boundaries, while challenging perceptions of what it means to be an immigrant in America, but more importantly, it renders intimate portraits of the individual souls who, despite social status, race, or nationality, shared a common fate one frigid morning in January 1948.

"If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder-inspired ode to the human spirit." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred

I've known it since last night:
It's been too long to expect them to return.
Something's happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead--just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

A tantalizing novel of two women bound by blood but divided by a long-buried secret, and the island that holds the key to the fateful summer that changed everything forever.

In 1959, Hollywood ingenue Mercy Welles seems to have the world at her feet. Far removed from her Nebraska roots, she has crafted herself into a glamorous Oscar-nominated actress engaged to an up-and-coming director...

Until she shockingly vanishes without a trace, just as her career is taking off.

Almost sixty years later, Kit O'Neill, a junior television producer in Manhattan, is packing up her recently deceased grandmother's attic, only to discover a long-lost box of souvenirs that reveal that the grandmother who raised her and her sister Claire was, in fact, the mysterious Mercy Welles.

Putting her investigative skills to use, Kit is determined to solve the riddle of her grandmother's missing life, and the trail eventually leads to Martha's Vineyard.

Mercy retreats to the island nursing a broken heart, only to be drawn to the roguish Ren Sewards, who is not just the simple oysterman he appears to be but a scion of one of the island's wealthy founding families. With her attraction to Ren quickly growing, Mercy soon finds herself entangled in the intrigues of the tightly knit community and the secrets of the Sewards.

Alternating between Mercy and Kit's timelines, including excerpts from letters Mercy wrote the summer she disappeared, The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard unfurls into a heart-stopping story of love, betrayal, and even murder.

"By turns surprising, poetic, and stark, The Story That Cannot Be Told is one that should most certainly be read." --Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee
"A mesmerizing debut." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A powerful middle grade debut with three starred reviews that weaves together folklore and history to tell the story of a girl finding her voice and the strength to use it during the final months of the Communist regime in Romania in 1989.

Ileana has always collected stories. Some are about the past, before the leader of her country tore down her home to make room for his golden palace; back when families had enough food, and the hot water worked on more than just Saturday nights. Others are folktales like the one she was named for, which her father used to tell her at bedtime. But some stories can get you in trouble, like the dangerous one criticizing Romania's Communist government that Uncle Andrei published--right before he went missing.

Fearing for her safety, Ileana's parents send her to live with the grandparents she's never met, far from the prying eyes and ears of the secret police and their spies, who could be any of the neighbors. But danger is never far away. Now, to save her family and the village she's come to love, Ileana will have to tell the most important story of her life.

A remarkable friendship between a baby elephant and her keeper shows that kindness is never forgotten. Inspired by a true story,
this uplifting picture book is a perfect read for animal lovers of all ages.

While carefree monkeys dangle in trees, powerful lions quietly sunbathe, and majestic giraffes walk back and forth, a terrible war looms on the horizon and changes everything. People stop coming to the zoo and most of the animals huddle together with their mates in their different enclosures-- except for one baby elephant that was all alone. As bombs shake the ground and flashes of orange light burn across the sky, the solitary elephant grows more and more afraid and confused. Her keeper understood and spends as much time with her elephant as she can. And when it becomes impossible to stay in the enclosure, the keeper makes the daring choice to bring the elephant home.

But it's hard to hide an elephant, even a baby one, and it gets even harder as the elephant grows. After a time, the elephant is ordered back to the zoo. Still, the kind-hearted keeper could not abandon her friend, so she sets up house right alongside the elephant for the remainder of the war.

Many years later, when the keeper no longer works at the zoo, she returns to visit her friend. Her friend, much older now as well, remembers the keeper and her brave kindness.

Inspired by a remarkable true story at the Belfast Zoo during WW11 perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan and the award-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers.

CAN QUINCY ST. CLAIRE KEEP THE Q?

A dying man with a scheme. A charming smuggler one step ahead of the law. A former foundling with a mangled hand. A family of kingmakers. A printing tycoon. A constable on the trail of justice. An idealistic solicitor with secrets of his own. And the genius at the center of it all, Quincy St. Claire.

On New Year's Eve, Quincy St. Claire's well-ordered world is set askew. Her Uncle Ezekiel tells her that, upon his demise, she must fulfill a list of requirements in order to inherit his publication, The Q. But Quincy is not to be told what those requirements are, and the only person in possession of that knowledge is her silent, disapproving solicitor, James Arch.

All of Rhysdon is intrigued by Quincy's genius and her adeptness at turning a profit through her fierce focus on business, excluding all else. Surrounded by a unique cadre of individuals who find their way to the offices of The Q, Quincy is determined to win her Uncle's absurd game, and keep the only thing she has ever cared about.

An egotistical royal cat and his dung beetle sidekick track a jewelry thief in this hilarious new series set in ancient Egypt.

Nominated for an Edgar Award!

Can a lazy cat and a dung-obsessed beetle really crack a mystery? Ra relishes his role as the Pharaoh's beloved--and spoiled--cat. So when an amulet goes missing from the palace, Ra plans to keep enjoying his snacks and nap in the sun. But Ra's friend Khepri, a wise and industrious scarab beetle, insists on investigating in order to save the young servant girl who has been framed for the crime.

Once Ra gets going, he decides that being a Great Detective isn't so bad; in fact, he doesn't mind being hailed as "Protector of the Weak and Defender of Justice." The comically mismatched duo is on the case!

Wacky illustrations with fun historical details bring these oddball characters to life. Includes a glossary, pronunciation guide, and detailed author's note.

"An ingenious mystery full of entertaining details for fans of ancient Egypt."--Paula Harrison, author of the Rescue Princesses series

A gripping tale of paranoia at its worst, this bewitching narrative nonfiction graphic novel visually imagines the haunting details behind the Salem witch trials.

From 1692 to 1693, fear reigned in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. The night Abigail Williams and Betty Paris first accused their servant of witchcraft was only the beginning.

Several more accusations would follow suit, sparking a widespread panic that consumed Salem in one of the longest cases of witch trials in America, where more than twenty innocent lives were lost, and mistrust ran amok.

The community was in ruins, from the afflicted who fanned the flames of superstition to the judges who used their power unjustly and the accused who were falsely charged and hanged in consequence. In the absence of due process and with hysteria abounding, no one in Salem was safe.

Journey into how it all began in this arresting, true-to-life look at how lies became facts, friends turned to foes, and loved ones turned to enemies.

Move over, Charlotte Brontë. The authors of the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane are back with an irreverent spin on Jane Eyre--a tale of mischief, romance, and supernatural mayhem perfect for fans of The Princess Bride or A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

You may think you know the story. Penniless orphan Jane Eyre begins a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester--and, Reader, she marries him. Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Bronte, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

'Oh my word... fantastic... [The] stories intertwine so beautifully, it's truly amazing. Such a lot of research must have to have been done but so worth it. I can't recommend this book enough.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Could a rediscovered map show her the way?

Present day: When thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an exquisite yet blood-stained Tudor map in her father's antique map shop, desperate for a distraction from her problems, she decides to investigate. But as Robyn delves into the mystery, she finds herself caught up in a centuries-old secret - one that will change her life forever.

1569: Forced to flee Holland to escape persecution, twenty-year-old Freida Ortelius uses her mapmaking skills to start anew in London. Soon her rare talent catches the eye of Queen Elizabeth, who demands Freida's help in fighting the Spanish threat. Freida must now embark on a deadly mission, the consequences of which will echo down the ages...

A sweeping and heartbreaking read, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.

Readers adore The Mapmaker's Daughter:

'Loved this... the characters were brilliant and the storyline was amazing, wonderfully written and descriptive, could not put it down.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book has it all: history, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a gripping narrative that kept me engaged from beginning to end.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Loved this book!... Great characters and story that intertwined. Highly recommended.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A joy to read... I loved the characters and the way the plot of both times weaved and intwined... Excellent.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Fascinating! I would recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction without hesitation.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This collection of short stories from the world of Spice & Wolf features three new vignettes from Lawrence and Holo's journeys, as well as a novella that follows Norah the shepherdess and her faithful sheepdog, Enek, as they put the city of Ruvinheigen behind them and try to forge a new path for themselves...