This is not a young adult novel and not fully historical fiction. However, the heroine is seventeen and this regency romance is so much more appropriate than most popular young adult fiction these days, I feel it is appropriate to include on my site.
After the death of her mother, Marianne Daventry is sent to live with her grandmother in Bath while her father takes his grieving heart to Paris. Marianne’s twin Cecily, goes to London for her debut in society and to search out the gentleman she intends to marry. Eventually, both sisters are invited to Edenbrooke, the estate of their mother’s friend, Lady Catherine. While in route to Edenbrooke, Marianne encounters a mysterious and flirtatious gentleman who both intrigues and angers her. He turns out to be Sir Philip, the son of Lady Catherine.
Trouble ensues as Marianne becomes friends with Philip, but learns he is the same man her sister intends to marry. Patterned after the manner of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, Edenbrooke is perfect for Regency period readers. It doesn’t have the same level of wit or writing as Jane Austen, but it captures the feeling of that time period and a classic, clean romance.
Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Melkorka is an Irish princess living a privileged life in medieval Ireland. When she and her young sister are kidnapped by a Russian slave ship, Melkorka is plunged into the unfamiliar struggles of poverty and servitude. In her grief, she takes a vow of silence, but soon learns her silence is the key to survival. Her captors and masters are fascinated by her silence, giving her more power than a typical slave.
I was immediately captivated by the title Al Capone Does My Shirts. However, while the title is an excellent fit for the story, it led me to expect an entirely different type of book. I expected kids mixed up with gangsters or some other sort of hilarity. Instead, Al Capone Does My Shirts is a much deeper and more profound work of historical fiction placed against the backdrop of the Depression and Alcatraz. This book was assigned to my ten-year-old daughter and I think she can appreciate it, but readers of her age would need a background on Alcatraz, Al Capone, and the culture of the time period.
It is the summer of 1910 and wildfires are raging through northern Idaho and Montana. Sixteen-year-old Jarrett Logan signs on to fight the fires and is forced to quickly grow up in ways he never imagined. Private Seth Brown learns the army is much more frightening work and less glory when his division is assigned to fight the fires. Lizbeth Whitcomb realizes the true beauty of the wilderness as she sees it burning before her eyes. Through these perspectives, Ingold shows the bravery and the horror that characterized what is now known as ‘the Big Burn.’
Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook enjoys the bustle and energy of Philadelphia in 1763. The Nation’s capital is filled with people and Mattie has great ambitions for her family’s coffee shop. However, soon the summer’s unseasonable warmth has sapped the city’s energy and fever is beginning to sap its life. As the death toll climbs, more and more people flee the city. Mattie’s mother insists on sending her to the country, but even there she isn’t free from the effects of yellow fever.
Bella, Yetta, and Jane are three very different girls, but they are each fighting for freedom. Bella, newly arrived from Italy, is fighting to be free of the crippling poverty that plagues her family. Yetta, a Russian Jewish immigrant, wants to be free of workplace injustice. Jane, part of the social elite, wants freedom from high society restraints and the mundane life of a turn of the century woman.
This short historical fiction book is perfect for tweens interested in the Wild West. We recognize names like Buffalo Bill, Butch Cassidy, and Wyatt Earp with their questionable heroics in a wild time, but not many have heard of the truly heroic Bass Reeves. One of the most successful federal marshals in the late 1800s, Reeves worked in Indian Territory arresting criminals and fighting for justice against amazing odds. Reeves, the only recorded African American marshal, was known for his honest devotion to duty as well as his uncanny ability to get out of tight spots.
