• Lists

    12 Best YA Historical Fiction

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    Since I was young, I’ve always loved historical fiction and read a lot of it growing up. It can be more difficult to find YA historical fiction as much of YA leans toward fantasy/science fiction and realistic fiction. But, I’ve pulled together a list of titles from backlist to recently…

  • Lists

    12 Middle Grade Books Set in NYC

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    The Big Apple is an iconic setting for so many books and movies. New York City is such a big setting, it often becomes a character in its own right. These 12 middle grade books set in NYC, range in genre and style, but all have the same setting. I…

  • Lists

    9 White Bird Read Alikes

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    R. J. Palacio’s White Bird is being adapted for the big screen, but with several delays, I hope that it becomes available later this year. Based in the same world as her hit book, Wonder, White Bird is the story of Julian’s grandmother. As a young Jewish girl, she was…

  • Lists

    12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived Series

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    Today I’m sharing 12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived series. The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis is a popular one in my library. At just over 100 pages, these books are quick reads that bring history to life in action-packed text. And now they’re also being re-released as graphic…

  • Lists

    20 Middle Grade Titles: Historical Fiction

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    With summer just around the corner for so many kids, I wanted to share a few titles in lots of different genres to help make summer reading that much easier! If you’ve got a voracious reader at home, try setting some fun reading goals this summer by trying different genres.…

  • Lists

    20 Titles to Honor the 20th Anniversary of Sept. 11

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    Then I was sixteen years old, in Physics class when we found out that there had been a terrorist attack in New York City. Like many people old enough, I can remember exactly where I was and who I was with when the news was shared. It became even more…

  • Reviews

    Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

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    Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Synopsis: “It’s September 11, 2001. Brandon, a 9-year-old boy, goes to work for the day with his dad . . .…

  • Reviews

    Loretta Little Looks Back

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    Synopsis: “Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate stories — beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 — come together to create one unforgettable journey.…

  • Reviews

    Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

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    Synopsis: “Murderous ghosts and buried family secrets threaten young Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt in this thrilling middle-grade novel that puts a supernatural spin on alternate history. It’s 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans. When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Books for My Younger Self

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    As a kid, I loved reading historical fiction and grew up reading the American Girl stories, Little House on the Prairies, and many others. Today I pulled together a list of historical fiction titles that are perfect for middle grade readers. These are all great books about a variety of…