Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793
In 1793 Philadelphia, fourteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.
Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The pox party
At the dawn of the Revolutionary War, young Octavian is raised in highly unusual circumstances at the Novanglian College of Lucidity. Though the scholars give him a first-rate education, they also monitor him closely…too closely. As he grows older, Octavian learns the horrifying truth of his situation, and that truth leads him to question his understanding of himself and the Revolution: if the Patriots can fight for their freedom, why can’t he fight for his?
Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Charlotte Doyle, a proper young lady, is sailing from England to America in 1832 and finds she is the only female passenger on board. When the crew mutinies, she becomes embroiled in the battle for power and the struggle for survival.
Berry, Julie. Lovely War
They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.
Blackwood, Gary. The Year of the Hangman
In 1777, having been kidnapped and taken forcibly from England to the American colonies, fifteen year-old Creighton becomes part of developments in the political unrest there that may spell defeat for the patriots and change the course of history.
Blundell, Judy. What I Saw and How I Lied
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever.
Bowman, Erin. Vengeance Road
Vengeance Road is set in 1877, in Arizona Territory. The story begins outside Prescott, on eighteen year-old Kate’s homestead, and as tracks her father’s killers, she travels south toward Phoenix, and then east into the Superstition Mountains
Carson, Rae. Walk on Earth a Stranger
A young woman who possesses a supernatural ability to sense the presence of gold disguises herself as a boy and seeks safety and romance in California.
Cooper, Michelle. A brief history of Montmaray
On her sixteenth birthday in 1936, Sophia begins a diary of life in a fictional island country off the coast of Spain, where she is among the last descendants of an impoverished royal family trying to hold their nation together on the eve of the second World War.
Courtenay, Bryce. The Power of One
Follows Peekay, a white British boy in South Africa during World War II, between the ages of five and eleven, as he survives an abusive boarding school and goes on to succeed in life and the boxing ring, with help from a chicken, a boxer, a pianist, black African prisoners, and many others.
Crowder, Melanie. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky
Modern history unearthed as a boy becomes an innocent victim of corruption in the underbelly of Bolivia’s crime world, where the power of family is both a prison and the only means of survival.
De la Cruz, Melissa. Alex & Eliza
When Alex and Eliza meet one fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history. About the Schuyler sisters of Hamilton fame.
Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light
In 1906, sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and fiance, takes a job at a summer inn where she discovers the truth about the death of a guest. Based on a true story.
Elliot, Laura. Hamilton and Peggy!
When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, and the danger to all their lives is real.
Gratz, Allen. Prisoner B-3087
As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has, and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner — his arm tattooed with the words PRISONER B-3087.
Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier
When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.
Lee, Mackenzi. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
Henry (Monty) Montague doesn’t care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. So Monty vows to make this year long escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Lee, Stacey. Under a Painted Sky
It’s 1849 in Missouri and Chinese American Samantha is in trouble. Her father’s shop burned down, he died in the blaze, and she is wanted for murder after killing a man who tried to rape her. Luckily, plucky Annamae, a slave, helps her escape. A runaway slave and a Chinese girl would stick out like a sore thumb on the Oregon Trail, so they disguise themselves as boys—Andy and Sammy—and try to lie low as they make their way to California.
Lee, Stacey. The Downstairs Girl
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
Lo, Malinda. Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Seventeen year-old Lily Hu comes of age in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1954, discovering her sexuality in a time of suspicion of Chinese-Americans amid rising McCarthyism and limited acceptance of gay people. Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for young people’s literature and recipient of numerous starred reviews. Lo is a highly regarded author of books featuring LGBTQ characters.
Lu, Marie. The Kingdom of Back
Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish–to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age–her tyrannical father has made that much clear.
Masih, Tara Lynn. My Real Name is Hanna. This story of a family of Ukrainian Jews hiding in a cave during the Holocaust was inspired by actual events.
Matas, Carol. In My Enemy’s House
When German soldiers arrive in Zloczow during World War II, a young Jewish girl must decide whether or not to conceal her identity and work for a Nazi in Germany in order to survive.
Medina, Meg. Burn Baby Burn
Nora Lopez is seventeen during the infamous New York summer of 1977, when the city is besieged by arson, a massive blackout, and a serial killer named Son of Sam who shoots young women on the streets. Nora’s family life isn’t going so well either: her bullying brother, Hector, is growing more threatening by the day, her mother is helpless and falling behind on the rent, and her father calls only on holidays. All Nora wants is to turn eighteen and be on her own.
Meyer, Carolyn. Victoria Rebels
A story of Princess Victoria. What would this lovely young woman have to rebel against? Her strict and controlling mother, her mother’s manipulative advisor, and the expectations of the English people that she remain forever sweet, innocent, and powerless.
Mobley, Jeannine. The Diamond Keeper
A tale of the elusive Hope Diamond’s journey across Europe during the French Revolution. Eighteen year-old Claudie Durand finds herself at the center of a conspiracy, when she and her younger sister, Mathilde must flee their sheltered life and take up a cause that, up till now, had always seemed like a distant conflict.
Myers, Walter Dean. Invasion
Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry were friends in Virginia, but now that they are both involved in the Normandy invasion, the differences in their positions is uncomfortable, for Josiah is a white infantryman and Marcus is a black transport driver, the only role the segregated army will allow him.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Blizzard’s Wake
In March of 1941, when a severe blizzard suddenly hits Bismarck, North Dakota, a girl trying to save her stranded father and brother inadvertently helps the man who killed her mother four years before.
Nazemian, Abdi. Like a Love Story
It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing. Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance…until she falls for Reza and they start dating.
Paulsen, Gary. Woods Runner
From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, who is a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes.
Peck, Richard. The River Between Us
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.
Peck, Richard. The Teacher’s Funeral : a Comedy in Three Parts
In rural Indiana in 1904, fifteen-year-old Russell’s dreams of quitting school and joining a wheat threshing crew are disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean, old Myrt Arbuckle “hauls off and dies.”
Preus, Margi. The Bamboo Sword
In Japan in 1853, at the time of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry’s visit to Japan, Yoshi, a young Japanese boy who dreams of becoming a samurai one day, learns about America from Majiro and has adventures with Jack, a young cabin boy aboard one of the U.S. ships. Includes historical notes and glossary.
Rinaldi, Ann. Nine Days a Queen
Lady Jane Grey, who at sixteen was Queen of England for nine days before being executed, recounts her life story from the age of nine.
Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Hired Girl
Fourteen-year-old Joan Skraggs chronicles her life in a journal when she leaves her family’s farm in Pennsylvania to work as a hired girl in Baltimore in the summer of 1911.
Schwartz, Virginia. If I Just had Two Wings
In 1861, thirteen-year-old Phoebe runs away from her master’s Alabama plantation and joins four other slaves as they journey to Canada on the Underground Railroad.
Sepetys, Ruta. Salt to the Sea : a Novel
Titanic. Lusitania. Wilhelm Gustloff. All major maritime disasters, yet the last is virtually unknown. Ruta Sepetys changes that in her gripping historical novel. Told in short snippets, Salt to the Sea rotates between four narrators attempting to escape various tragedies in 1945 Europe. As World War II draws to a close, the refugees try to escape the war’s final dangers, only to find themselves aboard a ship with a target on its hull.
Sepetys, Ruta. The Fountains of Silence
Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
Sepetys, Ruta. I Must Betray You
This story takes place amid the dictatorship of Nicolaae Ceaucescu in 1989 Romania. Cristian is blackmailed by the police to become an informer. What choices will Cristian make? How will he use his position?
Smith, Sherri L. Flygirl
During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl “passes” for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed : a novel
Captures the hardships and cruelty of life in the ghettos of Warsaw during the Nazi occupation of World War II, through the eyes of a Jewish orphan who must use all his wits and courage to survive unimaginable events and circumstances.
Taylor, Mildred. The Land
After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own. (Prequel to Newberry Medal Winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry)
Wein, Elizabeth. Black Dove, White Raven
Having moved to Ethiopia to avoid the prejudices of 1930s America, Emilia Menotti, her black adoptive brother Teo, and their mother Rhoda, a stunt pilot, are devoted to their new country even after war with Italy looms, drawing the teens into the conflict.
Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity
In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.
White, Kiersten. And I Darken
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Yolen, Jane. Sword of the Rightful King
Merlinnus the magician devises a way for King Arthur to prove himself the rightful king of England–pulling a sword from a stone–but trouble arises when someone else removes the sword first.
Young, Adrienne. The Girl the Sea Gave Back
Tova lives amongst the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue, but when two neighboring clans bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
