Historical Fiction
for Grades 3 & 4

                                                                                               The Children's Library/Mt. Lebanon Public Library
                                                                                               Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15228
                                                                                               www.einetwork.net/ein/mtleb


The Night Crossing
  Karen Ackerman
An Austrian family escapes to Switzerland in 1938.
1930s, Europe

Twenty and Ten
  Claire H. Bishop
Twenty fifth graders hide ten Jewish children from the Nazis in occupied France.
World War II, France

Caddie Woodlawn
  Carol Ryrie Brink
The exciting adventures of Caddie Woodlawn, whose tomboyish childhood was spent on the Wisconsin frontier.
1860s, USA

The Courage of Sarah Noble
  Alice Dalgliesh
Eight year-old Sarah must keep up her courage when she lives for a short time with the Indian family of Tall John in the Connecticut woods. Based on a true story.
1700s, USA

The Matchlock Gun
  Walter D. Edmonds
During his father’s absence, young Edward van Alstyne must protect his mother and little sister from an Indian attack in this exciting story.
1700s, USA

Morning Girl
  Michael Dorris
Morning Girl, a Taino living in the West Indies, describes her island life before the arrival of the first Europeans.
1492, West Indies

Understood Betsy
  Dorothy Canfield Fisher
A timid girl discovers her own strengths and abilities when she goes to live with her relatives on 
their Vermont farm.
1800s, USA

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
  Jean Fritz
The talents and adventures of Paul Revere, and the exciting times in which he lived.
1700s, USA

This Time, Tempe Wick?
  Patricia Lee Gauch
A Revolutionary War story about a girl and her horse.
Revolutionary War, USA

The Lion and the Unicorn
  Shirley Hughes
A Jewish boy living in London during the Blitz in World War II is evacuated to the countryside where he finds the true meaning of courage.
World War II, England

A Tournament of Knights
  Joe Lasker
A young knight prepares for his first tournament in this illustrated, fact-filled book.
Middle Ages

Ben and Me
  Robert Lawson
The friendship and adventures of Amos the mouse and Benjamin Franklin are recounted by Amos in 
this funny book.
1700s, USA

Nim and the War Effort
  Milly Lee
In San Francisco, a young Chinese-American girl does her best to help in the war effort during World War II.
World War II, USA

Sarah, Plain and Tall
  Patricia MacLachlan
When Caleb and Anna’s father advertises for a wife, Sarah, who is plain
and tall, comes from Maine to live with them and captivates them all.
1800s, USA

Baseball Saved Us
  Ken Mochizuki
A Japanese-American boy learns to play baseball in an internment camp.
World War II, USA

The House on Stink Alley
  F. N. Monjo
Young Love Brewster narrates this story of the Pilgrims, who, after
leaving England, and before sailing on the Mayflower, sought refuge in Holland.
1600s, Holland

Beethoven Lives Upstairs
  Barbara Nichol
A young boy’s letters tell about his musical and eccentric neighbor.
1800s, Austria

Pink and Say
  Patricia Polacco
Two soldiers on opposite sides become friends during the Civil War.
Civil War, USA

Trouble at the Mines
  Doreen Rappaport
During the 1898 coal miner’s strike in Pennsylvania, a young girl hopes that Mother Jones, “the miner’s angel,” will lead the miners to victory.
1890s, USA

Good-bye for Today: The Diary of A Young Girl at Sea
  Peter Roop
A young girl’s journal of her exciting and dangerous trip aboard her
father’s whaling ship during a trip from Japan to the Arctic seas.
1800s

Mei Fuh: Memories from China
  Edith Schaeffer
The lives of a young American girl and her parents in China at the beginning of the last century.
Early 1900s, China

The Good Master
  Kate Seredy
City-born Kate is an enthusiastic visitor to her cousin’s Hungarian farm.
1800s, Hungary

The Little Riders
  Margaretha Shemin
During World War II a Dutch town is occupied by German troops.
World War II, Netherlands

The Minstrel in the Tower
  Gloria Skurzynski
A brother and sister travel through the French countryside in search of their wealthy uncle.
1100s, France

The Gold Cadillac
  Mildred Taylor
An African-American family’s trip south in their new car in the 1950s.
1950s, USA

Boy of the Deeps
  Ian Wallace
A boy joins his father in the coal mines deep under the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
1900s, Nova Scotia

The Little House in the Big Woods
  Laura Ingalls Wilder
The day to day lives of a pioneer family in the Midwest.
1800s, USA

Coolies
  Yin
Two Chinese brothers endure harsh, dangerous, and demeaning years when they work as coolies during the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
1800s, USA

The Ballad of the Pirate Queens
  Jane Yolen
The story of two famous women pirates who lived during the 1700s.
1700s, Americas

 

These and other great books are available at
The Children’s Library    
 Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15228
   412/531-1913     
www.einetwork.net/ein/mtleb
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