J FIC Historical Fiction

The Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes  (Newbery Honor)

 This Newbery Honor classic, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist, is a beautifully written tribute to the power of kindness, acceptance, and standing up for what's right. Wanda Petronski is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. She claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn’t. When Wanda is pulled out of school one day, the class feels terrible, and classmate Maddie decides that she is "never going to stand by and say nothing again." A gentle tale about bullies, bystanders, and having the courage to speak up.

 J FIC Estes

The Doll with the Yellow Star – Yona McDonough

Nine-year-old Claudine doesn't want to leave her much-loved home in France to go live in America, not without her parents. But she knows about the shortages, about the yellow stars Jews must wear, and about Adolf Hitler. And she knows that there are some things she needs to do even when she doesn't want to. It's wartime, and there is much that is different now. There are more things that Claudine will lose to this terrible war. But not everything that is lost must be lost forever. Here is a moving story about lost and found lives, and the healing power of love.

J FIC McDonough

Stone Fox – John Gardiner  (Newbery Honor)

Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.

J FIC Gardiner

In the Eye of the Storm: the Adventures of  Young Buffalo Bill

Things have changed dramatically for nine-year-old Bill since his father left home. He is suddenly the man of the house and must help his family survive the bitter-cold winter. And to top it all off, he now has to go to school!But with his new responsibilities come nightmares and worries. Bill has never felt more alone. Even his favorite sister, Julia, doesn't seem to understand him anymore. When Pa finally returns, frail and weak, life gets even more confusing. What is Bill's role in the family now? Can he stop the border ruffians, who have vowed to drive the Codys off their land, from returning?

J FIC Kimmel

Who Gives a Hoot: Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet – Jacqueline Kelly

Out in their boat exploring the San Marcos River, Callie and Granddaddy see all kinds of nature―fish, mockingbirds, ammonites, and more. But when Callie spots an owl in the water, she knows it's in trouble. With quick thinking and quick action, she and Granddaddy bring the bird aboard―but will they be able to save its life?

J FIC Kelly

Stranger on the Silk Road – Jessica Gunderson

 Song Sun likes to talk but never listens. After talking too much to a stranger, Song Sun accidentally gives away the Chinese secret of silk making.

 J FIC Gunderson

Honey Cake – Joan Stuchner

 David and his family live in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, until September 1943 when their neighbors help smuggle them to Sweden to escape Hitler's orders to send the Danish Jews to concentration camps. Includes a recipe for honey cake, typically made to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

 J FIC Stuchner

Sing Down the Moon – Scott O’Dell  (Newbery Honor)

The Navajo tribe's forced march from their homeland to Fort Sumner by white soldiers and settlers is dramatically and courageously told by young Bright Morning. The Spanish Slavers were an ever-present threat to the Navaho way of life. One lovely spring day, fourteen-year-old Bright Morning and her friend Running Bird took their sheep to pasture. The sky was clear blue against the red buttes of the Canyon de Chelly, and the fields and orchards of the Navahos promised a rich harvest. Bright Morning was happy as she gazed across the beautiful valley that was the home of her tribe. She turned when Black Dog barked, and it was then that she saw the Spanish slavers riding straight toward her.

J FIC O’Dell

Freedom Songs: A Tale of the Underground Railroad – Trina Robbins

Sarah is a slave in Maryland during the 1850s. She knows her only chance at freedom is to head North, where slavery is illegal. To get there, though, Sarah needs help from members of the Underground Railroad. But who can she trust?

J FIC Robbins

 Riding the Pony Express – Deborah Kent

 When her father dies suddenly, 15-year-old Lexie McDonald is left an orphanin the Wyoming territory. Her brother, Callum, is on the run, accused of a crime he didn't commit, and plans are in place to send Lexie to live with an aunt in New York City. Rather than be separated from her beloved horse Cougar, Lexie disguises herself as a boy and sets out along the dangerous Pony Express trail to find Callum and clear his name.

J FIC Kent

 Grandfather’s Dance – Patricia MacLachlan

 Could anything be more perfect than a prairie wedding? Cassie Witting doesn't think so, for her sister Anna's wedding brings two lovebirds together, aunts from faraway Maine, a long white dress with a wedding veil, dancing under a clear blue sky, and a world that smells of roses. As the Witting family comes together for this most special day, Cassie sees that life brings the change of seasons, brother Jack on Grandfather's lap, joy, sorrow, and a special dance only Grandfather does.

J FIC MacLachlan

 Bear Dancer: The Story of a Ute Girl – Thelma Hatch Wyss

 Elk Girl, sister of a Ute chief, lives a traditional life with her tribe high in the Rocky Mountains in 1860. Elk Girl is bold: She loves to hunt deer with her brother, and she races her pony to win. She also knows the importance of ceremonies like the Bear Dance, which wakes the bears from hibernation and celebrates spring. All of that changes when Cheyenne warriors capture Elk Girl. They take her to the Great Plains and make her a slave. On the Plains, Elk Girl encounters white men for the first time, and she sees how the Cheyenne have come to depend on their handouts. She also sees the truth of what her brother has told her: The white men are the real enemy. Their soldiers are everywhere. Even if Elk Girl could escape, how would she get home? Thelma Hatch Wyss has crafted a moving story based on the life of a real girl. It is both a gripping personal adventure and a compelling look at two cultures confronting each other at a pivotal time of change.

J FIC Wyss

 Pioneer Cat – William H. Hooks

 Nine-year-old Kate Purdy is traveling from Missouri to Oregon by wagon train, and she’s worried. She isn’t worried about how long the trip will be or the hardships she’ll have to suffer. She’s worried about Snuggs—the pretty little cat who took a shine to her and decided to come along for the ride, even though there are no pets allowed on the wagon train. So no matter what happens, Snuggs the cat has to stay a secret!

J FIC Hooks

 Bell’s Star (Horse Diaries #2) – Alison Hart

 In the Vermont spring of 1853, Bell's Star, a Morgan horse, and his owner Katie rescue a runaway slave by outwitting the slave catchers in order to help her to freedom.

 J FIC Hart

 The Last Cowboys – Harry Horse

 Grandfather and Roo, a remarkable dog with a vivid imagination, set off from England to America on an exciting expedition to the Wild, Wild West. The intrepid travelers are in search of Roo’s grandfather, rumored to be living among cowboys following a successful movie career. Grandfather and Roo land in Hollywood, and after a movie studio tour, they embark on a bus trip that ends abruptly with the two of them dumped by the side of the road. The pair hitchhike through the Grand Canyon before finally reaching One Horse Town, which has been overrun by a gang of lawless horses. After a narrow nighttime escape and chilly nights camping in caves, Roo is joyfully reunited with Old Blue, his grandfather. Cleverly told through Grandfather’s affectionate letters written to a grandchild back home, The Last Cowboys is another hilarious, original adventure featuring this immensely charming twosome. 

J FIC Horse

 I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900 (#21) – Lauren Tarshis

 The city of Galveston was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds. True, this glittering city was prone to flooding. But just a few years before, a weather forecaster had said the idea of a hurricane striking Galveston was absurd. So, when a storm started brewing on September 8, 1900, no one believed it would be any worse than previous storms. They gathered on the beach to cheer on the wild waves. But what started as entertainment soon turned into a nightmare as those wild waves crashed into the city. By morning, hundreds of homes were destroyed. Eight thousand people were dead. The city had all but disappeared,

J FIC Tarshis

Time Traveling History series:

Magic Treehouse – Mary Pope Osborne

Ranger in Time – Kate Messner

Blast to the Past – Stacia Deutsch

Capitol Kids – Ronald Kidd