Hello once more! This is Week 8 of Literature for Children and Adolescents. This week is... Historical Fiction!! I know history sounds boring, it does for me too, but a lot of these stories are really neat! The trick is finding the time period that interests you most.
Historical fiction is good because it allows children to see what it was like to live in another time period, but through another child's eyes. This allows the child to better relate to the time period they are reading about, whether it is twenty years ago or two hundred.
It is very important when an author is writing historical fiction that the characters and setting are true to the time period. Otherwise, the reader doesn't gain belief in the story and loses interest. Also if these aspects are regarded, they could greatly mislead the reader about what occurred during the time period.
For books on ancient times until the Middle Ages some of the themes include- loyalty is noble, love is stronger than hate and prevails through trouble, people can overcome handicaps and they do not lessen their humanity, and courage is more important that physical strength. For books on changes in the Old World and discovery of the New World some themes include- Greed can be a destructive motivational force, moral dilemmas must be faced and solved, people must work together to survive, land is important, and war creates tragedy. Books about the Salem Witch Trials include these themes- prejudiced persecution is destuctive and frightening, people seek freedom from persecution, moral obligations require some to defend the rights of others. Books about the American Revolution include the themes- freedom is worth fighting for, and strong beliefs require strong commitments. Books on the early expansion of the U.S. include some of these themes- friendship and faith are important, people long for freedom and their own land, to achieve dreams people withstand great hardships, strong family bonds help survival. Books on the Civil War (or War Between the States) include some of these themes- prejudice and hatred are very destructive, moral obligations must be met even when faced with death or loss of freedom, people should take pride in their accomplishments. Books on the frontier include- families can survive by working together, people need each other, without spiritual hope people may lose their will to live. Books on the early 20th century include- monetary wealth doesn't create a rich life, there's a bond between those who experience injustice, people will strive for survival. Finally books on WWII include- people seek freedom from religious and political persecution, prejudice and hate are destructive, moral obligation and personal conscience are strong forces, and family love and loyalty help people to deal with great hardships.
My favorite historical fiction books are Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. This is about a young frontier girl who lives in the time when there is great mistrust between the western settlers and the Indians. Caddie is friends with the neighboring Indian tribe, must to the dislike of her parents and her neighbors, but also the Indian tribe isn't very fond of the white settlers either. So when her community is attacked by Indians, and the settlers immediately think it is the tribe which Caddie is friends with, she is caught in the middle. Does she stand by her family and neighbors or does she warn her Indian friends they are in danger of being attacked in retaliation? This book is great because it shows the courage this very young girl has to have in a harsh new land where friends are few. Another favorite is Briar Rose by Jane Yolen. This is a tale of young Rebecca, who grew up listening to her "Gemma" tell a tale of sleeping beauty. When Rebecca grows up, she realizes the tale might not have been just a tale after all. This story of Sleeping beauty is ingeniously intwined into the Holocaust and keeps you dying to get to the next page. This book is for teens!! Also take caution parents, although I HIGHLY recommend this book, it does contain homosexuality. If you do not condone this, then this book is not for your teen.
Until next week, I leave you with this: Remember what you do today and learn from it, for tomorrow, today will be history and it is not wise to repeat history.