# Historical Fiction books assigned in US schools

**52** books in the Historical Fiction genre that US schools assign. Sourced from state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Lexile range:** 560L–1420L
**Grade span:** 2–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/historical-fiction
**Wikipedia (entity):** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_fiction
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Recurring themes

- history (13)
- family (12)
- courage (10)
- survival (8)
- historical fiction (5)
- friendship (4)
- war (4)
- Holocaust (3)
- drama (3)
- perseverance (3)

## Authors in this genre

- Alan Gratz (3)
- Christopher Paul Curtis (2)
- Jennifer A. Nielsen (2)
- Lauren Tarshis (2)
- Ruta Sepetys (2)
- William Shakespeare (2)
- Ann M. Martin
- Avi
- Charles Dickens
- Colm Tóibín

## Historical Fiction titles

- [A Corner of the Universe](https://readinglist.school/book/a-corner-of-the-universe) by Ann M. Martin _(Grades 5–8)_
- [A Farewell to Arms](https://readinglist.school/book/a-farewell-to-arms) by Ernest Hemingway _(Grades 11–12)_
- [A Long Walk to Water](https://readinglist.school/book/a-long-walk-to-water) by Linda Sue Park _(720L · Grades 5–8)_
- [A Night Divided](https://readinglist.school/book/a-night-divided) by Jennifer A. Nielsen _(Grades 5–8)_
- [A Season of Gifts](https://readinglist.school/book/a-season-of-gifts) by Richard Peck _(Grades 3–8)_
- [A Tale of Two Cities](https://readinglist.school/book/a-tale-of-two-cities) by Charles Dickens _(1170L · Grades 9–12)_
- [All We Have Left](https://readinglist.school/book/all-we-have-left) by Wendy Mills _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Allies](https://readinglist.school/book/allies) by Alan Gratz _(Grades 5–9)_
- [Antony and Cleopatra](https://readinglist.school/book/antony-and-cleopatra) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 9–10)_
- [Barbed Wire Baseball](https://readinglist.school/book/barbed-wire-baseball) by Marissa Moss _(Grades 3–8)_
- [Billy Budd](https://readinglist.school/book/billy-budd) by Herman Melville _(Grades 11–12)_
- [Black Ships Before Troy](https://readinglist.school/book/black-ships-before-troy) by Rosemary Sutcliff _(Grades 6–8)_
- [Brooklyn](https://readinglist.school/book/brooklyn) by Colm Tóibín _(Grades 9–10)_
- [Bud, Not Buddy](https://readinglist.school/book/bud-not-buddy) by Christopher Paul Curtis _(950L · Grades 4–7)_
- [Code Name Kingfisher](https://readinglist.school/book/code-name-kingfisher) by Liz Kessler _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Death and the King's Horseman](https://readinglist.school/book/death-and-the-kings-horseman) by Wole Soyinka _(Grades 11–12)_
- [Dragonwings](https://readinglist.school/book/dragonwings) by Laurence Yep _(870L · Grades 6–8)_
- [Echo](https://readinglist.school/book/echo) by Pam Muñoz Ryan _(680L · Grades 5–8)_
- [Fever 1793](https://readinglist.school/book/fever-1793) by Laurie Halse Anderson _(Grades 2–8)_
- [Good Night, Mr. Tom](https://readinglist.school/book/good-night-mr-tom) by Michelle Magorian _(Grades 6–8)_
- [Henry IV, Part 1](https://readinglist.school/book/henry-iv-part-1) by William Shakespeare _(Grades 11–12)_
- [I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871](https://readinglist.school/book/i-survived-the-great-chicago-fire-1871) by Lauren Tarshis _(Grades 3–6)_
- [I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912](https://readinglist.school/book/i-survived-the-sinking-of-the-titanic-1912) by Lauren Tarshis _(590L · Grades 2–5)_
- [Iceberg](https://readinglist.school/book/iceberg) by Jennifer A. Nielsen _(Grades 3–7)_
- [Jude the Obscure](https://readinglist.school/book/jude-the-obscure) by Thomas Hardy _(Grades 11–12)_
- [Lewis and Clark and Me](https://readinglist.school/book/lewis-and-clark-and-me) by Laurie Myers _(Grades 3–6)_
- [Mansfield Park](https://readinglist.school/book/mansfield-park) by Jane Austen _(Grades 11–12)_
- [My Ántonia](https://readinglist.school/book/my-antonia) by Willa Cather _(1010L · Grades 10–12)_
- [Nightjohn](https://readinglist.school/book/nightjohn) by Gary Paulsen _(Grades 6–8)_
- [Nothing Else But Miracles](https://readinglist.school/book/nothing-else-but-miracles) by Kate Albus _(Grades 3–7)_
- [One Crazy Summer](https://readinglist.school/book/one-crazy-summer) by Rita Williams-Garcia _(750L · Grades 5–8)_
- [Pink and Say](https://readinglist.school/book/pink-and-say) by Patricia Polacco _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Private Peaceful](https://readinglist.school/book/private-peaceful) by Michael Morpurgo _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Projekt 1065](https://readinglist.school/book/projekt-1065) by Alan Gratz _(Grades 5–9)_
- [Refugee](https://readinglist.school/book/refugee) by Alan Gratz _(800L · Grades 5–9)_
- [Rifles for Watie](https://readinglist.school/book/rifles-for-watie) by Harold Keith _(Grades 5–9)_
- [Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry](https://readinglist.school/book/roll-of-thunder-hear-my-cry) by Mildred D. Taylor _(920L · Grades 6–8)_
- [Salt to the Sea](https://readinglist.school/book/salt-to-the-sea) by Ruta Sepetys _(560L · Grades 8–12)_
- [The Book Thief](https://readinglist.school/book/the-book-thief) by Markus Zusak _(730L · Grades 8–11)_
- [The Cats in Krasinski Square](https://readinglist.school/book/the-cats-in-krasinski-square) by Karen Hesse _(Grades 3–8)_
- [The Cay](https://readinglist.school/book/the-cay) by Theodore Taylor _(Grades 5–8)_
- [The Devil's Arithmetic](https://readinglist.school/book/the-devils-arithmetic) by Jane Yolen _(730L · Grades 5–8)_
- [The Downstairs Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-downstairs-girl) by Stacey Lee _(Grades 3–8)_
- [The Fighting Ground](https://readinglist.school/book/the-fighting-ground) by Avi _(Grades 4–8)_
- [The Fountains of Silence](https://readinglist.school/book/the-fountains-of-silence) by Ruta Sepetys _(Grades 9–12)_
- [The Killer Angels](https://readinglist.school/book/the-killer-angels) by Michael Shaara _(Grades 9–10)_
- [The Scarlet Letter](https://readinglist.school/book/the-scarlet-letter) by Nathaniel Hawthorne _(1420L · Grades 10–12)_
- [The Underground Railroad](https://readinglist.school/book/the-underground-railroad) by Colson Whitehead _(Grades 11–12)_
- [The War I Finally Won](https://readinglist.school/book/the-war-i-finally-won) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley _(Grades 5–8)_
- [The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963](https://readinglist.school/book/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham-1963) by Christopher Paul Curtis _(1000L · Grades 5–8)_
- [Torch](https://readinglist.school/book/torch) by Lyn Miller-Lachmann _(Grades 9–12)_
- [When](https://readinglist.school/book/when) by Laurie McBain _(Grades 6–8)_

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. JSON API: https://readinglist.school/api/genre/historical-fiction · HTML view: https://readinglist.school/genre/historical-fiction._