Historical Fiction Books for 5th Graders

It’s the year 1905, and Shoshana, her mother, and sisters have fled their home in Ukraine and moved to reunite with her father and older brother in North Dakota. There, the family lives in a prairie dugout and Shoshana and her big sister Libke start attending school. Soon, the girls–especially Shoshana–begin to experience prejudice because of their Jewish religion and culture. Shoshana is tempted to blend into the mostly Christian community around her, but is that the right path to acceptance? Her sister Libke certainly disagrees. A Sky Full of Song is a moving, enlightening, and important middle grade book about immigration, prejudice, and life on the prairie.

The Orphan Band of Springdale, set in 1940s America, as World War II rages in Europe, is Gusta Neubronner’s story. Left behind by her father on a bus, eleven-year-old Gusta moves into her grandmother’s orphanage. While there, the nearsighted, snaggletoothed girl learns about family, sacrifice and the bitter taste of prejudice. Central to Gusta’s story is the French horn that is “the bravest part of her – her sweet, large, secret, brassy voice.” Gusta is one of my favorite child protagonists in a long time. I was filled with tremendous admiration for the character that Nesbet has created. It is also ultimately refreshing to read a book that will simultaneously ignite in children a curiosity for history while creating awareness about prejudice. I particularly enjoyed reading how the kids dealt with discrimination and of the wonderful bond between them all.

Mia Tang is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel with her parents in the 1980s. They run the motel for its crooked owner, Mr Yao. Mia runs the front desk, and soon she realizes that her parents use the motel to protect undocumented immigrants. I highly recommend this debut by Kelly Yang. It deals with heavier topics like racism, class prejudice, the value of diligence, and the struggles of immigrants in a dignified, relatable way for kids.

In One Crazy Summer, eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She’s had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.

When Winter Robeson came to visit his cousin, Eden, in the summer of 1965, he had another agenda. Winter is a 13-year-old boy visiting Los Angeles from Mississippi. Unbeknownst to Eden and her family, Winter isn’t just there to see Disneyland — he’s looking for his father, J.T. Robeson, who came to LA 12 years ago and never returned. Eventually, he gets Eden to help him in his search. Not long after, the Watts Riot erupts. When Winter Robeson Came is a rich, immersive middle grade verse novel about family, LA in 1965, and the mystery of a missing parent.

In Three Strike Summer, young Gloria and her family lose their farm when an unending drought leads to a lack of produce. They move to California to find work and eventually start picking peaches on a farm. The family is also reeling from the loss of Gloria’s baby brother and struggling to contain Gloria’s spunky attitude, which often gets her in trouble. At the farm, Gloria quickly discovers a baseball team (with only boys! who don’t want a girl on the team!) and is ready to do what it takes to join the team. At the same time, ripples of discontent with working wages lead to organizing that puts Gloria and her family in a precarious position. Three Strike Summer is a punchy, inspiring historical middle grade book about family, baseball, and life on farms during the Great Depression.

Kate Albus’s debut middle-grade book, A Place to Hang the Moon, follows three orphaned kids in England during the WWII evacuation. Orphans William, Edmund, and Anna (aged 12, 11, and 9) are evacuated after their (not nice) grandmother dies. The kids are instructed not to disclose how well off their family is until they’re placed with a new family that feels like a forever family. In their new countryside dwelling, the kids are placed with several poorly matched families. The first family has twin boys who are just horrid, and the second family is too poor (and couldn’t care less about them besides the money she’s paid to look after them). Through it all, the children take solace in each other, stories from William about their parents, and their love of books and the town library. A Place to Hang the Moon is a heartwarming, immersive middle-grade debut. Grades 4+

In Not Your All-American Girl, Lauren is Jewish and Chinese. It’s the 1980s and Lauren and her best friend — who’s blonde with blue eyes — do everything together. So when they don’t have any sixth-grade classes together, they’re bummed! They decide that they will audition for their school’s musical so that they can at least have that time together. Lauren’s audition goes swimmingly, and she’s obviously the better singer than Tara (even better than any of the other kids), but when the cast list is released, Lauren is only part of the ensemble, and Tara is cast as the lead. Upon confronting the director, she explains that Lauren’s half-Jewish, half-Chinese looks don’t match the role of “all-American girl” in the “all-American town” depicted in their musical. This encounter opens Lauren’s eyes to several microaggressions and brings to the fore her issues with being biracial and looking different from others at her predominantly white school. This book is a vital look at racial prejudice in the 1980s through a fun, engaging lens. 

As a non-fan of historical fiction, I was pleasantly surprised by this debut middle grade novel. Set in 1930s New York, where a tuberculosis epidemic is raging, it follows Halle, whose mother is diagnosed with the disease and sent off to JN Adams Sanatarium in Perrysburg. There, everyone, including people of all races, is welcome, and patients are treated with exposure to light and air. Soon, Halle ends up there to treat pneumonia. This book is accessible, plain-spoken, and truly written for kids without dumbing down or info dumping. The characters are richly drawn, and the subject matter is intriguing and rarely explored in books for kids. It’s impressive that the author has created a book all about tuberculosis with a rich, moving, adventurous, and tender plot balancing friendship, family, mystery, and history all at once. Grades 4+

Perennial daydreamer Lucy Landry moves in with the family of a lighthouse keeper, Mr. Martin after the death of her guardian. Her overactive imagination initially puts off most of the Martin kids, but as Lucy fumbles through her day-to-day with the Martins, they start to fall for her spunky self, especially when she shares the riveting legend her father told her about a ruby necklace lost on a shipwrecked boat years before. Soon, Lucy convinces Ainsley, the oldest Martin, to go to Mermaid’s Corner with her to find the necklace. This charming young middle grade book is perfect for fans of classics and has serious cozy vibes for fans of The Penderwicks, The Vanderbeekers, and classic sibling stories. There’s also a lot of fascinating history about the lives of lighthouse keepers and I enjoyed learning lots about them. Grades 4+

Living in 80s Taiwan with her mother, Ai Shi (Anna) eagerly anticipates living in the beautiful country (the US) where their father moved a few months ago. As she gives away her favorite clothes and toys to cousins in preparation for the move, she can’t help but brag about the new life awaiting them. But she’s in for a shock when they arrive at their cramped apartment. Her father was conned into buying a failing fast-food restaurant, and Anna’s parents struggle to make ends meet. At school, she feels like an outsider since she can barely speak English. On top of that, her parents are dealing with some unkind customers who mistreat them because they’re Asians. Can Anna find her way? In the Beautiful Country is a moving, poignant, and lyrical verse novel about immigration, identity, food and family. 

William “Scoob” Lamar is hoping to make a clean getaway with his white G-ma. Especially because his dad is mad at him after an unpleasant school incident and subsequent suspension. At first he’s happy to be spending time with this G-ma, but soon, he realizes that this isn’t quite the trip he expected. As Scoob and G-ma travel through the US South, G-ma lets him into family history: his grandfather’s life, G-ma’s misdeeds, and what life was like when Black people needed the Green Book to move through the US. Clean Getaway, Nic Stone’s middle grade debut is a fast-paced, clever story full of twists and a sense of adventure.

It’s the 1930s, and Bea wakes up in a hayloft to a note from her dad, who’s abandoned her and her little sister Viv to a family friend they’ve never met. There, Bea works hard to be helpful to Mrs. Scott, in the hopes that the farm owner will keep her and her sister forever. She also forms a bond with a wild horse on the farm, which may just be the key to keeping the failing farm afloat. This book is heartwarming and action-packed, with plenty of historical connections for the classroom! If you’d like to teach this one, I have a discussion guide for it.

It’s the 1880s, and Hanna lives with her caucasian father after the death of her Chinese mother. Determined to get an education and start a business, Hanna gets enrolled in the community school. Unfortunately, some in the community feel uncomfortable with Hanna being partly of Chinese descent and protest her attendance by withdrawing their kids from the school. Between racism, gender inequality, and loneliness, Hanna has plenty of challenges to overcome — and she does!

I ADORED this young middle grade historical fiction set in the 1930s Vinegar Hill community in Charlottesville, Virginia. Albeit set during the Jim Crow era, it focuses on a thriving African American community, especially 10-year-old Allie Lewis, who is desperate to find her mom a husband and herself a father after her no-good father left them when she was a baby. She’s also dealing with a nemesis in her class named Gwen, who always seems to want to outdo Allie. Imagine Allie’s despair when her mom likes no other man than Gwen’s uncle and Allie’s band teacher. This book is short (208 pages), FUNNY, charming, and historically enlightening without being full of Black pain. It would make a wonderful read-aloud for families who enjoy Anna Rose Johnson’s and Kate Albus’s writing but want more Black stories with less slavery and strife. Perfect for grades 3-5.

Four orphans, Lucy, Nico, Eugene, and (Not-Bald) Doris, are four orphans who decide to escape from The Home for Unfriendly Children, their awful orphanage in the 1930s. Their poorly planned escape plan leads them to become circus apprentices. But Lucy has selective mutism, being able to speak but never speaking since some incidents with the home’s matron, which makes it hard to get a job in the circus. With the home’s matron hunting down Lucy, Lucy’s sister searching for her, and Lucy desperately trying to find her voice again so she can belong in the circus, this book takes readers on a surprising but heartwarming adventure. A Place to Hang the Moon meets The Greatest Showman, Orphan Eleven is an enchanting historical adventure for fans of orphan stories and the circus.

 It’s set in modern times and follows two best friends (soon-to-be sixth graders) who stumble upon a family heirloom of Nancy Strong Smith. In solving the mystery, they learn a ton about Revolutionary period history. It’s 224 pages long and feels like a perfect teacher’s book. I think younger kids in grades 3+ will like it as a read-aloud because of the mystery element, but it fills a gaping hole for historical fiction set in the Revolutionary period. I enjoyed it as well as I could for a young middle grade–those don’t tend to be my favorites.

It’s the 1970s, and Judi loves to shoot hoops in the driveway with her brother and his friends. She hopes she can join a basketball team someday, but her school doesn’t have a female team. So when she gets to high school, she chooses the next best thing: cheerleading with her best friend Stacey. But one day, the school announces that they’re starting a team for the girls because of the Title IX ruling. Unfortunately, as willing as the girls who sign up are (Judi inclusive), there’s little to no funding for their team. They have to DIY their jerseys and practice only when the boys’ team isn’t using the court. On top of that, Stacey is upset that Judi has left cheerleading to play ball, and some girls want to quit because they’re so frustrated. Can Judi and the team make it work? Hoops is a fantastic, historical middle grade graphic novel about equality and basketball set against the backdrop of the rise of a female basketball team in the 1970s.

It’s 1998 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the middle of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Kavi is dealing with her own personal upheavals. Her mother has remarried her father’s best friend after his death and is expecting a new baby. Meanwhile, Kavi is getting sent to the city on a scholarship to an elite private school. There, she starts telling lies about a life of wealth and grandeur– small at first, then bigger and bigger — to fit in with the rich kids until she begins to lose herself. I Am Kavi is a touching verse novel about a young girl adapting to changes in her world and finding her voice amidst the Sri Lankan civil war. 

Valentina and Oksana are classmates and neighbors living in Pryapta near Chornobyl when the nuclear explosion occurs. Valentina is Jewish, and Oksana is Ukrainian. Oksana’s father is abusive and dies in the explosion, and Oksana’s mother isn’t allowed to leave because of her high radiation exposure, so Oksana is forced to leave with Valentina and her mother. This book had many surprising twists and plenty of rich historical detail. It’s very good on audio and kept me hooked from start to finish in under 24 hours. It is similar to The Lost Year but less graphic and shocking and would work for younger students wanting less graphic wartime descriptions. It does follow an alternate timeline with Rifka, Valentina’s grandmother as we see how she came to be in Leningrad and how her faith sustained her. Big themes of friendship, religious tolerance, holocaust, and self-worth. Very satisfying ending.