Collection: Historical Fiction

"A fast-paced, exhilarating story about a boarding school shrouded in secrecy and the girl who will do anything to right the institution's wrongs." --Jessica Goodman, Indiebound bestselling author of They Wish They Were Us

Critically acclaimed author Jordyn Taylor weaves an addictive thriller perfect for fans of Truly Devious.

Eva has never felt like she belonged . . . not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So, when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.

But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick's biggest secrets buried?

1962:

There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick's nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can't pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school's golden boy.

However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this "test" than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.

Separated by sixty years, Eva and Connie's stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.

The #1 bestselling author of Cooking for Picasso and The Godmothers returns with The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a dazzling historical novel that brings readers into the glamorous world of the first (and doomed) Cannes Film Festival and the deadly atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war.

Summer, 1939. The glittering Côte d'Azur is having a particularly brilliant season, as the world's wealthiest vacationers collide with Hollywood's illustrious movie stars for the first-ever film festival on the French Riviera.

Into this hothouse playground comes an American named Annabel Faucon. Having left a dead-end job and a broken heart back in New York, she's escaped to a summer stint at the fabulous Grand Hotel, where her uncle is the manager. But when a major movie studio brings its flock of stars to stay at the hotel, Annabel is handpicked to "keep an eye on" two of the mysterious arrivals: a screenwriter who's been "in his cups" and a renegade actor who keeps luring the studio's female star into his independent productions.

The arrival of Nazi guests only intensifies the situation. Suddenly everyone is watching everybody else during this feverish last summer before the outbreak of World War II. Faced with international spies who will stop at nothing to get what they want, Annabel finds herself embroiled in murder, intrigue, and a race against the clock to disrupt a secret Nazi communications system.

Inspired by true events and the histories of three great hotels on the Côte d'Azur--with appearances by such real-life luminaries as Marlene Dietrich, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Cagney, and Mae West--The Girl from the Grand Hotel is a brilliant page-turner that is not to be missed.

A promise keeps them apart until WWII threatens to destroy their love forever

Fonzaso Italy, between two wars

Nina Argenta doesn't want the traditional life of a rural Italian woman. The daughter of a strong-willed midwife, she is determined to define her own destiny. But when her brother emigrates to America, she promises her mother to never leave.

When childhood friend Pietro Pante briefly returns to their mountain town, passion between them ignites while Mussolini forces political tensions to rise. Just as their romance deepens, Pietro must leave again for work in the coal mines of America. Nina is torn between joining him and her commitment to Italy and her mother.

As Mussolini's fascists throw the country into chaos and Hitler's Nazis terrorise their town, each day becomes a struggle to survive greater atrocities. A future with Pietro seems impossible when they lose contact and Nina's dreams of a life together are threatened by Nazi occupation and an enemy she must face alone...

A gripping historical fiction novel, based on a true story and heartbreaking real events.

Spanning over two decades, Under the Light of the Italian Moon is an epic, emotional and triumphant tale of one woman's incredible resilience during the rise of fascism and Italy's collapse into WWII.

'An enthralling, richly crafted story of bold women resisting destruction, death and fascism.'

- Robin Pickering-Iazzi, Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The Tale of Genji is the Japanese classic written by the noblewoman Lady Murasaki in the 11th century. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first psychological novel, or the first novel still to be considered a classic. While hard to classify precisely, it is universally considered a masterpiece in both Western and Eastern fiction.

The novelist Yasunari Kawabata said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "The Tale of Genji in particular is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even down to our day there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it."

Critics have often described The Tale of Genji as the oldest, first, and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature.

The author of the "magnificent...complex, vivid" (New York Journal of Books) Sin Eater returns with a rousing and propulsive novel based on the astonishing true story of the first female Pinkerton detective whose next assignment could end the Civil War.

Kate Warner is many things: the country's first female detective, a Pinkerton agent, and a union spy.

It's August 1861, and her latest assignment could finally end the bloody war and bring the fractured United States together again. All she has to do is win the trust of her captive: Confederate spy and socialite Rose Greenhow. But with Rose well aware of Kate's working-class background and belief in abolitionism, it seems an impossible task. Worst, Kate has secrets that make her vulnerable, such as her forbidden love affair with a colleague.

With time running out, Kate faces not only the moral and political divides between herself and Rose but also the ones she made in her own heart and life. Can she make the difficult decision over which divides are worth crossing? Or will she fail the most important assignment of her career in this spellbinding and moving new novel from Megan Campisi?

"The best book about politics ever written for children." --The Washington Post

50th Anniversary Edition, now in paperback

DO YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE PUSHCART WAR? THE REAL HISTORY?

It's a story of how regular people banded together and, armed with little more than their brains and good aim, defeated a mighty foe.

Not long ago the streets of New York City were smelly, smoggy, sooty, and loud. There were so many trucks making deliveries that it might take an hour for a car to travel a few blocks. People blamed the truck owners and the truck owners blamed the little wooden pushcarts that traveled the city selling everything from flowers to hot dogs. Behind closed doors the truck owners declared war on the pushcart peddlers. Carts were smashed from Chinatown to Chelsea. The peddlers didn't have money or the mayor on their side, but that didn't stop them from fighting back. They used pea shooters to blow tacks into the tires of trucks, they outwitted the police, and they marched right up to the grilles of those giant trucks and dared them to drive down their streets. Today, thanks to the ingenuity of the pushcart peddlers, the streets belong to the people--and to the pushcarts.

The Pushcart War was first published more than fifty years ago. It has inspired generations of children and been adapted for television, radio, and the stage around the world. It was included on School Library Journal's list of One Hundred Books That Shaped the Twentieth Century, and its assertion that a committed group of men and women can prevail against a powerful force is as relevant in the twenty-first century as it was in 1964.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln''s Dressmaker and the Elm Creek Quilts series comes a moving novel following a daughter's search for her mother's treasured heirlooms.

When precious heirloom quilts hand-stitched by her mother turn up missing from the attic of Elm Creek Manor, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson resolves to find them. From scant resources--journal entries, receipts, and her own fading memories--she pieces together clues, then queries quilting friends from around the world. When dozens of leads arrive via the Internet, Sylvia and her fiancé embark on a nationwide investigation of antique shops and quilt museums.

Sylvia's quest leads her to unexpected places, where offers of assistance are not always what they seem. As the search continues, revelations surface about her mother, who died when Sylvia was only a child. As Sylvia recovers some of the missing quilts and accepts others as lost forever, she reflects on the woman her mother was, and mourns the woman she never knew. For every woman who has yearned to know the untold story of her mother's life, and for every mother who has longed to be heard, The Quilter's Legacy resonates with heartfelt honesty as it reveals what tenuous connections bind the generations, and celebrates the love that sustains them.

An eleven-year-old's world is upended by political turmoil in this "lyrically ambitious tale of exile and reunification" (Kirkus Reviews) from an award-winning poet, based on true events in Chile.

Celeste Marconi is a dreamer. She lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile--until one day when warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates start disappearing from class without a word. Celeste doesn't quite know what is happening, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not anymore.

The country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protestors, and anyone who helps the needy to be considered "subversive" and dangerous to Chile's future. So Celeste's parents--her educated, generous, kind parents--must go into hiding before they, too, "disappear." Before they do, however, they send Celeste to America to protect her.

As Celeste adapts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile. But even after democracy is restored to her home country, questions remain: Will her parents reemerge from hiding? Will she ever be truly safe again?

Accented with interior artwork, steeped in the history of Pinochet's catastrophic takeover of Chile, and based on many true events, this multicultural ode to the power of revolution, words, and love is both indelibly brave and heartwrenchingly graceful.

A richly illustrated gift picture book edition of Michael Morpurgo's classic wartime story War Horse, which has been captivating audiences young and old for 40 years.

War Horse celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2022!

This powerful book for younger readers tells the enduring story of a friendship between a boy and his horse amid the turmoil of the First World War. For 40 years, War Horse has been helping children understand conflict. As we move beyond centenary commemorations and continue to strive for peace across the world, it remains an important book for young readers learning about the past.

Review for the novel:
War Horse is a story of universal suffering for a universal audience by a writer who 'has the happy knack of speaking to both child and adult readers' - Guardian

Michael Morpurgo has written more than one hundred books for children and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times.

When two foxes, who are best friends, have a fight it upsets the whole community of animals. Kokom the Owl knows just what to do and brings together all the animals and holds a Sharing Circle.

Medicine Wheel Publishing is committed to sharing diverse voices and perspectives, creating a platform for stories that celebrate Indigenous cultures and inspire understanding and respect among readers of all ages.

He was only supposed to find her sister. Falling in love wasn't part of the agreement.

Miss Dinah Ashmore has a problem. Her sister has gone missing, and the constable isn't taking it seriously. She decides to take matters into her own hands by hiring a Bow Street Runner, not understanding the danger she has put herself in.

Nathaniel Calvert, Earl of Hawthorne, is an agent of the Crown. His assignment is to root out a radical group and bring them to justice. When Miss Ashmore mistakes him as a Bow Street Runner and explains her plight, he suspects that the missing sister might be connected to his case.

As Nathaniel works to stop the threat on the Crown, he realizes that Dinah isn't content with just being brushed aside. She is determined to be part of the effort to bring her sister home, no matter what the costs are. When Dinah's actions cause her life to be threatened, Nathaniel must keep her safe as he attempts to ignore their growing attraction. And when the truth is finally revealed, will Dinah be able to accept Nathaniel's lies and trust that love will conquer all?

She is a mother, a queen, a villain. However we remember her, her wrath will never be forgotten.

Clytemnestra is no stranger to pain. As a wife and queen, she bears it with stoicism. But when her husband does the unthinkable, sacrificing one of their daughters to appease the ruthless gods and bring himself glory in battle, Clytemnestra is forever changed.

No longer will she stand by, a mere witness to the brutal games of gods and men. She will play by their vicious rules. She will rise to power, cut down those who oppose her, and protect her remaining children, whatever the cost. But revenge is as venomous and unforgiving as a snake, and Clytemnestra's actions will change her family in ways she could never imagine.

Perfect for readers of lush, feminist retellings in the vein of Natalie Haynes and Elodie Harper, A Spartan's Sorrow is a nuanced story of power, loss, and bitter betrayal--a story of the rise and fall of history's most infamous queen.

Bestselling author Alice Hoffman tears a page from history and melds it with mysticism to create a spellbinding, highly acclaimed tale about the persecution of Jewish people during the sixteenth century.

Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity--and her family's secrets are made public--she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.

Winner of numerous "best book" citations and infused with the rich context of history and faith, Incantation is a transcendent journey of discovery and loss, rebirth and remembrance that Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry described as "Magical and spellbinding...Painful and exquisitely beautiful."

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

Visiting Willow Lake is a life-changing experience -- tune in for an irresistible tale of new dreams and finding love where you least expect it.

Baseball hopeful Bo Crutcher is about to get his shot at the majors. That is, until life throws him a curveball. When AJ, the son he's never met, lands on his doorstep, Bo's life becomes forever changed. He quickly learns that he'll need all the help he can get.

When Kimberly van Dorn was hired to smooth Bo's rough exterior for the media, she expected the kind of shallow pro athlete she's used to handling. But Bo is willing to sacrifice everything for his vulnerable son. Over a breathtaking winter on frozen Willow Lake, she realizes she still has much to learn about putting love first.

Previously published.

Read the Lakeshore Chronicles Series by Susan Wiggs:
Book One: Summer at Willow Lake
Book Two: The Winter Lodge
Book Three: Dockside
Book Four: Snowfall at Willow Lake
Book Five: Fireside
Book Six: Lakeshore Christmas
Book Seven: The Summer Hideaway
Book Eight: Marrying Daisy Bellamy
Book Nine: Return to Willow Lake
Book Ten: Candlelight Christmas
Book Eleven: Starlight on Willow Lake