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A Select List of Books For Children and Young Adults
Fiction Books About the Era of Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil WarFiction can allow readers to experience what it must have felt like to have families literally torn apart either through enslavement or through fighting each other.
For readers high school to adult
(It’s interesting to note that each of the books below have been adapted into film.)
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (Vintage, 1998)
The odyssey of a Confederate soldier who deserts his unit to return to the woman he loves.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Scribner, 1936)
The classic tale of the Civil War introduces characters who have become literary icons.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (Modern Library, 2004 ed)
This affecting novel, imbued with history, brings the Battle of Gettysburg to life.
• For readers in grades 5 to 8:
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Berkeley, 1986 ed)
The sons of one family fight on different sides while the youngest tries to make sense of the war.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic, 2007)
Elijah was born into freedom in a Canadian settlement but he sees the horrors of slavery first hand when he meets escaped slaves and ventures into the United States.
Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells (Viking, 2007)
A girl from the Shenandoah Mountains witnesses the devastation of war as a daughter and emerging scientist.
A Light in the Storm: the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin by Karen Hesse (Scholastic, 1999)
A lighthouse keeper’s daughter on Fenwick Island, Delaware, chronicles the confusion brought on by the War.
Nonfiction Books About the Era of Abraham Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil WarThe Brothers’ War: Civil War Voices in Verse by J. Patrick Lewis with photographs from the Civil War (National Geographic, 2007)
Readers grade 7 to adult (ages 12 +).
With speeches of Civil War leaders, this book shows the human toll in verse and photographs.
Freedom Roads: Searching for the Underground Railroad by Joyce Hansen (Cricket Books, 2003)
Readers grade 6 to adult (ages 11+)
Before the Civil War ended, enslaved African Americans sought ways north to freedom; explores how historians continue to dig up and learn more about the difficult trek to freedom.
Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth by James Cross Giblin (Clarion, 2005)
Readers grade 7 to adult (ages 12 +)
Find out about the assassin of Abraham Lincoln and his brother in this book by noted nonfiction author Giblin.
Mr. Lincoln’s Camera Man: Matthew B. Brady (Dover, 1974 ed.)
Readers from high school to adult.
Over 300 photographs by the man who captured the war on film (with written commentary) shows the figures and the horror of the period.
When Johnny Went Marching: Young Americans Fight the Civil War by Clifton Wisler (HarperCollins, 2001) Readers from grade 6 to adult (ages 11+)
Personal accounts and photographs of boys too young to fight but who enlisted as drummers, hospital aides, and more.
Books About the Era of Franklin Delano RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency was unique in many ways. Not only did FDR change the role of the presidency, his wife also helped change the role of First Lady; meanwhile, the Great Depression changed the country while a war raged in Europe.
Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (Knopf, 2006)
High school to adult
Death is the character who narrates this multilayered World War II story that begins with a girl’s move to a foster home in Germany where she collects books, people, and memories.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte, 1999)
Ages 9-12, grades 4-8
Bud, a young African-American orphan, discovers jazz and his family in Depression-era Michigan.
Eleanor and Amelia Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 1999)
Ages 7-10, grades 2-5
This fictionalized account of a plane ride by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and aviatrix adventurer Amelia Earhart was inspired by primary sources.
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman (Clarion, 1993)
Ages 12 +, grades 7 to adult
Though unhappy as a child, Eleanor Roosevelt grew up to become an outspoken, highly-regarded First Lady and activist. Her public accomplishments and personal challenges are revealed in this lucid, well-documented text which uses primary sources.
Freedman has also written a biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Clarion, 1992).
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic, 1999 ed)
Ages 11 +; grades 6 +
In spare but evocative language, a 14-year-old narrator reveals the harsh farm life in Oklahoman in the Dust Bowl.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin, 1989)
Ages 9-12, grades 4-7
A Danish girl and her family help her best friend and her parents escape to Sweden. The novel is based on actual events of Danes helping Jews avoid Nazi capture and certain death.
Books About the Era of Dwight EisenhowerA Little Peace by Barbara Kerley (National Geographic, 2007)
All ages
President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address was a prayer for peace. Barbara Kerley’s brilliant photoessay shows that peace begins with people.
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic, 2008)
High school to adult
Readers will go to the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a unit of modern soldiers.
Books About the Era of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon JohnsonKennedy’s Camelot ended with his assassination in 1963 after which Lyndon Johnson became president. This era was marked by the Civil Rights movement, civil unrest, nuclear threat, and the war in Viet Nam.
Fail Safe by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler (Ecco Press, 1999 ed., 1962c)
High school to adult
When American bombers armed with nuclear warheads mistakenly go beyond the point of no return, what will the U.S. President do to avoid all-out nuclear holocaust? Written during the time of the Cuban Missile crisis, this novel remains disquieting.
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic, 1988)
High school to adult
17-year old Richie Perry learns that survival is more than just staying alive in this powerful novel set on the front lines in Viet Nam.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Jump at the Sun, 2001)
Ages 7+; grades 2 +
Martin Luther King’s words are juxtaposed with luminous illustrations to chronicle the man’s life and impact.
The Race for Space: The United States and the Soviet Union Compete for the New Frontier by Betsy Kuhn (Twenty-first Century Books, 2006)
Ages 11-14, grades 6-9
The rivalry between the former U.S.S.R. and the U.S. began with Sputnik but continued for decades. The fear, excitement, and influence of this decades-long enmity are presented in an informal text and many period photographs.
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (Scholastic, 1999)
Ages 9+, grades 4 +
The woman who as a child became the first black student to attend an all-white school in New Orleans recalls her experience. The touching narrative, black-and-white photographs, and additional accounts create a moving portrait of a difficult time.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte, 1995)
Ages 11-14, grades 6-9
Byron Watson narrates the story of his family’s trip to Birmingham with humor and pathos. There they witness events that change them and the country, and set into motion unstoppable events.