Right now I’m reading Marthe Jocelyn‘s Folly, which reminds me just how much I love and appreciate YA historical fiction. If you or the teen in your life thinks that this genre is a yawn, then you clearly haven’t been reading the contemporary reincarnations, and if you only give it a try, then I have a feeling that 2011 will be a year of playing catch up for all the amazing historical novels you’ve missed already.
Like I said yesterday, when I offered you a list of my favorite novels on a variety of issues, the following isn’t an exhaustive list my any stretch of the imagination. Rather I’m offering you a selection of my favorite historical YA novels, which I think would make a great gift for the reader on your list. Check out the selections and enjoy (alphabetical order by author’s last name):
- A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
- Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci
- Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
- Prisoners In The Palace by Michaela MacColl
- I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
- The Red Necklace: A Story Of The French Revolution by Sally Gardner
- Nonna’s Book Of Mysteries by Mary Osborne
Whether you’re looking for an escape to the Renaissance, the Restoration, the Victorian period or the Eighties, you’ll find something to enjoy among these books. A bunch of them, like the novels by Gardner and Bunce, use magic to spark interest in the story and don’t always offer purely historically accurate situations. Some of the other novels, like those of MacColl and Osborne, infuse fictional characters in amongst some real live characters, often will powerfully strong heroines that young women can look up to.
No matter which one of these books you select to give to the teen or adult reader on you list this year, I can bet that they’ll quickly learn that history is anything but boring. Prefer an eBook gift? Then check out any one of the over 2 million ebook titles from Kobo – Try FREE!
Melissa Montovani is the founder of YABookShelf.com, where she has been writing content about YA authors and books since 2010. She has over five years of online marketing experience, active followers on Twitter and Facebook and writes freelance reviews for Canadian Children's Book News. She has an M.A. in English Literature and lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
