Historical Fiction

Anna, Taryn, Sierra, & Elizabeth

Do you remember reading historical fiction?

Have you seen it used in your practicum?

What is historical fiction?

Must:
-Be set in the past
- Fictional (though often
interact with prominent
figures)

What makes historical fiction GOOD?

-Bringing history to life
-More focused on time period than events
- Where the Red Fern Grows
-American Girl Stories

-Judged

on the same criteria as other fiction

-Character development, credibility of plot, quality of writing, setting, theme

Why incorporate historical fiction?

-Offers multiple perspectives
-Textbooks: only one point of view
-Usually not sugar coated
-The Winter Pony: talks about eating the ponys

Mary Pope Osborne

Bio: Osborne was born in Oklahoma in 1949 and moved around a lot
because her father was in the military. Post college, Osborne traveled
around Asia, and lived in a cave in Crete. Her writing career did not
begin until 1982 and her Magic Tree House series began in 1992.
Books Written: She has written 45 books in her Magic Tree House
series. Not all of her books fall under Historical Fiction. She has also
written mysteries, biographies, and tall tales.
Her magic tree house stories teleport two characters to different places
during various time periods. Her unique writing style grabs the reader's
attention and curiosity through suspense and adventure.
Awards: Kids Choice Award (2013) for Favorite Book, many of her
books have been named to best-books lists.
Contributions: President of the Authors Guild (the leading writers
organization in the United States.

Tomie dePaola

Bio: Born in 1934, dePaola has been authoring and

illustrating childrens books for over 40 years. Tomie has
illustrated almost 250 books and written the stories for over
100 of those books. He now lives in New London, New
Hampshire.
Books: The most notable of his books is Strega Nona,
written in 1975. Some of his historical fiction books include:
The Legend of the Poinsettia, The Legend of the Indian
Paintbrush, My First Thanksgiving, The Legend of the
Bluebonnet, The Birds of Bethlehem, and many more.
Awards: Caldecott Medal (1976), John Newbery Medal
(2000), Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (2011), Nominee for
Hans Christian Anderson Award for illustration (1990)

Joseph Bruchac

Born in 1942 in Saratoga Springs, NY, he was raised by his grandparents, who were of Abenaki
Indian Descent
Bruchac enjoyed hearing the stories and traditions his grandfather used to tell him and as he left
for college, began seeking out stories from Native American elders. Wanting to share these stories
with his own children he began writing the stories down and had his first book published in 1975
Books: Feature traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples
of the Northeastern Woodlands

Crazy Horses Vision (K-2)

A Boy Called Slow: The True Story of Sitting Bull (K-2)

Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places

(K-2)
Awards: American Book Award (Breaking Silence), Cherokee Nation Prose
Award, Parents Choice Gold Award (Crazy Horses Vision), Writer of the
Year, Storyteller of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award all from the
Native Writers Circle of the Americas

Reference Slide
Tunnel, M., Jacobs, J., Young, T. & Bryan, G. (2011). Children's Literature, Briefly (6th Edition). New York, NY:
Pearson.
dePaola, T., (2013). About Tomie: Biography. Retrieved from www.tomie.com/about_tomie/bio.html.
Bruchac, J. (2012). Joseph Bruchac Biography. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://josephbruchac.
com/bruchac_biography.html

Mary Pope Osborne (2012). Famous Authors. Retrieved from http://www.famousauthors.org/mary-popeosborne