Historical Fiction booklist

I've been reading a lot of historical fiction lately. Here is a list of some of the books I've recently read.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis-Orphan Bud Caldwell is tired of being passed from one foster family to another. After a particularly bad experience, he decides to look for his father using subtle clues that his deceased mother left him. With just his battered old suitcase and the clothes on his back, he travels from Flint, Michigan to Detroit looking for his father the famous jazz musician Herman E. Calloway. This book takes place during the Great Depression. (J FIC CURTIS)


The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis-Deza Malone who is briefly mentioned in Bud, Not Buddy returns in a book all her own! Readers will love smart, optimistic Deza Malone. Originally from Gary, Indiana, Deza, her older brother Jimmie and her mother go to Flint to stay with her grandmother while waiting for her father to come home. Unable to find her grandmother, the family winds up in a Hooverville outside of Flint trying to make ends meet. Will her family be reunited? (J FIC CURTIS)


Roll of Thunder, Here My Cry by Mildred Taylor-The first book in the Logan family series takes place in Mississippi in 1933. The Logan family have it a little easier than the other families because their family own the land they live on. Many of the other African-American families are sharecroppers and are dependent upon the white families who own their land. Nine-year-old Cassie Logan's parents have taught her and her brothers the importance of family, land and respect for others and self. Her parents have protected her from the prejudices against black people, but when her family begins being harassed by the night riders, she begins to see the world as it really is. (J FIC TAYLOR)


The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine-Marlee, an extremely quiet and shy girl, is good at math and hopes to one day become a rocket scientist. When new girl Liz befriends Marlee, she helps her come out of her shell and open up. Just when things are looking up for Marlee, Liz disappears. Marlee soon learns that Liz is an African American who is able to pass as a white student. To avoid trouble Liz leaves school. Despite being told by her parents to stay away from Liz, Marlee and Liz begin to meet clandestinely continuing their friendship. This puts Liz and Marlee in danger from those who don't think they should be friends. This book takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1958, the year after the Little Rock Nine were allowed to attend Little Rock Central High School. (J FIC LEVINE)

See the Children's Department staff for the exact location of these books.