Best Young Adult Historical Fiction

The struggle to find a book capable of captivating the mind on every page, is one frequently faced by literature enjoyers. Although historical fiction has formerly been overlooked, this genre holds emotion, depth and a voice for authors who long to elaborate on major events in history that may not have been given the light they deserved during that time period. This list of undoubtedly the best young adult historical fiction will aid in any reader's journey of discovering great books either for school projects or simple, comfy afternoons this autumn.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee 

Traci Chee’s novel, We Are Not Free, illustrates in depth the experiences of Japanese-American teens in internment camps during World War II, succeeding the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Each chapter focuses on a different teen, as they battle numerous internal and external conflicts, from the loss of all belongings to the loss of human rights. Chee’s ability to capture profound emotion through these 14 individuals as they endure dehumanization and racial injustice allows a once-neglected, hidden perspective of life during World War II to be revealed in its striking, thought provoking entirety. 

The Night Dairy by Veera Hiranandani

The Night Diary written by Veera Hiranandani, recounts Nisha’s journey across the Pakistan and Indian border during India’s partition in 1947, in hopes to escape persecution for being half Hindu in what is now Pakistan. Crossing the Thar desert on foot to avoid being murdered or torched was a risk millions of people took, as dying of dehydration or sun-stroke was considered a significantly better fate. This historical fiction piece delves into views on identity’s ability to separate people, and political conflict’s ability to infringe on ordinary life in an intriguing, gut-wrenching manner. 

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming is a narrative account of her childhood experiences in America during the 1960's. Jacqueline moves throughout the country alot during this integral part of her life, from frigid Ohio to humid South Carolina, back to New York. This constant change in scenery, social expectations, and treatment based on race, ignites Woodson’s interest in literature. Thus, leading her to create a sensational, Newberry award winning piece on youth as an African American girl during and following the civil rights movement. 

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Narrated from the perspective of death, The Book Thief, the Commonwealth Writers’ award winning novel in 2006, follows Liesel, a young foster girl through her life in Natzi Germany. With the support of her accordion-playing foster father and best friend, she learns to read and share her stolen stories with others as air raids threaten to demolish her new found home. Liesel discovers, through this desire to read, powerful rhetoric’s ability to alter how people think, act and perceive the world, particularly when it comes to questioning norms or challenging ideas of those in power. 

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan 

Echo, a Newberry medal winner and three times National Jewish Book Award winner, intricately weaves the stories of 3 young people, hundreds of miles apart, as they experience the effects of their countries political unrest, societal prejudice and instability. Through the connection of music, a boy evacuating Germany as Hitler gains power, a boy attempting to escape life in an orphanage separated from his brother, and a girl challenging the school board to allow all children, no matter race, the ability to attend the same school, intertwine. Pam Munoz Ryan masterfully captures rich emotion through her powerful storytelling, displayed throughout this novel in an uplifting, thrilling means. 

Works Cited

Chee, Traci. We are Not Free. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.

Hiranandani, Veera. The Night Diary. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2019.

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Echo: A Novel. Scholastic Press, 2015.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2016.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.