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Historical Fiction | Page 12 | LitPick Book Reviews
Historical Fiction
Full of Beans
Full of Beans
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award Five Starred Reviews!A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, 2016Grown-ups lie. That’s one truth Beans knows for sure. He and his gang know how to spot a whopper a mile away, because they are the savviest bunch of barefoot conchs (that means “locals”) in all of Key West. Not that Beans really minds; it’s 1934, the middle of the Great Depression. With no jobs on the island, and no money anywhere, who can really blame the grown-ups for telling a few tales? Besides, Beans isn’t anyone’s fool. In fact, he has plans. Big plans. And the consequences might surprise even Beans himself.Return to the wonderful world of Newbery Honor Book Turtle in Paradise through the eyes of Turtle’s cousin Beans!"A surprising coming-of-age story with a remarkably honest message." —The New York Times"[Holm] captures this colorful slice of Depression history with her usual vivacious wit. . . . Children will love Beans." —Shelf Awareness, Starred"A novel as entertaining as the motion pictures [Beans] loves to see."—The Horn Book Magazine, Starred“Inspired by actual events, Holm’s talent for writing historical fiction is on full display. . . . Interesting family and small-town dynamics further enrich this fascinating account of a young boy’s life in Florida’s ‘Recovery Key.’” —Booklist, Starred"Filled with humor, heart, and warmth." —Kirkus Review, Starred"Entertaining and illuminating historical fiction." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

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Lucy & Andy Neanderthal (Lucy and Andy Neanderthal)
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal
Jeffrey Brown, Jeffrey Brown
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Jedi Academy books comes a hilarious graphic novel series about two young cave kids living 40,000 years ago.“Lucy & Andy are Stone Age rock stars!  I loved this book!”  —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series  Lucy and Andy are a sister and brother who get into trouble much like any sister and brother. Only difference? Lucy and Andy live in the Stone Age! Discover their laugh-out-loud adventures as the Paleo pair take on a wandering baby sibling, bossy teens, cave paintings, and a mammoth hunt. But what will happen when they encounter a group of humans?Includes extra information about Neanderthal life that's sure to appeal to future paleontologists and science phobes alike! And don't miss Lucy and Andy's next outing, Lucy & Andy Neanderthal: The Stone Cold Age -- coming soon!A New York City Public Library Best 50 Books for Kids 2016!A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2016!"Jeffrey Brown returns from a galaxy far, far away to bring us a whole new slew of kid-friendly characters! Just beware of mammoth dung!" —Keith Knight, author of Jake the Fake and The Knight Life   Every kid will love to go back in time with LUCY & ANDY!" —Judd Winick, author of Hilo: The Boy Who Saved the World

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Wide as the Wind
Wide as the Wind
The lyrical tale of a boy, a girl, their island, and how they saved it. Wide as the Wind is the first novel to deal with the stunning, tragic history of Easter Island (Vaitéa). It could be described as quest fiction for all ages in the line of Tolkien's The Hobbit, but it is set in the real world, not Middle-earth. Wide as the Wind portrays Polynesian voyages across the Pacific Ocean in canoes with no metal parts or instruments: the greatest adventure in human prehistory, as bold as modern space voyages (National Geographic). When Vaitéa is ravaged by war, hunger and destruction, it falls upon Miru, the fifteen-year-old son of a tribal warrior, to sail to a distant island to find the seeds and shoots of trees that could reforest their homeland. If he decides to undertake the voyage, he must leave behind Kenetéa, a young woman from an enemy tribe with whom he has fallen deeply in love. And if Miru and his crew survive the storms, sharks and marauding ships that await them on a journey over uncharted ocean, an even greater mission would lie ahead. They must show their people that devotion to the earth and sea can be as strong as war and hatred. Wide as the Wind is both a stirring novel of adventure and a prophetic tale for our times.

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Ursula K. Le Guin: The Complete Orsinia (LOA #281): Malafrena / Stories and Songs (Library of America Ursula K. Le Guin Edition)
The Complete Orsinia
Brian Attebery, Ursula K. Le Guin
The inaugural volume of Library of America’s Ursula K. Le Guin edition gathers her complete Orsinian writings, enchanting, richly imagined historical fiction collected here for the first time. Written before Le Guin turned to science fiction, the novel Malafrena is a tale of love and duty set in the central european country of Orsinia in the early nineteenth century, when it is ruled by the Austrian empire. The stories originally published in Orsinian Tales (1976) offer brilliantly rendered episodes of personal drama set against a history that spans Orsinia’s emergence as an independent kingdom in the twelfth century to its absorption by the eastern Bloc after World War II. The volume is rounded out by two additional stories that bring the history of Orsinia up to 1989, the poem “Folksong from the Montayna Province,” Le Guin’s first published work, and two never before published songs in the Orisinian language.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil War Story
Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil War Story
"A consistently compelling read from beginning to end, Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil War Story is a deftly written work of fiction that is quite accurately factual in background details...very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections and for the personal reading lists of Civil War Enthusiasts."    - Midwest Book ReviewFRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM is a historical novel and love story about six young friends whose innocence is stripped from them seemingly overnight in the brutal setting of the American Civil War. Meticulously researched and based on real-life people and true events, FRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM spans 1857-1865 and introduces you to the courageous men and women from Illinois who staged one of the first contested national conventions, were responsible for getting Abraham Lincoln elected and made the ultimate sacrifice during the American Civil War. From the true story of a young woman who successfully masqueraded as a man during the Civil War and was buried with full military honors to the often heart-wrenching letters home to wives and families and actual military correspondence between military leaders, author John William Huelskamp brings to life a volatile nation at war.Celebrate each friend's successes and struggles on the battlefields, learn the story of those who led the battles, and meet a magnificent war-horse that is a steadfast survivor in the face of many tragedies.Without at doubt, FRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM is one of the most moving Civil War novels you will ever read.*** A WGN Emmy Award nominee news video on this fascinating Civil War novel can be viewed at friendsofthewigwam.com***

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A Lady Born, A Pirate Bred
A Lady Born, A Pirate Bred
Seventeen-year-old Corey has developed into the perfect pirate, serving under a fine captain and in a position of trust and authority. But even if she is content with her life, she knows deep down it is not complete. Is she really just a pirate, or is there something more? Why do the enigmatic, dashing Sebastian and a sea maiden come into her life?

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Naked '76
Naked '76
Kevin Brooks
London, 1976: A summer of creation, destruction, and blistering heat. Lili Garcia stands at the edge of London's growing punk scene, playing bass with one of city's wildest bands. The group's success has only strained things between Lili and Curtis Ray, her cool, rebellious boyfriend and bandmate. Lili soon meets William Bonney, a guitarist from Northern Ireland. William is as reserved as Curtis Ray is loud, haunted by the life he left behind, but every bit as brilliant a musician. William's quiet confidence moves Lili to search for what she really wants. But the secrets of William's past could mean danger for both of them . . .

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Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words
Lion Island
Margarita Engle
In a haunting yet hopeful novel in verse, award-winning author Margarita Engle tells the story of Antonio Chuffat, a young man of African, Chinese, and Cuban descent who became a champion of civil rights.Asia, Africa, Europe—Antonio Chuffat’s ancestors clashed and blended on the beautiful island of Cuba. Yet for most Cubans in the nineteenth century, life is anything but beautiful. The country is fighting for freedom from Spain. Enslaved Africans and nearly-enslaved Chinese indentured servants are forced to work long, backbreaking hours in the fields. So Antonio feels lucky to have found a good job as a messenger, where his richly blended cultural background is an asset. Through his work he meets Wing, a young Chinese fruit seller who barely escaped the anti-Asian riots in San Francisco, and his sister Fan, a talented singer. With injustice all around them, the three friends are determined that violence will not be the only way to gain liberty.

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Mata Hari's Last Dance: A Novel
Mata Hari's Last Dance
From the international bestselling author of Rebel Queen and Nefertiti comes a captivating novel about the infamous Mata Hari, exotic dancer, adored courtesan, and, possibly, relentless spy.Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom…or death. Alone and despondent, Mata Hari is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she’s been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers. As Mata Hari waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison. Beginning with her carefree childhood, Mata Hari recounts her father’s cruel abandonment of her family as well her calamitous marriage to a military officer. Taken to the island of Java, Mata Hari refuses to be ruled by her abusive husband and instead learns to dance, paving the way to her stardom as Europe’s most infamous dancer. From Indian temples and Parisian theatres to German barracks in war-torn Europe, international bestselling author Michelle Moran who “expertly balances fact and fiction” (Associated Press) brings to vibrant life the famed world of Mata Hari: dancer, courtesan, and possibly, spy.

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Fortitude
Fortitude
Growing up with a Creole best friend, sixteen-year-old Claire O’Farrell held little regard for the Jim Crow laws and the consequences of befriending those of a different color. But once she leaves the haven of her home on Dauphin Island, the reality of racial intolerance can no longer be ignored. Though she’s underage, Claire makes the bold decision to serve alongside Loretta, her best friend, in the “colored camp” hospital tents during the Spanish-American War, but her idealistic attitude and choice of working location immediately puts her in danger. Claire gives her heart to a soldier in the camp, only to find herself caught in the racial violence besieging the area. When the intolerant attitudes and stigma follow her home, she clings to her faith to navigate through her social isolation and find the path she was meant to travel.

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