Historical Literature For Teens

It's 1861, and although Mike Kelly is far younger than the legal age of 16, he and his best friend Todd secretly join up with the Second Kansas Infantry and become army drummer boys. Mike's dreams of glory end when he's wounded at the bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek and must begin a dangerous adventure behind enemy lines.

British airman Dym Ingleford is convinced that the young German prisoner, Max Eckermann, is his brother Anthony, who was kidnapped years before. Raised in the Nazi ideology, Tony has by chance tumbled into British hands. Dym has brought him back, at least temporarily, to the family he neither remembers nor will acknowledge as his own.

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when, instead of being executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers. Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees.

Discover a forbidden love story that defies the boundaries of time and tradition in the untamed American West. Shattered Dreams. A Promise Kept? 1910. Blackfoot, Idaho. Leo, a young man yearning for more than the life laid out for him, finds his world turned upside down by the arrival of Sean, a ruggedly handsome cowboy. Their connection is undeniable, a spark that ignites amidst the frontier's vast landscapes and rugged beauty. As their bond deepens, Leo and Sean must navigate the challenges of a society that refuses to accept their love. Secrets, prejudice, and the ever-present threat of ...

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist. Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist—yet. He's been fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, and his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret.

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story. As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom.

Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul’s mark is what caused her parents’ murder at the hand of King Lohar’s ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population - except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom....

Desperate to flee a political marriage to her cousin, King Richard II's closest advisor, Lord Shiveley - a man twice her age, with shadowy motives - Evangeline runs away and joins a small band of servants journeying back to Glynval, their home village. Pretending to be mute, she gets to know Westley le Wyse, their handsome young leader, who is intrigued by the beautiful servant girl.

Brion is trapped in a hopeless search for his mentor and friend Redmond, who has disappeared in a kingdom on the brink of civil war. When he falls afoul of the regent Lady Adelaide, Brion finds himself beyond the bounds of the law, pursued by assassins, and accused of kidnapping the boy-king of Morcia. Now, he must pluck Redmond out of a thousand square miles of enemy territory while evading clashing armies and keeping his friends alive.

Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns 18. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice - if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her 18th year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a gifted craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men. Joan’s skill with her blades comes from a magical ability to control metal—an ability gifted by her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her whole family is Orisha-blessed, the Sands family have always kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually that doesn’t involve much except noting the faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try to blend in with London society, but lately, there has been an uptick in brutal Fae attacks.

In this historical fairy-tale romance audiobook from best-selling author Melanie Dickerson, based on The Princess and the Frog, Margaretha hopes to find her prince...but when a man claiming to be an English lord arrives at the castle, she finds herself questioning her heart as she uncovers secrets about her current suitor that cast the mysterious lord in a new light. Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, will be her one true love.

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: She's been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend - the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.

Adrian Montague has a bright future. The sole heir to his father’s estate, he is an up and coming political writer and engaged to an activist who challenges and inspires him. But most young Lords aren’t battling the debilitating anxiety Adrian secretly lives with, or the growing fear that it might consume him and all he hopes to accomplish. When a newly found keepsake of hers—a piece of a broken spyglass—comes into Adrian’s possession, he’s thrust into the past and finds himself face-to-face with an older brother he never knew he had.

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister's debutante spell - an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic - Anna finds herself exiled to her family's once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Adela, daughter of the powerful Duke of Hagenheim, is rarely allowed outside the castle walls. Longing for freedom, one day she sneaks away to the market disguised as a peasant. There, she meets a handsome young woodcarver named Frederick. Frederick is a poor farmer and the sole provider for his family, and he often has to defend his mother from his father’s drunken rages.

Myra has a gift many would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control: she’s a portrait artist whose paintings alter people’s bodies. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor's dead son.

An insane king. His fleeing daughter. Estranged brothers, with a scarred past, risking everything to save her from a fate worse than death. Toss in a holy priest and a lovable wolfhound, and get ready for a wild race across Ireland. For the first time ever, the legend of Saint Dymphna, a 15-year old Irish princess who lived in the 7th century, is brought to life in this contemporary novel for teens. When Dymphna's mother dies, her insane father believes Dymphna is his wife. With three friends, Dymphna manages to escape, but is pursued by the king's soldiers across Ireland.

Having found his place as a squire to a Norman knight, Roland Inness sets off with his master, Sir Roger de Laval, and fellow squire on a perilous mission to the Holy Land. King Richard has sworn to take Jerusalem from Saladin and orders Sir Roger to assess the military situation. Joining them is the Templar Knight Tuck as they contend with Moors, Berbers and a Sicilian usurper before reaching the battlefields in the east. There, Roland sees the ugly face of war and tests his mettle.