7th Grade Historical Fiction
 

 

Key:  AR = Accelerated Reader reading level   Lexile= Lexile scale reading level
 

Avi.   Crispin: the Cross of Lead Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in 14th century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret. AR: 5.0, Lexile: 780
Avi.    Midnight Magic  In Italy in 1491, Magnus the Magician & his apprentice are summoned to the castle of King Claudio to determine if his daughter  is indeed being haunted by a ghost. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 660

Barrett, TracyAnna of Byzantium  In the 11th century the teenage princess Anna Comnena fights for her birthright, the throne of the Byzantine Empire, which she fears will be taken from her by her younger brother John because he is a boy. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 910
Blackwood, Gary L.  The Shakespeare Stealer. A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty. AR: 5.2, Lexile: 840

Blackwood, Gary L.  Shakespeare’s Scribe. In plague-ridden 1602 England, a fifteen-year-old orphan boy, who has become an apprentice actor, goes on the road with Shakespeare's troupe, and finds out more about his parents along the way. AR: 6.1, Lexile: 870

Bosse, Malcolm J. Captives of Time Orphaned by the brutal murder of their parents, Anne and her gentle but mute brother suffer great hardships as they travel across a dangerous, pestilence-ridden Europe to their uncle, an armorer and clockmaker, and, after his death, to a distant city to deliver the commissioned plans of his precious clock. Middle Ages.

Bosse, Malcolm J.  The Examination  Two brothers face the dangers of traveling in medieval China when one must go to Beijing to take his scholar’s tests. AR: 7.7, Lexile: 910
Bosse, Malcolm J.  Tusk and Stone  After Dacoits attack  his caravan and he loses his identity as a Brahmin, Arjun resigns himself to his new life, becomes an elephant driver, and searches for his kidnapped sister. Set in medieval India. Lexile: 950
Bradford, Karleen.  There Will Be Wolves Ursula, condemned as a witch because of her knowledge of healing, escapes being burned to death when she joins her father & thousands of others who follow Peter the Hermit on the 1st Crusade from Cologne to Jerusalem, 1096. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 820
Branford, Henrietta. Fire, Bed & Bone  It is 1381 &  unrest is spreading like a.plague among the peasants of England, who are tired of the hardships they suffer at the hands of oppressive landlords. This tale of the Peasants  Revolt is told through the eyes, ears, and nose of a dog. AR: 5.0, Lexile: 830
Brady, Charles. A.  The King’s Thane  England, 625 A.D. - Vikings
Cadnum, Michael.  The Book of the Lion  In 12th century England, after his master, a maker of coins for the king, is brutally punished for alleged cheating, 17 yr. old Edmund finds himself traveling to the Holy Land as a squire to a knight crusader on him way to join the forces of Richard Lionheart. AR: 6.9, Lexile: 980
Cadnum, Michael.  In a Dark Wood  On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe. Legend set in the time of Richard I, 1189-1199. AR: 5.8, Lexile: 780

Clark, Ann Nolan. Secret of the Andes.An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his Inca ancestors. AR: 4.7, Lexile: 710

Conrad, Pam. El Diario de Pedro: Un Viaje con Cristobal Colon. Fictionalized diary.
Cushman, Karen.  Catherine, Called Birdy  The 13-yr.-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off. AR: 6.4,
Lexile: 1170
Dana, Barbara.  Young Joan: a Novel  Joan, a girl growing up in the French countryside during the Hundred Years’ War, begins to hear voices telling her she is destined to reunite her torn country  in opposition to the English invaders. (France, 1422) AR: 3.9, Lexile: 580
De Angeli, Marguerite.  The Door in the Wall  A crippled boy in 14th century England proves his courage and earns recognition from the King. AR: 6.2, Lexile: 990

Diekmann, Miep. Slave Doctor. In 1681 a fifteen-year-old orphan signs on as a ship's doctor and learns first hand the horrors of the slave trade in the West Indies.
Fletcher, Susan.  Shadow Spinner  When Marjan, a 13-yr-old physically handicapped girl, joins the Sultan’s harem in ancient Persia, she gathers for Shahrazad the stories which will save the queen’s life. AR: 4.6 Lexile: 710
Garden, Nancy.  Dove and Sword: a Novel of Joan of Arc  Domremy. France. 1429. A
 peasant girl (Joan) hears voices. These voices say she has been chosen as God’s warrior; they tell her to lead an army and crown the dauphin King of France. AR: 6.4 Lexile: 1140  
Goodman, Joan E.  Peregrine  In 1144, 15-yr.-old Lady Edith, having lost her husband & child to avoid marrying a man she detests, sets out from her home in Surrey to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  AR: 4.9 Lexile: 650
Goodman, Joan E. Winter Hare  In 1140, with England divided between King Stephen & those of the Empress Matilda, 12 yr.-old William Belet, small for his age but longing to be a knight, comes to his uncle’s castle to be a page & soon finds himself involved in dangerous intrigues & adventures. AR: 5.9
Gray, Elizabeth Janet. Adam of the Road  11 yr. Old Adam loved to travel through the open roads of 13th century England with his father, a wandering minstrel, & his red spaniel, Nick. But when his father suddenly disappears & Nick is stolen, Adam finds himself alone searching these same roads filled with rich merchants, pilgrims, farming folk, minstrels, priests,
saints & thieves & somewhere in the crowd, his father & his dog. AR: 6.5, Lexile: 1030
Gregory, Kristiana. Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile. While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some day. AR:6.2, Lexile: 920

Guillot, Rene.  The Troubadour  Aubrey, Knight of the Red Cross, travels in the disguise of a troubadour in order to overthrow a Baron and restore a castle to its rightful owner.
Haugaard, Erik C.  Cromwell’s Boy  A 13-yr. old spy’s wit and horsemanship make him invaluable to the Cromwell forces as they fight against King Charles in the English Civil War of 1642 Lexile: 780
Haugaard, Erik C.  Hakon of Rogen’s Saga The story of a widowed father who kidnaps an Earl’s daughter for his new bride; of the vengeance that swiftly follows, of a brother’s treachery, of a small Viking boy grown wise beyond his years who survives bloodshed & tragedy to seek his own birthright along with his manhood. Adventure!
Haugaard, Erik C.  Samurai’s Tale  In turbulent 16th century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord Takeda Shingen & grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 960
Haugaard, Erik C. The Revenge of the Forty-seven Samurai. A fourteen-year-old serving boy finds himself surrounded by suspicion and betrayal as his master gathers a group of samurai to avenge Lord Asano's death. 

Haycraft, Molly. My Lord Brother the Lion Heart.

Hewes, Agnes Danforth. A Boy of the Lost Crusade. A fictionalized account of the Children’s Crusade of 1212.

Hoobler, Dorothy.  Ghost in the Tokaido Inn  While attempting to solve the mystery of a stolen jewel, Seikei, a merchant’s son who longs to be a samurai, joins a group of Kabuki actors in 18th century Japan.  AR 5.1, Lexile: 740
Hunter, Mollie.  The Spanish Letters  Anglo-Scottish relations are not good in the time of Elizabeth I. This is a thrilling tale of espionage set in Edinburgh in the year 1589.
Hunter, Mollie. King’s Swift Rider: a Novel on Robert the Bruce. Unwilling to fight but feeling a sense of duty, sixteen-year-old Martin joins Scotland's rebel army as a swift rider and master of espionage for the leader, Robert the Bruce. Set in about 1274 Scotland. Lexile: 1120

Hunter, Mollie.  You Never Knew Her as I Did  The speaker is 17-yr.-old Douglas. His brilliant idea is a plan to rescue the beautiful young Mary, Queen of Scots, from her island prison. AR: 6.6
Hunter, Mollie.  The 13th Member  Set in sixteenth-century Scotland, this vividly-written tale based on records of a plot to murder King James I. Witchcraft is the chosen weapon. AR:7.3
Kelly, Eric P.  The Trumpeter of Krakow   A Polish family in the Middle Ages guards a great secret treasure, & a boy’s memory of an earlier trumpeter of Krakow makes it possible for him to save his father. AR 7.1, Lexile: 1200
Kent, Louise A.  He Went with Marco Polo: a story of Venice and Cathay
King, Clive. Ninny’s Boat. An enterprising young slave accompanies the Angles on their fifth-century flight to Britain where he discovers his true identity.

Konigsburg, E.L.  Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver This novel, based on the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, has succeeded in making history amusing as well as interesting. AR 5.4, Lexile:770
Konigsburg, E.L.  The Second Mrs. Giaconda  Relates, from the point of view of his servant Salai, how Leonardo da Vinci came to paint the Mona Lisa. AR 5.7, Lexile: 840
Lasky, Kathryn.  Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor  In a series of diary entries, Princess Elizabeth, the 11 yr. old daughter of King Henry VIII, celebrates holidays & birthdays, relives her mother’s execution, revels in her studies, & agonizes over her father’s health. AR:5.5, Lexile: 820
Lasky, Kathryn.  Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen without a Country  France, 1553 Mary, the young Scottish queen, writes in her diary about her experiences living at the court of France's King Henry II as she awaits her marriage to Henry's son, Francis. One of the Royal Diaries series. AR 6.0, Lexile: 850

Lester, Julius. Pharoah’s Daughter: a Novel of Ancient Egypt. A fictionalized account of a Biblical story in which an Egyptian princess rescues a Hebrew infant who becomes a prophet of his people while his sister finds her true self as a priestess to the Egyptian gods. AR: 5.0, Lexile: 720
Mantel
, S. G.  Youngest Conquistador  An adventure story of the conquest of Mexico. Pablo Oliva was barely fifteen years old when he took part in one of the greatest events the world has seen: the capture of the powerful Aztec Empire by a mere handful of Cortez
’s Spanish soldiers & caballeros, fighting half-a-world away from home.
Martin, Susan.  I Sailed with Columbus  The story of Columbus’ 1st voyage of discovery as seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Kite Rider. In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. AR: 6.5, Lexile: 900

McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. The Golden Goblet. Ranofer was the son of a famous artisan and supposed to follow in his father's footsteps, but when his father dies, Ranofer's greedy brother Gebu comes and forces him to steal for him. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 930

McKissack, Patrick. Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba  Presents the diary of 13 yr. old Nzingha, a 16th century West African princess who loves to hunt & hopes to one day lead her kingdom against the invasion of the Portuguese  traders.
AR: 5.6, Lexile: 750
Meisels, Andrew.  Son of a Star  A heroic story of the bitter struggle of a handful of Jews against overwhelming odds.  The time is A.D/ 132, when a simple warrior named Simon Bar Kochba united the hill tribes of Judah & for 3 years the Jewish rebellion raged unchecked against everything the Romans could muster. When it ended it signified the end of the Jewish state for some 1,800 years until it emerged as present-day Israel. Andrew Meisels portrayal of the Bar Kochba rebellion is a history lesson that brings us up to date.
Melnikoff, Pamela.  Star and the Sword  In 12th century England, Benedict & Elvira are two Jewish young people who suddenly find themselves orphaned & their peaceful Yorkshire home destroyed during a pogrom.
Meyer, Carolyn.  Isabel, Jewel of Castilla  While awaiting anxiously for others to choose a husband  for her, Isabella, the futre queen of Spain, keeps a diary account of her life as a member of the royal family. AR: 6.4, Lexile: 860
Meyer, Carolyn.  Mary, Bloody Mary  Mary Tudor, who would reign briefly as queen of England during the mid 16th century, tells the story of her troubled childhood as daughter of King Henry VIII. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 830
Miklowitz, Gloria D. Secrets in the House of Delgado  In Spain in 1492, 14-yr-old Maria, a Catholic orphan, becomes a servant to a wealthy family of Conversos, converted Jews, at a time when the Jews are being expelled from the country & when the Inquisition is diligently searching for religious heretics.  AR: 4.7, Lexile: 670
Molina Llorente, Pilar   The Apprentice  Working as an artist’s apprentice in Renaissance Florence, 13-yr.-old Arduino makes a discovery which may cost  him the chance to become a painter. AR 5.3, Lexile: 730  
Morpurgo, Michael. Joan of Arc of Domremy  While sitting on the riverbank  in the ancient French city of Orleans, 17-yr.-old Eloise hears a voice, which relates the adventures and struggles of the medieval heroine Joan of Arc as she fights to free France by driving out the English. AR 5.5
Morris, Gerald.
  The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady  Legend taking place in medieval England. After several years at King Arthur
’s court, Terence, as Sir Gawain’s squire & friend, accompanies him on a perilous quest that tests all their skills & whose successful completion could mean certain death for Gawain. AR 5.2, Lexile: 760
Morris, Gerald.  The Squire’s Tale  Story based on legend. In medieval England, 14-yr.-old Terence finds his tranquil existence suddenly changed when he becomes the squire of the young Gawain of Orkney & accompanies him on a long quest, proving Gawain’s worth as a knight & revealing an important secret about his own true identity. AR: 4.8, Lexile: 700
Namioka, LenseyDen of the White Fox  In medieval Japan, two out-of-work samurai warriors must use their fighting skills when they join a group of local boys, led by the mysterious White Fox, in resistance to a cruel occupying force. AR: 5.9, Lexile: 750
Namioka, LenseyThe Samurai and the Long-Nosed Devils  In medieval Japan during a warlord’s drive to unify Japan, two unemployed samurai become bodyguards to a group of foreigners being harassed by the warlord’s enemies.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Breath Elaborates on the tale of "The Pied Piper," told from the point of view of a medieval boy who is too ill to keep up when a piper spirits away the healthy children of a plague-ridden town after being cheated out of full payment for ridding Hameln of rats. Based on Medieval living conditions. AR: 4.2, Lexile: 620
O’Dell, Scott . The Captive  As part of a Spanish expedition to the New World, a Jesuit seminarian witnesses the enslavement & exploitation of the Mayans. This is a tale of conquistadors & a perilous voyage, of cannibals & bloodied gods, of greed for gold, of shipwreck & solitary survival & of all the awesome splendor of ancient Maya civilization.
O’Dell, Scott.  The Hawk that Dare not Hunt by Day. Amid political turmoil and threats of plague, young Tom Barton accepts the risks of helping William Tyndale publish and smuggle into England the Bible he has translated into English. AR:6.1

O’Dell, Scott.  Road to Damietta  In 13th century Italy Ricca, a young Italian woman, recounts the story of Frances Bernadone, later to become Francis of Assisi. He goes to Damietta on the Nile, where he tries to seek an end to the war between Moslems & Christians. AR 6.3, Lexile: 980

Park, Linda Sue.  The Kite Fighters  In Korea in 1473, 11-yr.-old Young-sup overcomes his rivalry with his older brother Kee-sup, who as the first-born son receives special treatment from their father, & combines his kite-flying skill with Kee-sup’s kite-making skill in an attempt to win the New Year kite-fighting competition. AR: 5.5, Lexile: 880

Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard.  Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge near a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.  AR: 6.6 Lexile: 920
Paterson, Katherine. The Master Puppeteer  The setting is Japan during Tokugawa times. A thirteen-year-old boy describes the poverty and discontent of eighteenth century Osaka and the world of puppeteers in which he lives. AR: 5.4, Lexile: 860
Paterson, Katherine. Of Nightingales that Weep The vain young daughter of a samurai finds her comfortable life ripped apart when opposing warrior clans begin a struggle for imperial control of Japan. AR: 6.2, Lexile: 950
Paterson, Katherine. Sign of the Chrysanthemum The setting is Japan during the turbulent Samurai period. The son of a legendary samurai warrior sets out to search for the father he has never met, but will know by the sign of the chrysanthemum that marks the nobleman’s shoulder. AR: 5.6, Lexile: 870
Polland, Madeleine. Alhambra   Juanito, born a Spaniard but raised in the Alhambra as a Moor, participates in the Spanish siege of Granada in 1492.
Pope, Elizabeth.  The Perilous Gard In 1558 while imprisoned in a remote castle, a young girl becomes involved in a series of events that lead to an underground labyrinth peopled by the last practitioners of druidic magic. AR: 6.3, Lexile: 1020

Prince, Maggie. House on the Hill. Soon after she, her mother, and her younger brother move into an old house on what was once known as Beggarsgate, Emily begins to have terrifyingly real glimpses of scenes of seventeenth-century London devastated by the plague. AR: 5.4 Lexile:780

Pyle, Howard.  Men of Iron  Myles Falworth is the son of a lord unjustly condemned for treason in the days when King Henry IV was bringing England under firm rule following the weak and corrupt reign of Richard II. How Myles grows in knightly prowess and viture until he finally vindicates his father makes a very adventurous story. AR 9.0
Rupert, Janet E.
  The African Mask  12-yr.-old Layo, a Roruba girl living in the area of 11th century Africa which is now Nigeria, attempts to reject the man who has been chosen to be her husband.

Scott, Walter.  Ivanhoe  Relates the adventures of the Saxon knight in 1194, the year of Richard the Lion-Hearted’s return from the Third Crusade. Danger, daring & romance  in the world’s most popular novel of chivalry. A classic!  AR 12.9, Lexile:1410
Siegel, Deborah Spector. The Cross by Day, the Mezussah by Night  Because she is a Marrano, 13-yr.-old Isabel suffers the harrowing experience of expulsion from Spain during the reign of King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella in the time of the Inquisition.
Skurzynski, Gloria. Spider’s Voice  Because he is a young mute person who can hear, Aran becomes involved in the adventures of Eloise & Abelard, France’s most famous lovers, who lived during the 12th century. AR 5.8, Lexile: 850
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Black Arrow  Tale of adventure during the Wars of the Roses when Henry VI precariously occupied the throne of England. Richard, the Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) plays a prominent part in the story.
AR: 9.0, Lexile: 980
Suttcliff, Rosemary. The Shining Company  7th century Britain is brought to life in this sage of the three hundred Companions battling the invading Saxons. AR: 7.1, Lexile: 1240
Sutcliff, Rosemary.  Sword Song. At 16, Bjarni is cast out of the Norse settlement in the Angles  Land for an act of oath-breaking & spends 5 yrs. sailing & witnessing the feuds of the clan chiefs of Scotland. (Vikings, Prior to 1066) Lexile: 1240
Temple, FrancesThe Beduins Gazelle   In 1302, 2 cousins of the nomadic Beni Khalid tribe who are betrothed become separated by political intrigue between warring tribes. AR: 5.5, Lexile: 860
Temple, FrancesThe Ramsay Scallop  At the turn of the 14th century in England, 14 year old Elenor finds her betrothal to an ambitious lord’s son launching her on a memorable pilgrimage to far-off Spain. AR: 5.6, Lexile: 890
Tomlinson, Theresa.  Child of the May. 15 yr.-old Magda helps Robin Hood’s men rescue Lady Matilda & her daughter, Isabel, from the clutches of the king’s evil henchmen. (Sequel to The Forestwife. Great Britain 1199-1216) AR: 4.8, Lexile: 640
Trease, Geoffrey.  Bows Against the Barons   The setting is Norman (Medieval) England. Dickson , a Saxon peasant had unwittingly killed the landlord’s deer. To avoid the punishment of losing both ears or a hand, he joined a band of outlaws whose goal was the overthrow the Norman landlords.
Trease, Geoffrey.  Escape to King Alfred  The setting is England in the 800s when King Alfred fought the invading Danes to prepare the foundation for a unified England in which he would foster freedom, humanity, & a love of learning
Trevino, Elizabeth Borton de. I, Juan de Pareja  The setting is Spain in the 1600s. Juan de Pareja  was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist. AR: 6.5, Lexile: 1100
Wallace, LewBen-Hur  A romantic story of Palestine & Rome in the time of Jesus. Crusades. AR: 9.1, Lexile: 990

Webb, Robert.  We were there with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades.  Two young boys, Guy and Gladwyn, share in the adventures of Richard the Lionhearted as they go on the Third Crusade.
Wheeler, Thomas G. All Men Tall
  The year is 1323. 15-yr.-old Thomeline will soon take part in one of the most momentous events of all time
: the discovery of gunpowder. Intriguing characters in this novel include Queen Isabella, plotting revenge against her husband,  Edward II; Mortimer the traitor making his famous escape from the Tower of London;  and young Edward III taking the throne and later daring to use the new weapons against the French.
Willard, Barbara.  The Iron Lily  Orphaned in 1557 by the plague and disowned by her “brother’s” widow, who claims she is not true kin of the family, 15-yr.-old Lilas begins a lifelong attempt to identify her true parentage.
Williams, Laura E.  Executioner’s Daughter  13-yr.-old Lily, daughter of the town’s executioner living in the 15th-centruy Europe, decides whether to fight against her destiny or to rise above her fate when she is about to become her father’s assistant. AR: 5.5, Lexile: 720
Wise, William.  Nell of Branford Hall  Nell Bullen recounts the horror of the Great London Plague in 1665 and the “Circle of Death” that was drawn around her village to keep the disease from spreading to the neighboring towns. AR: 7.0, Lexile: 1090
Yep, Laurence.  Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Warrior of the South Southern China, A.D. 531 In 531 A.D., a fifteen-year-old princess of the Hsien tribe in southern China keeps a diary which describes her role as liaison between her own people and the local Chinese colonists, in times of both peace and war. This is one of the “Royal Diaries series”.  AR: 5.3, Lexile: 700
Yolen, Jane.   Queen’s Own Fool : a novel of Mary, Queen of Scots  When 12-yr.-old Nicola leaves Troupe Brufort & serves as the fool for Mary, Queen of Scots, she experiences the political & religious upheavals in both France & Scotland. AR: 6.0, Lexile: 650
SC/Kim
.   Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan  11 short stories about samurai warriors, their way of life, courage, wit & foolishness. AR 4.6