Historical Literature For Teens

They say Château Beaumont is cursed. But servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But when the chevalier's cruelty is revealed, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish, with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside. But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never patiently tend his roses; Jean-Loup would never attempt poetry; Jean-Loup would never express remorse....

A Skinful of Shadows is a dark YA historical fantasy set in the early part of the English Civil War. Makepeace is an illegitimate daughter of the aristocratic Fellmotte family, and as such, she shares their unique hereditary gift: the capacity to be possessed by ghosts. Reluctant to accept her appointed destiny as vessel for a coterie of her ancestors, she escapes. As she flees the pursuing Fellmottes across war-torn England, she accumulates a motley crew of her own allies, including outcasts, misfits, criminals, and one extremely angry dead bear.

Two and a half millennia after it was created, Homer's Odyssey remains one of humanity's most memorable adventure stories. In this re-creation of Homer's classic as a young adult novel, we see the aftermath of the Trojan War through the eyes of Alexi, a fifteen-year-old Trojan boy. Orphaned by the war and enslaved by Odysseus himself, Alexi has a very different view of the conquering heroes of legend.

Robin Hood is transformed. Blinded by the Sheriff, he takes refuge in the ancient heart of Sherwood Forest, where primal powers and forgotten magicks reach out to him. Only the blind bowman, Robin Hood, together with his soulmate, Marian, can stand against the forces of darkness...

In 1955, Beth Dalton is a runaway bride. Her father, who owns a large ranch in the Texas Panhandle, in effect sells his daughter to keep the bank from foreclosing on his mortgage. Mr. Dalton signs a contract with one of the wealthiest oil-and-gas tycoons of the region: his daughter for the mortgage. The 45-year-old widower will take the 18-year-old beauty in exchange for his paying off her father's mortgage.

In a world fractured by war, one valley remains untouched—a sanctuary whispered about in tales of healing and ancient knowledge, where time seems to stand still and nature weaves its secrets into the earth. For Zenith, the valley is not just home—it is a refuge, a place where she and a community of resilient women have built a life of peace and quiet strength. But when an ambitious warlord sets his sights on its rumored natural wealth, the sanctuary’s peace is threatened, and its secrets risk falling into dangerous hands.

Fleeing dark forces and unfounded accusations across Europe in the dark years between World Wars, a young man named Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life jumping across rooftops, fleeing to isolated islands, and evading capture across Russia, Paris, New York, and Italy. Narrow escapes, near misses, and a dash of romantic intrigue will rivet adventurous teens to their seats as Vango continues to unravel the mysteries of his past.

I grew up with tales of Old World magic. Fairy tales, ghost stories, legends of great Slavic heroes like Kralyevich Marko and his marvelous horse, Sharats. Living in the USA, I wondered where the magic went and if maybe just a little of it might have crossed the ocean from the Motherland. A Princess of Passyunk is my answer.... Okay, so my hero doesn't ride a magical horse - but he has a magic baseball. And he's not a prince...exactly - but he does fall in love with a Princess...sort of.

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, 15-year-old Sophia will have to survive her social-climbing mother's quest to put her on the throne of Russia at any cost. Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophia has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome but sadistic nephew, Peter.

Charlotte has spent her whole life fighting the British Empire, following in the footsteps of her parents and their group of rebels. But when her reunion with her mother laid bare horrible truths about the rebellion, Charlotte knew she had to escape. Now she is on the run, with no idea who the enemy is - or which of her compatriots is truly on her side.

Russia, 1940. Fifteen-year-old Misha’s life is about to transform when his father is offered a job in Stalin’s inner circle. They move into a luxurious apartment in the Kremlin, but doubts about the glorious new Russia quickly surface. Misha realizes that the secret police can do whatever they like. His own mother is arrested and sent to prison, but Misha and his father daren’t complain. Then as German troops advance on Moscow, the atmosphere in the Kremlin ignites.

A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, Audacity is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the 20th century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence.

It's 1944, and high-school senior Meg Michaels has always obeyed her grandparents' wishes, till now. They're urging her to give up her dream of Cornell University and accept a ring from wealthy Hank Wickham before he deploys overseas. But Meg has studied hard and yearns for something better than life in the rural Finger Lakes. Plus, Meg's suddenly fascinated with her childhood friend, Arthur Young, a handsome Seneca Indian farm worker.

The adventure of 12-year-old William Jones’ lifetime begins when he hears his father’s footsteps, pacing back and forth late at night across the floor of the bedroom beneath his own - even though his father is dead. To stop the restless pacing of his father’s ghost, William goes to London to find John Diamond, the son of the man his father cheated two decades earlier. In a strange, shadowy world of thieves, swindlers, and cutthroats, William tries to make amends for the sins of his father.

Tigera now stood very still. She turned and looked deep into her mother’s eyes. "We have a very simple decision to make,” she said. “Run, or stay and die,” Tigera stated. Their lands, the Nine Boroughs, are abundant in food and shelter. They prosper, expand, and it could be said, have become complacent in their existence. However, far to their western border, other eyes look on with want and jealousy on this bountiful land. Now a great Lord has assembled the Hoard, west of the river border, and they plan an invasion the clan will not see coming until it is too late.

In this tender and wholesome glimpse into their young marriage, we see that Hetty’s kindly husband Morgan loves her for her goodness and purity. He has forfeited a vast inheritance to marry her. Hetty longs to work by his side as an attorney, yet he pictures her as a stay-at-home mom. She must never have children because of a congenital heart condition.

Princess Meredith’s 18th birthday is fast approaching, but unlike other girls, she is not looking forward to it. Upon her coming of age, she is to marry the prince of Alder, the most powerful kingdom in the world. Though the idea of marriage to a complete stranger is appalling, she knows she has no choice. Without the marriage contract, Stonefall’s alliance with Alder will be lost, and her people will be safe no longer; Theros, King of Talos, has set his eyes of conquest on Stonefall and he wants Meredith dead.

Dot, whose name reflects her stature, has always had big dreams—but her dreams have to be put on hold while she searches for the truth about her parents. She gets a job as a seamstress at a lakeside resort in rural Ontario and falls hard for Eddie, a charming local boy who is equal parts helpful and distracting as Dot investigates her past. Searching for answers to questions about her birth, Dot learns more than she ever wanted to about the terrible effects of war, the legacy of deceit—and the enduring nature of love.

Kathryn Miller Haines’ debut Iris Anderson mystery received considerable buzz for its stellar 15-year-old heroine and engrossing 1940s period details. With her father back from the war, Iris is eager to help him with his private eye business—especially since his mobility is limited thanks to a missing leg. Now with a case involving a boy she knows from school to investigate, Iris leaps into action and soon finds herself in the middle of a harrowing adventure.

Through the alternating voices of 12-year-old Morning Girl and her younger brother Star Boy, we step into the extraordinarily rich lives of an indigenous family on a Bahamian Island in 1492, just as their paradise is about to be discovered and a new world order begins to take shape.