I'm passionate about history education, and I'm certain that historical fiction novels are the best place to start. Below is an academic essay I wrote for my application to BYU's MFA Creative Writing Program; it centers on this topic and offers oodles of research to support the use of novels in history learning. Enjoy.
Mikayla Johnson
MFA Graduate Application
14 Jan. 2022
Historical Fiction: A Necessity in History Education
From a potter’s apprentice in middle age China (A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park) to a family road-tripping across the United States in the 1960s (The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis), children’s historical fiction books follow the journeys of a wide array of people living in equally diverse places. Unlike the protagonists of most genre fiction, historical fiction characters face challenges of self, survival, family and culture unaided by the supernatural or fantastic. Albeit decades—sometimes centuries—apart from contemporary living, these characters exist in our same world, with all the complexities and limitations our earth offers. In short: historical fiction stories are unique in their ability to engage children by telling gripping plotlines while also offering foundational information about actual people, places, and events of years gone by.
Despite its auspicious qualities, however, historical fiction in children’s literature is a hot topic, having undergone enormous amounts of both laud and scrutiny. Teachers, librarians, literary agents, publishers, authors and readers all have something to say about historical fiction. While their opinions are vast, conclusive evidence points to historical fiction as an effective—even necessary—tool in history education.
Historical Fiction’s Benefit in History Education
To understand the importance of historical fiction in history education, we must first examine the way history has been predominantly taught—via textbook. From early elementary classes to college level courses, textbooks have been the reigning source of historical information in the classroom. The problem with this? For one, textbooks are widely seen as “boring.” Tunnell and Jacobs assert that “history textbooks are not effective in helping children make meaningful, personal connections with the past. Studies report that students at all grade levels name social studies (history) as their most boring class and point to their textbooks as one of the major reasons” (142).
Another issue with textbooks is their bite-sized approach. Fifth grade textbooks, for example, cover the span of U.S. history in approximately 400 pages. When a book tells a country’s story from the first settlement in Jamestown to the horrors of 9/11 and beyond, few details beyond places, names and dates can be afforded. “[Textbooks] cannot do justice to many important events, people, and concepts” (Tunnell and Jacobs 142).
While textbooks give sparse cut-and-dry facts about centuries’ worth of historical events, historical fiction texts instead narrow in on a much smaller time frame and offer a wealth of detail. The payoff? Historical fiction texts are more interesting to read. Anne Harper, a kindergarten teacher in Highland, Utah shares that “historical fiction can be a very engaging way to learn about real times, places, and people”.
Historical fiction texts breathe life into what youth may have judged as past and dead. Where history textbooks normally highlight prominent adults, historical fiction instead highlights the human experience of people of all ages, including children. This allows students to find personal connection to history; they are able to see and feel what another child saw and felt. Anita Worthen, children’s librarian in Santaquin, Utah, illustrates this concept in regards to a historical fiction & fantasy book about Victorian chimney sweeps:
Historical fiction uses [the] gift of imagination to take us to a time, a place, and a situation we aren't able to visit. It gives us the opportunity to see and feel through the eyes of someone of a different time. I think of Jonathan Auxier's Sweep, and how he describes the size of the chimneys Nan climbed in London as about the same size as the open book in the reader's hands. Wow. Suddenly the space in that flue becomes very real and very scary. For a time, we are crawling through those chimneys with Nan, feeling her hunger, and experiencing her fear. We also share in her triumph. And we're changed. We never think of chimney sweeps or child labor quite the same again.
Worthen’s example illustrates how historical fiction texts are unforgettable; we are changed after reading them. Because of fiction’s immersive qualities, historical events become more of an experience to be remembered rather than a rote list to be memorized. Of historical fiction texts, Rodwell shares that “students are able to recall the historical information more easily because it has been associated within the context of the plot, character, setting and theme of the novel” (19). Tunnell and Jacobs confirm this with their assertion that “children and adults are more likely to process and remember historical information when it comes in the form of a good story” (142).
Tunnell and Jacobs make a key point—not only will children remember historical information when reading a good story, but adults will, also. If children and youth experience history via fiction texts in their K–12 education, they will likely turn to those same types of texts in their adulthood, allowing for lifelong history learning. While people rarely purchase textbooks after their grade school and university experiences have ended, novels and other forms of entertainment are continually consumed. Science fiction and fantasy author Marissa Meyer proves this point. She shares that “there is such appeal to learning history through movies and through hands-on experiences and travel—and obviously books and historical fiction—as opposed to learning it through a textbook which is how most of us I think learned it” (“Guest: Jennifer A. Nielsen”).
Another key strength of historical fiction texts is their ability to tell stories that are excluded from textbooks, providing ample space to give voice to histories that might otherwise be lost. Ruta Sepetys, author of bestselling historical young adult books, states: “every nation has hidden history, countless stories preserved only by those who experienced them” (383). A concrete example of this is exhibited in Sepetys’ own work. Sepetys’ first books detail the horrors experienced by Lithuanian individuals at the hands of Soviet officers during WWII. While facts about Hitler’s Jewish Haulocast are almost always included in world history textbooks, Stalin’s own “cleanse” is almost always left out. Sepetys’ historical fiction novels bring to light the experiences of the Lithuanian people who suffered through that era. Her sources? Lithuanian individuals and their family photos, journals, and letters.
While historical fiction texts are easier to remember, facilitate greater understanding, uncover forgotten stories and lead to increased lifelong history learning, there are several reasons they have not yet taken a predominant seat over textbooks in today’s classrooms.
Obstacles That Keep Historical Fiction Out of Students’ Hands
The misconception students learned from textbooks about history being “boring” has not just hindered classrooms, but also the publishing industry. Literary agent Jen Nadol told a prospective author that the author’s historical fiction manuscript had “a good premise, but unfortunately, I’ve found historicals really difficult to place in the YA marketplace so don’t think it’s a match for me”. Author J.U. Scribe expresses difficulty getting his historical novels into reader hands; he says that “unless a reader is an avid fan of historical fiction, the genre is often ignored by mainstream readers . . . the #1 common consensus of those not fans of historical fiction is that it’s boring”. While there are some bestsellers that make it into the spotlight, historical fiction is usually only found by those intentionally—and emphatically—seeking it. Of the eleven books listed on Scholastic’s best-selling middle grade list, seven were fantasy novels, three were contemporary, and only one was historical fiction (“Bestselling Books for Middle Grade Readers”). Furthermore, in Masterclass’s top eight best-selling novel genres, historical fiction is not even mentioned (“8 Popular Book Genres”). It is clear that, in the publishing industry, historical fiction novels are the underdogs. Less student interest in historicals leads to less publishing acquisitions of historicals, which leads to less historicals on bookstore shelves, which leads to less historicals on library and classroom shelves, which leads to less historicals in student hands, which leads us back to less student interest in historicals. It’s a rotten cycle.
Another obstacle? Many educators and parents share a common fear that historical fiction books could get the facts wrong and will corrupt history learning for young minds. Kindergarten teacher Anne Harper says that “as an educator, I do feel that it is very important for teachers using a historical fiction text to teach explicitly which parts of the book are historically accurate and which parts are fictional”. Amber Jarvis, children’s librarian in Camden, North Carolina, shares that “historical fiction can be a double-edged sword. When an author writes historical fiction poorly [it] can give a child an inaccurate description of a specific time period”.
The truth of the matter is that there are elements of historical fiction that are decidedly fictional. Do we know exactly what it was like for a thirteen-year-old to flee murderers in medieval England (Crispin by Avi) or for a young boy to survive a WWII bombing in the middle of a Bahamian ocean (The Cay by Thedore Taylor)? No, we don’t. However, as Worthen expressed earlier, for both author and reader, imagination is key.
Research is key, also. Author Clare Vanderpool writes, “like many readers of historical fiction, I find it interesting to know what is fact and what is fiction. Sometimes what I find even more interesting is where the fact or fiction came from” (343). Most of the time, historical authors explain facts and debunk myths right inside the pages of their own novels, usually found in the author’s note at the back of the book. In the author’s note of Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys writes, “the research and investigation process for this novel was a global, collaborative effort that carried me to half a dozen countries” (384). She proceeds to list who and what specifically informed her writing.
Understanding the importance of historical accuracy, author Jennifer A. Nielsen expresses her dedication to abiding by facts in historical fiction writing. She says: “as much as possible, I try to stick close to reality . . . because I have young readers—4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade and up. When they read the [historical] fiction novel, [it] embeds in their memories that that . . . was history” (“Guest: Jennifer A. Nielsen”). It is clear that high-quality research is present in historical fiction from authors like Nielsen, Sepetys, and Vanderpool. If an educator does a little work—even by merely flipping to the author’s note section—they will sort out the amply researched, well-crafted historical fiction novels from the phonies.
Interestingly, many educators agree that the information included in textbooks can also be questionable. “My own experience is that many history teachers will confess to one another significant missing elements in textbooks . . . Historical truth mostly is a very relative thing” (Rodwell 154). If educators are worried about historical novels offering a distorted lens, they might find it insightful to examine their own textbooks for accuracy.
Prescribed curriculum literature is another obstacle blocking students from reading historical fiction. Pressure from principals, districts, and local governments to heighten literacy and math scores pushes teachers into a difficult corner. With pressure to do well in math and literacy, time spent on social studies (history) often falls by the wayside and is minimally taught. Literacy programs with prescribed reading materials are doled out to teachers, often with the expectation that they be used on a daily basis. Anne Harper states that “The Language Arts Curriculum that we use in [my] district is called ‘Wonders.’ I teach Kindergarten. I would have to say that our curriculum doesn’t really have much in the way of historical fiction. The main focus is on narrative fiction and informational text (nonfiction)”.
With limited historicals being published each year, prescribed literature being imposed on schools, and fear and misconception clouding its name, there are many obstacles against the study of historical fiction. However, if carefully implemented, just as many solutions abound.
Possible Solutions for Increasing Accessibility of Historical Fiction Texts to Students
The first solution to increasing accessibility of historical fiction texts to students is using historical fiction texts as the predominant text in classroom study, with textbooks as a supplemental reference point. Anne Harper recommends that “individual students or groups could research an event in the [historical fiction] book, and compare and contrast the information from the story to historically accurate sources. Even something as simple as a Venn Diagram would show the students similarities and differences”. Affirming Harper’s recommendation, Rodwell shares that “historical novels are a powerful partner to textbooks . . . when using historical novels in the classroom it is useful for an authentication process [to] be provided for novel studies. Here, students have the opportunity to engage in the act of determining the historical accuracy of the narrative” (152-154).
Another powerful text-pairing involves using historical fiction novels in tandem with the classics and other texts taught in upper grade English classrooms. Katelyn Fish, an English middle school teacher in California, maintains that “teaching Historical Fiction gives [English] educators a great opportunity to collaborate with the history teachers of the grade level, creating a cross-curricular experience for students”. A concrete example of this could look like Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott; these novels told in verse would make fitting companions for poetry units in English classrooms. Fish shares her own example of an integrated text she uses. “One of my favorites is Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. My students hadn't learned about WWII in their history courses yet, but a lot of my students were really interested in war history and had done research on their own. It was so awesome to see kids who didn't usually participate in class step up and get really excited to share everything that they knew about WWII. This novel was also really cool to teach because it wasn't from the typical U.S. perspective students learn about WWII from”.
English classrooms aren’t the only place historical texts may be integrated. Historical fiction texts lend themselves to support curriculum in many other subjects. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park may be used in an art classroom while students create pottery. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley would be a fascinating companion to units about the effects of abuse in a sociology or psychology classroom. The Poetry of Secrets by Cambria Gordon would offer depth and culture in a Spanish classroom. The possibilities are endless.
Teachers, librarians, parents, authors, and other leaders can forge the way for the study of historical fiction, especially by example. “It’s up to parents, librarians, and English teachers to know books and to steer young readers to the literature . . . for which they’re best suited” (Crowe 149). Librarian Amber Jarvis shares exactly how she does this: “I always refer children who enjoy nonfiction texts to explore historical fiction. It is a gateway door in getting children who enjoy nonfiction to read larger texts that still cover a topic they are interested in. I find that parents also more easily approve of their children reading historical fiction”. Worthen asserts that teachers also have a strong responsibility to personally engage in reading historical fiction before recommending books to students. “I think teachers need to become familiar with the best of the genre, the most reliable authors . . . I believe this is best done by the teacher herself reading, reading, reading. And it’s that reading that fuels . . . recommending titles to her students”.
The attitudes teachers, librarians, parents and authors host towards historical fiction are tangible to children. Positive attitudes can make a world of difference. Jennifer A. Nielsen, a bestselling author predominantly known for her fantasy series Ascendence, felt drawn to start writing historical fiction in the middle of her career. Amidst challenges publishers and others confronted her with, Nielsen persisted. Today, her fans read both her fantasy and historical fiction works. Of writing historical fiction novels, she says:
History truly is that exciting and interesting . . . The problem we have is the way most young
people are taught history. It’s names and dates and places—and if all we teach kids is names and dates and places, history is the worst. It is just unbearable. But if we teach children the stories of history and what actually happened, I don’t have to go and embellish. I don’t have to create a lot of drama. History is dramatic. History is exciting. And so to me, to get to write in a time period of history, I don’t think I could be more fortunate than to have that playground as a palette to begin writing [with]. (“Guest: Jennifer A. Nielsen”)
While historical fiction should be present in classrooms and libraries, and while educators’ enthusiasm is a must, we must also be careful not to create another obstacle for ourselves by turning these texts into another dry-as-cardboard curriculum. “Whenever we take a well-written, powerful story and turn it into a curriculum, it loses its magic. It loses its power . . . the student becomes so focused on the worksheets, the book reports, the creative projects, the analysis, etc. that they lose powerful personal experience that comes from losing oneself in a good story”. There are many teaching techniques that can foster learning without robbing students of engagement in historical reading; one of the most powerful is reading aloud to them. “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children” (Anderson et al. qtd. in Morrison and Wilcox 2013). Organic, student-led questions and discussions flourish from a classroom environment where an open-minded educator reads texts aloud. An educator will find more success in their students’ learning by offering experiences that foster curiosity, research, and reflection. Reading aloud is one of the most effective ways to do this with historical fiction.
Educators have a powerful ability to strengthen history learning by fostering historical fiction study. Conversely, some difficult consequences may follow if historical fiction is not studied.
Potential Consequences For Neglecting Historical Fiction Texts
One of the greatest strengths of historical fiction texts is its ability to help readers develop compassion. Rodwell expresses the same sentiment, stating that the “capacity for historical novels to build empathy in students for individuals or groups in history by now is well established” (155). The compassion developed for historic individuals while reading these novels can translate to compassion for individuals in present-day situations. An Irish educator named Paul Bracey, along with his colleagues, chose two historical novels set in Ireland that detailed accounts of refugees fleeing to Ireland during WWII. After reading these texts with their students, Bracey and his colleagues concluded that reading historical fiction about displaced people helped their students build empathy for displaced people in their own contemporary Irish communities (Rodwell 155-56). The space and clarity that historical fiction provides allows us to “think critically not only about the literary texts, but about [our] responses to the texts, and thus about [our] own attitudes and assumptions” (Brown). Historical fiction is a powerful tool in helping students expand their perspective and see the humanity in others.
Along this same vein, historical fiction offers the opportunity for multiple viewpoints to be expressed. Without historical fiction, students will grow up with a myopic lens of history; as Holmes and Ammon state, “when a textbook is used as the only source of information, students tend to accept the author’s statements without question” (qtd. in Tunnell and Jacobs 144). Because “no history, whether within a novel or history text, can be without bias” (Brown), texts from various viewpoints will give students and educators alike a more complete and complex picture of what actually happened. There are ample WWII era novels that, when studied together, can do just this. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne shares the horrors of Germany’s Jewish concentration camps (which almost always land a place in history textbooks). Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida, on the other hand, shares the harsh reality of America’s own Japanese internment camps. Reading both books together illustrates how racism, prejudice, and inhumane treatment was not unique to Germany during WWII; when paired together these novels help students see and grapple with the muddied water that surrounds topics like war. “History never has a single side to its story, and children’s literature in the form of historical fiction (and historical nonfiction) is more likely to invite ‘the reader to enter into a historical discussion that involves making judgments about issues of morality’” (Tunnell and Jacobs 144).
Lastly, students of today will be tomorrow’s historians. Giving them rich historical texts today will yield rich historical texts tomorrow. “Even without intending it, we are raising the next generation of writers who ten, twenty, thirty years down the road are going to be better writers—we hope—because of something we’ve written” (“Guest: Jennifer A. Nielsen”). Woodray explains the importance of utilizing works of fiction in teaching writing. She states: “I can’t help students to write well by myself. I need lots of help . . . and I have found that help on the shelves of my library . . . I let writers like Georgia [Heard] and Gary Paulsen and Cynthia Rylant and Jane Yolen help me to do the important work of teaching students to write well” (9). With the help of a vast and rich historical fiction repertoire, students will be armored with all the necessary tools to write important historical pieces themselves in years to come.
Conclusion
Historical fiction texts are important because they retain attention, offer varying perspectives, and foster memory more effectively than textbooks do. While there are many obstacles interrupting the study of historical fiction, educators have the power to lead the way in overcoming those obstacles and raising a history-competent generation. The study of historical fiction texts is crucial in aiding students to understand multiple viewpoints, develop compassion, and write history.
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