Text Book Reflections: Historical Fiction

            

    I avoided historical fiction for a long time. Some part of me felt that it would be dry or boring and I was very reluctant to give it a chance. One day I stole a book of my mothers that had a beautiful woman in a white dress on the cover and I assumed she would be a princess. She was a land baron’s daughter in a very rough early America and she was being used to gain a hefty ransom. I loved every page of it before I realized that it was historical fiction! I learned things from it! It had so much more value than just the events in the story because it gave me a glimpse into life in that time period. It turns out, I really enjoy historical fiction!

                Before teachers begin a new unit, we are encouraged to “activate background knowledge” but sometimes kids are seriously lacking in knowledge about historical topics. Taking notes, watching a dry documentary and building a diorama is all well and good, but adventure in the specific time period being studied can be so much more effective! If readers were less reticent to read historical fiction they might be able to build a better arsenal of historical background knowledge to help them understand the world and the new concepts they will learn in it.

                Ideally, historical fiction is mostly historically accurate. Also, in their accuracy, they should show the reader what it was really like to exist during that particular time period. They should exemplify the morals, behavior and life style of the period. A good historical fiction novel will immerse the reader in a “new” world that is multifaceted and potentially very educational. 

image borrowed from: https://www.bookadvice.co/best-historical-fiction8203.html