Historical Fiction

Brooks, K. (2015). The bunker diary. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Lab.

This is the winner of the 2014 Cilip Carnegie Medal. Room meets Lord of the Flies, The Bunker Diary is award-winning, young adult writer Kevin Brooks' pulse-pounding exploration of what happens when your worst nightmare comes true - and how will you survive? I can't believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete. There are six little rooms along the main corridor. There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out. What's he going to do to me? What am I going to do? If I'm right, the lift will come down in five minutes. It did. Only this time it wasn't empty.

Lexile Level: 540L

LA Themes: You can handle more than you realize.

Universal Themes: Survival; Manipulation; Safety and Security

Crowder, M. (2016). Audacity. New York: Speak, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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 twentieth 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. In time, Clara convinces the women in the factories to strike, organize, and unionize, culminating in the famous Uprising of the 20,000. 
Powerful, breathtaking, and inspiring, Audacity is the story of a remarkable young woman, whose passion and selfless devotion to her cause changed the world.

Lexile Level: 1120L

LA Themes: Speaking up for those who suffer in silence.; Fighting against all odds

Universal Themes: Courage; Justice; Need for Change

The Boy in the Black Suit. (2016). Turtleback Books.

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.
Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Lexile Level: 760L

LA Themes: Growing up before you are ready; Grief and Death; The Effects of Alcoholism

Universal Themes: Perseverance; Friendship; Effects of the Past

Ruby, L. (2016). Bone Gap. London: Faber & Faber Limited.

Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

Lexile Level: 810L

LA Themes: Love and Loss: Magic and Mystery, Regret and Forgiveness; What the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are

Universal Themes: Love; Faith; Perseverance; Effects of the Past

Shusterman, N., & Shusterman, B. (2016). Challenger Deep. New York: HarperTeen.

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.  Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.  Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.  Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.  Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.  Caden Bosch is torn.  A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens. 

Lexile Level: 800L

LA Themes: Those suffering from mental illness are often unable to distinguish reality from imagined reality, but this does not mean that what they perceive as reality is not to some degree real or true.

Universal Themes: Power of the Mind Vs. Authority