Historical Fiction

What is Historical Fiction? It is literary genre defined as stories made up but is set in the past and sometimes borrows true characteristics of the time period in which it is set. History has always been my favorite subject because it is the story of the world and how it has unfolded since the beginning of time. It's the story of humans and cultures from all over the world and how they have risen and fallen and changed through out the years. Henry's Freedom Box and The War That Saved My Life are two examples of how the authors infused historical facts into their fictional story about either real or imagined people.


Henry's Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Henry's Freedom Box is the winner of the 2008 Caldecott Honor for its illustrations in this picture book. Kadir Nelson's paintings for this book were inspired by an antique lithograph of Henry "Box" Brown. Kadir Nelson cross hatched pencil lines, and then applied layers of watercolor and oil pant that adds to the character and emotion as shown in the scene where Henry watches his wife and three kids being sold off to another master. Henry himself was sold and separated from his mother as a young boy. When he goes off to his new master's tobacco farm, he meets, falls in love, and marries another slave. They have three kids. As soon as Henry was feeling happy with his family, the master sold them off thus inspiring him to seek help of an abolitionist doctor by mailing himself in a wooden crate to a place where there are no slaves, Philadelphia. The illustrations of showing the cutaways while Henry was en route in the cramped crate makes the reader feel the uncomfortable conditions and sacrifice Henry went through to seek a better life. Henry does make it to his doctor's friend on March 30, 1849. My reaction to this story is that of complete awe for Henry that he had the mental capacity, strength, and resolve to continue to fight and seek freedom. After having being ripped away from his mother when he was a little boy and then having his wife and three kids ripped away from him as a grown man, I think most people would have lost the will to live. Henry chose to live and do something extraordinary in the face of despair. He gives us great inspiration for us all to never give up hope when we are faced with difficult times in our lives.












The War That Saved My Life
Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The War That Saved My Life is the winner of the 2016 Newberry Honor award as well as the 2016 Schneider Family Book Award. The setting is in England during World War II. Ten year old Ada runs away from her abusive mother to join her younger brother Jamie while he joins the evacuation of children to the British countryside, Kent. Ada is afflicted with a condition called clubfoot. This something that her abusive mother is humiliated about so she kept Ada locked up day and night. Upon arrival to the English countryside, Ada and Jamie are both filthy and live infested so nobody wants to take them in. Lady Thornburg takes Ada and Jamie to Susan Smiths house and talks her into taking Ada and Jamie. Over time, Susan Smith, Jamie and Ada's lives change for the better. Ada and Jamie now have clean clothes, a warm bed, regular meals, a pony, and kitty. Ada and Jamie experience love and kindness for the first time. They both learn how to help with the war effort making them both feel useful. Ada is now able to go outside and communicate with other people and now has established many friendships along the way. She learns how to sew, read and write, and ride a horse. She even captured a German spy and helped to feed and care for the soldiers. She gained her confidence and realized her clubfoot has nothing to do with her intelligence.  One day unexpectedly, Ada and Jamie's mean mom shows up and takes them back to London. They return to their nightmare way of life. One night, the bomb alarms go off and Jamie and Ada ran into an underground bomb shelter. After the bombing was over, they came above ground and noticed that everything was decimated and suddenly they see Susan! Upon arrival back to Susan's house, they saw that her house was also bombed. All the village people were digging through the rubble trying to find Susan, Jamie and Ada. They were all excited to see them walking up. Susan told Jamie and Ada that they saved her life.
My reaction to this story is that of surprise that in the end Jamie and Ada saved Susan's life. All three of them together saved each other from abuse, neglect, and loneliness. The saved each other. I love how this story intertwines factual realities of WW II and how each character was faced with true to live situations during this time period in History. The rationings, victory gardens, taking care of soldiers, land girls, evacuation of children, German spies are all Historical moments that really happened. I love Ada and Jamies courage to overcome their weaknesses and to finally come into their own selves and love Susan's courage to take a chance at loving someone again. This book left my heart happy and hopeful.